Backup Plan
by DelayedInspiration
Summary: Twins born of a broken oath, one to lead the life of a hero, the other to lead the life of a murderer. Champion of Susanoo and son of Poseidon, the younger brother's tale is one of sadness, and tragedy...and of vengeance, and blood.
1. Prologue: Beginning of a Legend

_**Disclaimer is as follows: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I would be retired.**_

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 _Hospital in Manhattan_

 _August 18, 1993_

 _12:00 A.M._

Sally Jackson lie in a hospital bed, exhausted after giving birth to _twins._ She had carried her children by herself for nine months after meeting _him_ at the Montauk Beach. The most breath-taking man any woman would ever lay eyes on. Then again, being a _god_ , gives one certain aesthetic properties. Tall, tanned, muscled, and unnatural sea-green eyes, Poseidon were quite the specimen for young Sally Jackson. And the trident he was holding also helped. After meeting at the beach, the two started seeing each other more and more frequently, falling deeper in love than what was allowed for a divine entity and a mortal. After spending the summer with the Sea God, their children were conceived. Persephone, the eldest by six minutes, and her younger brother, Perseus, were absolutely beautiful in their mother and father's world. Lightly tanned skin, tufts of raven black hair, and their father's sea green eyes, the newborns were perfect.

Sally held her daughter as her son was taken away by the doctors to make sure everything checked out alright, but despite the new mother's overwhelming happiness, one being even more powerful than Poseidon…was not as ecstatic.

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The nurse checking on young Perseus suddenly froze, her eyes going blank, before she walked out of the room. She walked back to the room where Sally was holding her daughter and said to her, "I'm sorry, Ms. Jackson. There were complications with your sons lungs, blood was leaking into his trachea. There was nothing we could do." Sally, upon hearing that her son had just died, broke down into tears, her heart shattered. Persephone, with her young mind, seeing this person she recognized as mommy start crying, began wailing. The nurse prepped a sedative for the crying woman and injected the needle into Sally's IV. She was out in seconds. After Sally was asleep, the nurse took the crying infant and calmed her down, then took her to a room where she could be watched and looked after until Sally was ready to leave.

 _Back in Perseus's check-up room_

 _12:12 A.M._

While the nurse was under the influence of the Mist, a magical barrier that prevents the mortal world from seeing the Mythological one and, when used by demigods and gods alike, a hypnotizing force capable of distorting reality itself, a woman walked out of the shadows of the room. The woman wore a black dress reaching down to the back of her calves. Her hair was done in a high ponytail with a golden clip. Her eyes were the color of the night sky, her face was regal, high cheek bones, supple lips with red lipstick, and perfect make up. She walked to Percy's crib and gazed down at the infant. Percy's eyes fluttered open and he reached up to the woman, gurgling incomprehensible baby babble. The woman smiled and picked the baby and held him close. As Percy settled down in her arms and fell asleep, her smile turned into a frown. "Your father was a fool," she said, her voice was soft, yet held an undertone of absolute power, "He swore on my name to never have demigod children again and now he's sired twins. As he is a god, I cannot harm him directly, but I can still punish him.

"I'm sorry young one. You didn't ask for this life, or the Hell you are about to endure, but you are fated for great things. In this world…and another."

Without further ado, the woman walked back into the shadows taking Perseus with her.

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 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _Tokyo Tower, Special Observatory_

 _1:12 P.M._

The Tokyo Tower, second tallest man-made structure in Japan, built in 1958 to mirror the Eiffel Tower, serve as a Japanese symbol of industrialization, and to bring in money as a tourist attraction and an antenna leasing structure, was about to bear witness to an unprecedented transaction between pantheons.

The woman walked out of the shadows cast by the afternoon sun in Tokyo. The typically crowded tower was empty except for one man dressed in a black kimono and a haori depicting an ocean during a violent storm, complete with crashing waves, thunderclouds, and lightning. The scary part was that the designs were _moving_. Using the Mist to prevent people from entering was child's play for these beings.

Sensing the arrival of the black-clad deity, the man turned around and revealed his face of Asian descent, but it was eyes that drew your attention. The iris and sclera were both _purple, with concentric rings surrounding the pupil._

The Rinnegan.

"I was beginning to think you were going to back out," his voice was deep and rich, and had a slight echo to it, displaying his _immense_ power.

"Do not patronize me, Susanoo. You felt my power even in New York. Besides, I'm well aware of the deal we made. And I do _not_ break my word," her tone was one of offence, taking the stab at her honor very personally, the shadows writhing in response to her ire.

The Shinto storm god grimaced as pain rolled over his body. But as quick as it came, it was gone. "My apologies, Lady Styx, but your pantheon has proved on more than one occasion to struggle with keeping their word. But enough of this banter, let me see the child."

Despite still being miffed at Susanoo's previous words, the goddess of the River Styx complied with god's request. Susanoo looked at the child with a calculating yet sorrowed look. Percy, awakening to the sudden movement, looked at the strange man with curious eyes. Susanoo gained a small smile on his face. Percy reacted by sticking his arms up at the god. Susanoo pointed his finger in Percy's face and the demigod grabbed the digit with surprising strength for a baby.

"A firm grip, he will grow to be very powerful in his life," Susanoo commented.

"He will have to be, for his sake…and ours," Styx's solemn tone made a glint appear in Susanoo's purple eyes. "Agreed, so enough of this small talk, it's time for business."

Holding Percy in his right arm, he held his left his left hand toward the sky and narrowed his eyes at the sun. Immediately, a small black cloud with lightning dancing around it formed. The thundercloud grew inconceivably fast, blotting out the sun and covering the sky for leagues. Lightning exploded across the sky, hundreds of bolts flashing in and out of existence in microseconds, the amount of thunder that boomed was almost deafening. Winds roared across the city, rain flooding from the sky. Mortals across the world would remember this event as the freak-storm of the century.

It took all of her experience not to stare in awe at the power of the Shinto God of Storms. Percy, however, began to cry at the exposure to the massive amount of divine and atmospheric power. The river goddess' maternal instincts kicked in and she took the wailing infant into her arms and slowly calmed him down. Susanoo gazed at Styx with an unreadable expression, "You care for him?" His tone was questioning.

Styx looked at him, "No, not entirely. He is the result of a broken oath-

"So is the girl," Susanoo's words were like ice.

Styx froze at his interjection and gazed at the now sleeping newborn. "He has a strength that his sister does not. If we chose her, this," Styx struggled to find the right word, " _transaction,_ would have failed for both of us." Her face was set in stone, and her eyes gazed at Susanoo, challenging him.

The Storm God chuckled, the thunder outside seemed to reverberate in sync with the sound. "I did not come here to fight you, Lady Styx. Now, to complete the transaction, as you put it." Styx looked reluctant for just a second before she held Percy outstretched to the Shinto deity, his bear stomach exposed.

Susanoo raised his left hand and it was engulfed in red fire. He raised his right hand and it was engulfed in blue fire. The Rinnegan glowed with absolute power as he clapped his hands together, the flames combining into dark purple. With a voice that could command Zeus himself, he intoned: " _ **Banbutsu Sozo."**_

The fire surged around Percy, enveloping him in its empowering embrace. Percy squirmed in Styx's outstretched arms, the goddess holding on tightly to make sure he didn't fall, as a warm feeling moved across and inside his body. He gurgled happily at the strange feeling.

Susanoo's eyes narrowed slightly as the purple flames around his hands gained a sea-green tint. _'He's subconsciously drawing out my own chakra.'_ The tint moved down the stream of fire and into the fire engulfing Percy. A few seconds later, the fire surrounding Susanoo left his hands and was absorbed into the demigod. Said baby had a faint sea-green glow around him before it too receded into his tiny body. His eyes shot open and revealed something unbelievably frightening: surrounding his pupil was the symbol for the Greek Omega, for the end. He quickly fell asleep afterwards.

"It is done," Susanoo's words had an air of satisfaction to them. "I have created his chakra network, and added a bit of my own personal touch to it as well. You could say I've given him my blessing, making him my champion in a way."

"You sound proud of that," The goddess's words were condescending.

"Of course," the god's voice was boisterous, "he will be my representative in the mortal world; I would do well to arm him appropriately." His words turned slightly threatening at the end.

Styx conceded to his words, "Very well then. We have spent enough time here, the Lords of the Underworld may get suspicious of my absence, and I think this storm has gone on long enough."

Susanoo smirked, "I agree. Now, give him to me." Styx complied with the order handed the sleeping Percy to the powerful being in front of her. "I bid the well, Lady Styx. The next time we meet, it will be at the end of one war, and the beginning of another." Susanoo turned around with Percy in his arms and declared:

" _ **Amenominaka."**_

To the Lady Styx, Susanoo and Percy vanished. No flash, boom, or fancy anything. They were simply…gone, and the storm cleared out near instantly.

Squaring her shoulders, and putting on a strong face, the goddess walked into the shadows and disappeared.

The stone has been thrown…the ripples have been made… _and the waves are beginning to form._


	2. Storm Brewing

_Chapter 2: Storm Brewing_

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 _Hidden Leaf Village_

 _October 10, 1000 AS (After Sage)_

Minato Namikaze was not having a good day. Sure it started out fantastically, with his secret wife, Kushina Uzumaki, finally going into labor to give birth to his daughter, but then everything went downhill from there. Granted, everything that followed was completely out of his control, he still felt he did something to piss off a deity. Maybe it was karma for all the people he killed during the Third Great Ninja War.

It started when the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed within Kushina started to break out, which was expected of course, but no less difficult to deal with. So while his wife was giving birth, he was making sure the demon of mass destruction didn't break free to wreak havoc and destroy them all. After his daughter, who they named Naruko, after a character in Minato's sensei's book, was born, a man in a mask appeared and killed both the nurse and Biwako Sarutobi, the aged wife of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and demanded that Minato 'step away from the Jinchuuriki, or else your daughter dies at the ripe old age of one minute.'

He told the man to calm down, to which he responded with 'I'm perfectly calm.' He then proceeded _to throw his newborn daughter into the air._ Minato's far superior speed, they didn't call him the Yellow Flash for nothing, allowed him to catch his daughter midflight. That's when the explosive tags on the bottom of the swaddling blanket went off.

He threw the blanket off and teleported himself and his daughter to a safe house at a different location just before the explosion destroyed said safe house. This also allowed the Masked Man to unseal the Nine-Tails and place it under his control. Something only two people in recorded history were able to do, and they had both passed a long time ago. Just before the angry fox spirit could crush his severely weakened wife, only still alive due to her clan heritage as an Uzumaki, he teleported himself to and from the unsealing location with Kushina in his arms, in less than a second.

After leaving her with their newborn baby girl, he dawned his Hokage cloak just in time to see the Nine-Tails begin its devastating rampage on his village. The carnage was unbelievable. Buildings demolished like ant-hills, ninja swatted away like insects, people sent flying into the air like ragdolls. After giving a few parting words to Kushina, he teleported to the top of his face statue on the Hokage Monument. The Nine-Tails took notice of this and began preparing his brethren's signature move, the Tailed Beast Ball. A ball of super condensed, super potent chakra, capable of leveling mountain ranges, flattening forests, and destroying Hidden Villages with one shot. And it was fired point blank.

Acting quickly, he set up a Transportation Barrier, sending the lethal chakra bomb far away from the village. It still didn't stop the massive explosion that appeared, lighting up the night sky with the force of the sun. Then he had another brief confrontation with the Masked Man, whom deduced was Madara Uchiha…anyway, he beat the man, placed his Flying Raijin Jutsu formula on him, separatedhim from the Nine-Tails with a Contract Seal, and heard some very forboading parting words from him as he vanished in a swirling vortex centered around his right eye, ' _I shall rule this world, there are plenty of ways to do it…'_

Moving on, after the Nine-Tails was released from Madara's control, and forced out of the village by the Third Hokage's adamantine staff, and said fox preparing to fire another Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato summoned the Toad Boss, Gamabunta, to restrain the Tailed Beast, the Bomb dissipating without any chakra being fed into it.

Minato then used up a massive amount of his remaining chakra to teleport him, the Nine-Tails, his wife, and his daughter to a location far away from the Hidden Leaf Village. After exchanging tearful words with each other about how they wished things could've been different, Minato told Kushina about how he was going to use the Reaper Death Seal, a sealing jutsu that calls forth the Death God to seal something at the cost of the user's life, to seal the Nine-Tail's Yin Chakra within himself and then an Eight-Signs Seal to seal what left of his, Kushina's, and the Yang chakra of the fox within Naruko.

Of course Kushina protested this, not wishing her daughter the lonely life of a Jinchuuriki. Minato countered by saying that without the Nine-Tails, the power balance between the Hidden Villages would be tipped, and the Leaf would be without its protector. Kushina asked why it had to be their daughter that had to be sacrificed, Minato responded that it was his belief that their daughter would be the Child of Prophecy, the one to bring peace to this world, and end the Cycle of Hatred that had plagued it for centuries. Without further delay, Minato ran through the appropriate hand signs and shouted out, " _ **Reaper Death Seal!"**_

Behind him, a ghostly figure manifested, and an unnatural cold settled over the land. The figure couldn't be described as human. Purple skin, clawed hands, extravagant snow white hair that was afro like in appearance, wild, wide eyes with black sclera and yellow irises, red horns jutted out its hair, and a tanto held in between jagged teeth. Rosary beads were held in its left hand, and a white robe covered all but its hands, face, and emaciated chest.

Just beyond the barrier, Hiruzen and few ninja froze at the sight of the Death God. Farther away, in the village, the shinobi and civilians stopped whatever they were doing, as they felt…nothing, like all life was taken from. They couldn't even find the will to mourn for their recently deceased loved ones. Just the overwhelming desire to sleep…for the rest of their lives.

The Death God held a chakra outline of Minato within his hair. He knew why the mortal had summoned him. The Death God gazed at the Nine-Tails, with nothing held in his piercing, unnatural eyes. Wishing to get this over with, as he had other things to do and didn't feel like listening to a speech he had heard hundreds of times before, he held his hand up, about to plunge it into Minato's soul and seal the Yin chakra of the Nine-Tails...but a _massive_ lightning bolt, colored gold, streaked across the sky, from west to the east, its high pitched whine and the giant boom of thunder that appeared with it drawing the attention of every man, woman, and child _on the continent._

Spamming from the main bolt that never seemed to end, smaller tendrils danced about, adding the cacophony of screeching lightning and booming thunder. Animals howled, children wailed, adults covered their ears, windows shattered, and the earth shook under the massive power of the lightning bolt.

" _ **Impossible…"**_ the Death God's voice echoed in the minds of everyone in the Leaf. It sounded like a whisper, yet held a cool, calm, powerful undertone, and held unimaginable rage. _**"Susanoo, you blasted idiot, why did you bring a demigod to this plane!?"**_ While everyone was extremely shocked that not only had they just received proof that gods were real, and just learned that a _child_ of said gods was now somewhere in their world, the Death God turned his attention back to Minato and Kushina, _**"Consider yourselves fortunate that I have far more pressing matters that require my attention."**_ Without any hesitation, the physical manifestation of Death plunged _both_ of his hands through Minato's soul. The ghostly appendages streaked forward toward to the restrained fox. The hands grabbed the Nine-Tails' fur, and _ripped the fox in two_. The fox's chakra was separated into its two parts. The darker red chakra was sucked in to Minato, and the brighter colored orange chakra was sucked into Naruko, a strange spiral like pattern appearing on both of their stomachs. Minato fell to his knees, his soul returning to his, and he turned and looked at the Death Go in shock.

With the sealing of the Nine-Tails, Kushina's chakra chains dispersed into nothingness and the barrier holding back the ninja also disappeared. The Death God looked at the approaching ninja, then to the sky, the lightning bolt having faded.

The Death God was about to return to the Pure World, when Kushina's voice was heard, "Wait," he turned to look at her, her eyes brimming with tears and unfathomable gratitude, "thank you." Death just gave a curt nod toward the woman, then faded out of existence.

"Minato! Kushina!" Sarutobi called out to them. "All you two alright?" his group finally reached the disheveled family, the baby sleeping soundly. "We'll be fine," Minato sounded like he was about to pass out, "get us to the hospital, and get me a damage report." Sarutobi gave a light smile at the weak attempt at a joke. Without any delay, the ninja that followed the retired Hokage grabbed the weakened legends and vanished, reappearing moments later at the fortunately untouched hospital building.

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 _Aftermath_

The Hidden Leaf Village stood strong in the afternoon light. Following the Nine Tails attack five years ago, many things had happened. First, the Daimyo pf the Land of Fire had offered his full support in the rebuilding of the Leaf. Second, after three days of digging and cleaning, they finally had all the bodies accounted for, and had a mass funeral for the deceased. It was without a doubt the saddest day in the Hidden Leaf Village. Thirdly, when Minato gave his speech to boost the morale of the people, he introduced the new Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze. Predictably, the masses went into an uproar over that tid-bit of info, but quickly silenced them with two more bombshells: one, Kushina Uzumaki was his lawfully wedded wife, having been married by the Third Hokage himself, and two, he was also the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails. The people didn't know what to make of that, but a quick explanation and a metaphor about water in a glass, and the glass becoming the water, and the Village was already in love with its new Golden Child.

That was also a political move as well. Minato knew that his enemies in the Stone and the Cloud would be making plans to take advantage of the Leaf's weakened state, so what better way to deter them by making it public knowledge that he was not only married to the Red Death, but he and his daughter were both Jinchuuriki. The Tsuchikage and Raikage weren't stupid. This man had single-handedly turned the war in his nation's favor, and now not only was he a married man with a family to protect, he was also the Jinchuuriki of one half of the most powerful creature on the planet. A bluff maybe, but no-one was willing to call him out on it. Besides, the Hidden Leaf's Will of Fire was flowing strongly with the desire to protect their village at all costs. They had gladly run head-first at a Tailed Beast, enemy shinobi were nothing compared to a monster of that caliber.

Following that, the survivors of the attack had a new mindset. They had fought against the strongest Tailed Beast and lived. If they could do that, what else could they do? The Leaf Village suddenly had a lot of shinobi throwing themselves in to training, becoming far stronger than what they were before.

There was also a council meeting held to discuss in detail the events of October tenth. The first thing brought up was how the Nine-Tails was released in the first place. Minato then launched into the tale of the Masked Man, Madara Uchiha and his unknown transportation technique. Everyone had turned to look at the head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha, for an explanation as to how the most notorious traitor in the history of the Leaf could still be alive, but Fugaku was just as befuddled as the rest of them. Danzo Shimura, the child-hood friend of Sarutobi and well known war-hawk, had suggested a full investigation of the Uchiha Clan, so as to find evidence of the true identity of the Masked Man. Fugaku and Minato agreed to the notion, so long as it didn't get out of hand. With the full support of the Uchiha to find the perpetrator of the attack, relations with the clan and the village improved drastically. It helped that Fugaku and Minato were on the same genin squad and were best friends.

The last topic discussed was what the Death God meant by 'demigod.' Danzo, unsurprisingly, wanted to launch a world-wide search party for 'an asset that will undoubtedly aid the Leaf for years to come.' Minato promptly shot that idea out of the water with the logic of 'we don't have the time, money, or man-power to do that now or ever.' Danzo was sufficiently cowed…on the outside. On the inside he was already making plans where and how to find the 'child of a divine being.'

By order of the Hokage, both Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin returned to the village. Jiraiya came of his own volition, but Tsunade had to be forced back. Forced being that Minato and Jiraiya both found her, asked nicely, and when she refused, fought her and dragged her back, her apprentice Shizune in tow. She was furious at first, but when she first laid eyes on Naruko, her fury melted and was replaced by a burning desire to protect her goddaughter.

With Minato surviving the attack, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, reached out to the world renowned seal master for help with his own Jinchuuriki son. As a father himself, Minato agreed without hesitation. So, Gaara's ridiculously unstable seal was fixed, and he was able to bond with his father and older siblings, subsequently following a path similar to Naruko's. Also, after taking note of the Sand's economic crisis, Minato struck a new deal with Rasa. The Sand Village's economic crisis became a thing of the past when the Hidden Leaf offered them substantial financial aid. Aid which the Fire and Wind Daimyos were happy to give and receive, respectably.

Lastly, with Tsunade in the village, and her Shadow Clones aiding the hospital staff, the birth of Hanabi Hyuuga went off without a hitch, and Hitomi Hyuuga, the wife of Hyuuga clan head Hiashi, was cleared to leave the hospital a few days later as a proud mother of two.

But not everything in the world was perfect. With the light being cast on the Leaf, darkness was beginning to spread to the east.

In the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water, the bone manipulating clan, the Kaguya, launched a surprise attack against the Mist. They were slaughtered after a few minutes of battle with there being only one survivor of the Kaguya, a young boy named Kimmimaro. This was enough for the 'Fourth Mizukage' to start the Bloodline Purges, the extermination of any man, woman, or child with a kekkei genkai.

It is also in the Land of Water where our story truly begins… _an orphan boy with black hair, sea-green eyes, and no name._


	3. Storm Center

_Chapter 3: Storm Center_

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Greetings people who have come to check out chapter three of this story. I apologize for the late update. School, football, and finding time to sit down and type have all been factors of my tardiness. Now then, on to my reviewers:**_

 _ **mattcun-**_ I intend to make this a full length story.

 _ **Lightning Rebel-**_ No, it is not a harem. I will never write a story with more than one girl paired with the main character. Honestly, I don't know if this story will even have a pairing with Percy.

 _ **Speaking of reviews, can you guys leave some more please? They don't have to be long, dawn out analyses of the chapter. Just little things, like 'good chapter', 'can't wait for the next one'. Or ask questions about stuff in the chapter. Give me pointers and/or tips on grammar or writing order. Point out things that are wrong and need to be fixed. Please review my story, it makes feel really good that there are people who like this little piece of literature.**_

 _ **Now on to the next chapter.**_

 _ **P.S. the name of this chapter is Inspired by the Bleach OST of the same name**_

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 _1006 AS_

 _12 miles east of the Hidden Mist Village_

 _An orphanage_

The matron gazed out at the children playing in the yard with a soft smile on her aging face. Her eyes lingered on boy in particular, though. This boy had midnight black hair that seemed to absorb all light, with bangs that hung over his sea-green eyes, slightly obscuring them from view. His skin was lightly tanned, uncommon for someone that lived this far inland of the Land of Water. He wore a forest green t-shirt, along with black pants and black shoes. His build was slim, muscle was already starting to grow on him at six years old.

The matron frowned in thought. The boy had shown up out of nowhere as an infant. The coincidental thing was that on the night he appeared on her doorstep, that giant lightning bolt had split the sky. If that wasn't strange enough, not long after that event, she overheard some travelling merchants from the Hidden Leaf at a stand in the Mist Village talking about the Nine-Tails Attack. Not shocking, the Tailed Beast's rampage had spread like wild fire across the continent, but what caught her attention was when they spoke of a _demigod_.

Apparently, in order to defeat the Beast, the Yellow Flash summoned the God of Death to seal it within himself and his newborn daughter, Naruko. But instead of taking Minato's soul, which was expected, the lightning bolt struck, and Death spoke in the minds of all those present in the Leaf Village about a demigod in the Mortal World. At first, she wrote it off as superstition, she didn't believe in gods anyway. But as the days went on, more and more talk about how the Ninja Villages were scouring the world for this demigod, the more she realized just how _real_ this situation was.

Then, when the boy was older, he began to have strange dreams. Dreams of men fighting against monsters that the matron had never heard of before. Giant men with one eye. Massive serpents with multiple heads. Women with snake trunks for legs. Women with a gold leg and a donkey leg. Well-muscled men that radiated unnatural power bowing before another man that held a scythe in his grasp. Sometimes he would dream of a girl with black hair.

Since he didn't like seeing such strange things when trying to sleep, as they scared him with just how vivid they were, he would often stay awake at night. Busying himself with one task or another, or just by watching TV. Sometimes, she would find him in the bathtub, laying in the water with his open. His forced insomnia left him with light bags under eyes and a half lidded gaze that made him seem eternally tired.

The final nail in the coffin that was her suspicion was his _immense_ chakra. A few months ago, around the same time the Bloodline Purges began, the boy was playing alone in the woods when a pack of wolves decided he looked like dinner. Their last mistake.

In a panic, the boy ran and the wolves gave chase. It was a short one, seeing as how the wolves had taken down prey much larger than a toddler. After they knocked him to the ground by clipping his legs, his self-preservation instincts kicked into overdrive. Combine his overwhelming desire to not be eaten and the large amount of adrenaline flowing through his bloodstream, his chakra unlocked itself with explosive force.

The matron was a retired chunin who had resigned after her little sister had died in the Third Great Ninja War. She had no special skills, other than her sensory abilities. When she sensed the boy's chakra explode from him, her first thought was that jonin were trying fighting a life or death battle. When she arrived to the scene, she found the boy unconscious…and a bunch of dead wolves. Further inspection of the destroyed surrounding area and the corpses yielded information leading to the cause of death being blunt force trauma, ruptured organs, and shattered bones. Her final assessment of the situation was that the boy killed the pack with his _bare hands._

With the unlocking of his chakra, the matron began teaching him chakra control. It was exceedingly difficult. She started with tree-climbing, but just by putting his foot on the bark and channeling the as little chakra as possible into the tree, was enough to blow it apart. It took three weeks, and a crap-ton of trees, but he was finally able to walk on any solid surface.

She next introduced him to water-walking. Being in the Land of Water, ponds and lakes were a dime-a-dozen. This came disturbingly easier to the boy than the tree-climbing exercise. It was also during this time they discovered a great many disturbing things.

Whenever he fell in to the water, he emerged bone-dry. They also discovered his highly advanced water affinity. The matron said it was on par with the Hozuki Clan. He could also freely control and manipulate water to his will. When the matron asked how he did this, the boy said he imagined the water moving, and it obeyed his command. The matron then asked if he used any chakra to do this. He responded that he only felt a light tug in his gut. They also discovered that water gave him a boost in strength and recovery. After a long day of chakra control, a quick dip in the tub left him at 100%. The matron wondered if any water jutsu known to man would have any effect on the boy, but she wasn't about to blast him just to test a theory.

After he mastered tree-climbing and water-walking, she spiced it up by having him hold leaves to his body _while sitting upside down on a tree branch._ She also had him experiment with his water control, bending and molding it on his whim.

Unexplained appearance, unnatural dreams, an ungodly amount of chakra for a child, and an unexplained affinity with water. She also noticed that when his emotions overcame him, storm clouds would begin to form. If he wasn't a demigod, then he had some type of bloodline. And on this day, having a bloodline was not good.

The Mizukage was sending a ninja to the orphanage, kind of like how a daycare would go the local Fire Department, only in reverse. While the children were excited that a 'super-cool ninja guy' was coming over, the matron knew the real reason for the visit: the ninja was going to teach them to unlock their chakra, and then test their chakra affinity to see who had a bloodline. The ninja wouldn't do anything immediately, but when he reported his discovery to Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage would be sure to send a Purge Party to wipe them _all_ out, on the grounds of aiding and abetting an enemy of the state. In layman's terms, sheltering a child with a special gift. And while the boy may not have had a bloodline, his chakra would be enough to raise red flags.

The matron sensed a large chakra signature appear within her range. The ninja had arrived. "Children," she called, "The ninja is here. Line up in single file and wait patiently for him to present himself." _Kami be with us._

The children scrambled to follow the matron's request, excited to finally meet a ninja, except the boy, he fell in at a much more sedate pace. A few moments later, the ninja walked out of the tree-line into the clearing. The matron froze, fear in her eyes. ' _The messenger said a ninja, not one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.'_

Dressed in the Hidden Mist jonin uniform he had dark blue hair spiked straight up, pale-blue skin, beady eyes with pin-prick sized pupils, gills underneath his eyes, and a height of 6'3. On his back was a huge, wrapped object with a yellow protrusion sticking over his right shoulder. A small skull was attached to the end if the protrusion. He walked up to the children with a glint in his eyes, and a grin stretched his face, exposing his shark-like teeth.

"Why hello there," he drawled his words out, his voice like that of a triumphant predator tinged with insanity, "My name is Kisame Hoshigaki, and I'll be instructing you brats on how to unlock your chakra, today."

One of the kids whimpered, but the boy's eyes only narrowed, something the Monster of the Hidden Mist noticed. "Something you want to say, brat?" he asked, stepping in front of the boy. In response, he placed his hands in the Ram hand-sign, looked Kisame straight in the eyes, and flared his chakra.

The wind howled under the power of his chakra, knocking all of the kids to the ground, and caused the matron and Kisame to cover their eyes. _'Incredible! To have this much chakra at such a young age! It even rivals my own! Madara would indeed be interested to learn about this, if he doesn't know already.'_ The bundle on his back began to tremble. _'Even Samehada is excited.'_

As the boy reigned in his giant chakra, and the winds calmed themselves, the matron had a look of pride on her face as she looked at him, _'That's my boy.'_ All of the orphans looked up to the matron as a mother of sorts, the child was no different. "Not bad, kid," Kisame spoke, "But I've seen better." Respect was in his eyes.

The children climbed to their feet, grins on their faces. The boy's chakra was known to them, and watching Kisame give him praise was awesome in their eyes. "All right, brats, your friend might have shown an impressive display, but I doubt any of you have a chakra that large. Now, to unlock your chakra, place your hands in the Ram sign, like so." He took his right hand and arranged his fingers in a way that resembled a two-fingered finger gun facing up. He did a similar thing with his left, only he placed it on top of his right, the little and ring fingers covering the ones on his right hand. "Next, look deep within yourselves. Look for what feels like a tight ball. Now focus on it. Grab it, pull it and rip at it. Keep doing this with all your strength, and eventually, you'll unlock your chakra."

The children did as instructed, hands locked in the seal, looks of concentration on their faces. Some of them looked constipated. Eventually, small shifts in the air began to form around the orphans, one by one. The boy stood off to the side, a small grin on his face as he watched the closest people to him become one step closer to becoming shinobi.

That was their goal. If they didn't get adopted, they would join the Mist's ninja ranks and make names for themselves. Seeing as how none of them had real names, since they were orphans, being recognized was a dream for all of them. Too bad none of them knew just what it meant to be a Mist ninja, otherwise they might have had a far more different goal in life.

Most of the kids were able to unlock their chakra in a few hours, although a few of them weren't able to do so, leading to their disappointment, but the others quickly cheered them up.

Kisame looked to the sky. The sun was setting, casting a red glow over the world. "Well, it looks like my time here is done," the children turned to look at him as he grinned, "Keep practicing with your chakra, brats." He gave light bow to the matron before he vanished in a blur of speed.

"All right children, time to go inside." Predictably, said kids groaned in frustration. They wanted to play with their chakra some more! "Now, now, there will be none of that. You've all had a long day and it's time to wind down. Besides, tomorrow I'll start teaching you all how to use your chakra like a ninja~." The children all cheered with excitement and sprinted into the three story house, all except the boy. He and the matron locked eyes, a silent question being asked. The matron nodded her head, and the boy smiled. He vanished in a way similar to Kisame, albeit in a slower manner.

The boy reappeared next to a large pond that was fed by an overhead waterfall sprouting from the top of a 20 foot cliff. The tree line was 10 feet away from the water.

He always came here to train by himself. His chakra control, his water manipulation, and sometimes just to think. Today was the anniversary of the day he appeared on the orphanages' door step. So, in a way, it was his birthday, but unlike the other kids, he didn't celebrate it. He felt it was wrong to have a birthday party on a day that may or may not be his actual birthday. The other kids knew it as well, that's why they didn't bother him much on this day.

His decision to come here tonight would haunt him in his dreams for years to come.

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Kisame was rocketing towards his home village. At the speed he was moving, anyone below jonin level wouldn't be able to see him, and even then, some jonin would still have trouble catching his movement. The cause for such a rush was the information he just learned from his visit to the orphanage. He may have just found the demigod the entire Ninja World was looking for… _in his own backyard._

Within a few more minutes, the dense mist surrounding the village of the same name came into view. Without hesitation, Kisame barreled straight into the mist, his chakra flaring wildly. What most people didn't know was that the mist functioned as a sensing barrier. Anything and everything that went in the mist was immediately detected. If it was determined a threat, the _Seven Ninja Swordsmen_ hidden inside the mist would eliminate it with extreme prejudice. If it wasn't a threat, like allied or expected visitors, they were given an armed escort straight to the Mizukage's office.

Even with his advanced speed, Kisame was still aware of his comrades a few paces behind him. Within seconds, he was past the village gates and into the valley the Mist Village was built in. Moving faster than the human eye could follow, Kisame and his escort was inside the Mizukage Tower in less than 10 seconds. The receptionist brought all of them to Yagura's office. With his fellow Swordsmen waiting at the entrance, Kisame entered the office of his leader.

The office was spacious, yet it was empty. The massive room only contained Yagura's desk and a rather stunning view of the Hidden Mist, per the windows that lined the entire office.

The Mizukage looked up from whatever paper he was looking over and fixed the Tail-less Tailed Beast with a hard gaze. "Kisame, report." His voice was light in volume, but that was expected of a young teenager. "Yes sir. I did as instructed and taught the children how to unlock their chakra. None of them had any blood-lines, and barely any chakra. There were some that couldn't even manage to unlock their chakra," Kisame's voice turned mocking at the end. "But there was one boy," Yagura's eyes narrowed, "He had chakra that was on par with mine in terms of quantity, and its potency? Samehada was quivering with excitement."

Yagura stood from his desk, a contemplative look on his face, and stood at the window behind it, staring at his village. _'A child that has as much chakra as Kisame? Now that's unheard of, even for Jinchuuriki and members of the Uzumaki Clan. I wonder…'_ His thoughts trailed off as his mind drew up a conclusion as to who this boy might be.

Kisame stood silent as he watched the Mizukage look over his village, the setting sun blazing in their faces. "Kisame, if I were to tell you that I thought that this boy is the demigod that we've been searching for, what would you say?"

Said ninja's answer was immediate, "I would agree with you 100%."

Yagura smirked as he turned around to face his most loyal subordinate. Kisame gasped in shock, for overlapping Yagura's pink eyes, was the crimson gaze…of a fully matured Sharingan. "Tell Ameyuri Ringo that her mission is as follows: She is to gather 20 ANBU operatives and head for this orphanage. Find and capture the boy matching your description, and leave _no_ witnesses." With the red sun setting behind him, _Madara Uchiha_ looked absolutely terrifying.

"As you command, my Lord." Kisame bowed before he left.

When the door closed behind him, Madara spoke one word with the tone of a command, "Zetsu." A Venus-flytrap rose from the floor of the office. Followed by the abnormally large plant was the body of a man clothed in a black cloak decorated with red clouds.

The flytrap opened, revealing the strangest face anyone would ever see. For starters, the man's face was two different colors, the left half being pure white, the other half was midnight black. His irises were yellow, but only his left eye had sclera, his right eye appeared as a large yellow dot. His mouth was pulled into a grin, revealing abnormally square teeth, but the grin was only present on the left side, the right didn't even have a mouth. The man's hair was grass-green in appearance.

Under his cloak, his body was also split down the middle in two colors. He wore blue pants with white legwarmers covering blue shinobi sandals. His toenails were painted blue, and his fingernails were painted pink. On his right pinky finger was a ring. The band was white in color and it had a green gem sitting in the middle. Inscribed on the gem was the kanji symbol for the word _boar._

"Yes/ **Yes**?" Zetsu's voice was dual sided, just like his face. The left side sounded immature and teasing, the right side was extremely deep, almost guttural, and was deadly serious. "I want you to watch over the mission I just assigned. Report to me after the mission is over, regardless of whatever the outcome is, understood?" Madara's voice held absolute authority. Zetsu nodded his head and sank into the floor. Madara turned back around and gazed at the setting sun. _'Things are about to get interesting.'_

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Kisame walked out of the office with a grin on his face. The other Swordsmen stood around the entrance, their backs against the walls. "Ameyuri, you have a new mission." The Swordsman in question immediately perked up at the call of _her_ name. Yes, Ameyuri was the only female member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. She wielded the Kiba, twin swords imbued with lightning. Near the tip of the swords there was a protrusion, and one near the cross-guard on the opposite side of the blade.

"Oh, and what am I going to do on this mission?" Asked Ameyuri, her words showing off her jagged teeth. "You're going to the orphanage 12 miles east of the Village with 20 ANBU to capture a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes," Kisame's grin widened, "You're also to leave no witnesses." Now it was Ameyuri's turn to grin, "I love the sound of that. When do I leave?"

"Right now," Kisame answered, "There's a team of ANBU waiting for you at the east gate."

Without another word, Ameyuri vanished in a blur, her grin still present on her face. The other Ninja Swordsmen shook their heads at their comrade's eagerness to spill blood.

True to Kisame's word, 20 fully prepared ANBU greeted Ameyuri when she arrived at the East Gate. "I assume you all know why you're here?" At the resounding call of 'yes sir' Ameyuri continued, "Good. Then I don't have to explain anything to you grunts." With that statement. She leapt in to the mist barrier, the ANBU right behind her. Within the space of a few minutes, the battalion was clear of the Mist Village and was speeding to the orphanage wear their target was at

Little did they know that the result of this mission…

… _would forever change the future of this world._


	4. What Have They Done?

What have they done?

 _ **Hello people! I've returned with the next installment of Backup Plan.**_

 _ **Now, my reviewers:**_

 _ **Firegodvargas-**_ this is nothing

 _ **Nightlance44-**_ he will be sent back for the Titan War, Fourth Great Ninja War, and then back for the Giant War. After that comes a surprise. However none of that will happen for a long time.

 _ **Dr. Entity-**_ they will not drown, but it will be…violent

 _ **If I must-**_ Madara will suspect something is very different with Percy, but will only speculate. As for the Fates, they would have no jurisdiction in the realm of the Shinto Gods.

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Now that the hype of finally getting a mission that involved killing something had worn off, Ameyuri began to think about her mission. The first thing that came to mind was the ANBU. They were ready to go the moment she got to the gates. While ninja had to be fast when getting ready for a mission, 20 ANBU being fully briefed and equipped in a few _seconds_ didn't happen. The time it took for Kisame to talk with Yagura and then scrape together an ANBU team was too long. They had to have been gearing up the moment Kisame breached the Mist Barrier. That meant that these guys were already prepared for this mission, like they were anticipating it.

The other thing about the ANBU was the ANBU themselves. They may have been wearing Mist ANBU gear, but she could tell they weren't real Mist ninja. For one, their chakra was different: it was too cold and too neutral, and far too serious for Mist ANBU. Another thing was the lack of communication. Normally, some of the ninja in the back of a formation would have idle conversation about the mission. These pretenders hadn't spoken a word since she met them.

If they weren't Mist ANBU, then who were they? Oh well, if they tried anything against her, she would turn them into ash piles.

The next thing about the mission that crossed Ameyuri's mind was the personnel and the orders. 20 ANBU _and_ one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? To capture some kid that probably still wet his bed? It was overkill by anyone's standards. Although, there was one person that crossed her mind that would warrant such a force… _the demigod._

Her thoughts were cut short when a large clearing with a three-story house in the middle of it appeared in her vision. She stopped on a branch and held her hand up, the ANBU followed her command and stopped also. "Set up a tight perimeter around the house. Nothing gets past you, be it animals or escaping victims. Our orders are to capture a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes, everything else is expendable. Now then, I'm going to give our hosts a little greeting." As the ANBU dashed off to form their circle, Ameyuri grinned a serrated smile as she pulled the Lightning Fangs from her back. _'Show time!'_

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The boy was laying on top of the pond, gazing at the rising full moon. He wasn't using any chakra, just his hydrokinesis, as he liked to call it. To anyone looking at him, it would appear that he was laying on solid ground.

He was thinking about his most recent dream. It was about a girl, a girl a few years older than he was. She had black hair, his same shade of eyes, and was wearing a neon orange shirt with blue pants made of a material he wasn't familiar with. She was with a boy that had grey eyes and curly blonde hair, and another boy that was just…weird. What kind of hat was that anyway?

Regardless, they were in some type building that was over water, which was surrounded by tall structures made of glass and concrete from what he could tell. There was an overweight woman and a dog that he could tell right away weren't anything like they were appearing. The two boys left the building, leaving the girl, the woman and her dog, and some random family that he didn't care for.

His gut feeling about the dog and the woman proved to be correct when the dog began to morph into some demonic creature, a chimera, the word popped into his head. The girl drew a strange-looking bronze sword and fought to protect the family, a noble endeavor, but one he thought was unnecessary. He watched as she was bitten by the snake tail and was gravely poisoned. She fell out of the hole in the building made by the chimera earlier in their battle…and then he woke up.

He sighed to himself, _'What do these dreams mean? And why do I feel_ _something_ _whenever I dream of_ _her_ _? It feels like I should know her, but I don't know why, and in my dreams I can see their mouths moving, but there's no sound, so I don't know her name.'_ looking back up at the moon he decided it was time to head back to the orphanage.

He got up from the water and began to walk across it to the bank…when a lightning bolt shot from a cloudless sky and lit up the night. His eyes widened in horror, ' _The orphanage!'_

Channeling chakra to his legs, he exploded into action. The world around him became a blur as he raced through the forest, desperately trying to reach his friends. Faster and faster, more and more chakra, in less than 10 seconds he had blitzed 2 miles.

The sight he saw when he arrived at the clearing filled him with unbearable sadness… _and incomprehensible rage._

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Mei Terumi was having a difficult day. About six months ago, the Kaguya clan decided it would be a grand idea to attack a world superpower. That ended about as well as you could imagine. Then Yagura decided that was enough to start a Holocaust. Of course there were many that opposed this idea, people with and without kekkei genkai, but all were silenced or forced back in line.

That's where she came in.

When Yagura began his purge, most the shinobi that had Kekkei genkai were killed by their own comrades. She was ambushed by a squadron of ANBU, but she easily defeated them. After that fiasco, she rounded up any remaining ninja with kekkei genkai and fled the Mist. Of course, they were followed by a large force of hunter-nin, but a Kage-level kunoichi that had several experienced kekkei genkai ninja quickly took them out.

Free of the Mist Village, the group of 37 spread out around the Land of Water, searching for any stray kekkei genkai wielders and protecting them. After six months, the rag-tag band of rebels had grown to a small army of 300 men and women, each a bloodline of some kind.

But they knew they weren't ready to truly start a war. They needed more people, more weapons, more equipment, and more money. Hopefully though, that was all about to change.

"Lord Raikage, I'm honored that you would accept my invitation to this meeting." Mei's voice was polite and respectful, she didn't want to piss off arguably one of the most powerful men alive.

Easily into his sixties, the Raikage made an imposing sight. Tall, dark-skinned, and absolutely ripped. Long white hair that reached his lower back and beard of the same color that reached to his chest. On the right side of his chest was a lightning-bolt shaped scar, a memoir of his battle with the Eight-Tails. His eyes were green without a pupil, and sclera was tinged with black, a sign of his godlike control of lightning chakra. On his right shoulder was a tattoo for the kanji of lightning. He was dressed in standard Cloud jonin attire, except he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Let's skip the formalities Terumi, what do you want?" His voice was almost gravelly. Mei was a little startled at the Raikage's hostility, but non-the-less continued onward, "I need help with the war effort. I need money and supplies, as well as trainers for my newer recruits."

The Raikage threw his head back and roared with laughter, "War effort? What war? All I see is a struggling rag-tag band of ninja trying to stand up to one of the world's superpowers. Why should I waste my time and money trying to organize the resources for helping a lost cause?"

Mei felt like she had just been slapped in the face…and that pissed her off. "How dare you!" she stood and slammed her hands on the desk in front of her that was in a non-discrepant room in some random part of a forest, "We've fought and bled for this, and I'm not about to let you or anyone else call it a _lost cause_!" in hindsight, it was probably not her best idea, screaming at one of the most powerful people in the world, who also held the key to either the survival or extinction of kekkei genkai users in the Land of Water, but she would be damned before she let this man insult her friends' sacrifices, Raikage or not.

The Raikage's face contorted into a deep frown, anger evident in his eyes. He stood up, ready to present his counter argument-when the ground shook and their ears registered the sound of an explosion. Their heads turned toward the sound of said explosion, and then back to each other.

"We'll finish this later."

"Agreed."

Without further ado, they left the room and began tree-hopping toward the rising smoke. As they flew through the trees they noticed the cumulonimbus clouds gathering above them…and the massive chakra signature that erupted a few hundred meters in front of them.

The Raikage's eyes narrowed and Mei grew worried. Rain began to drop from the sky, and the chakra signature only got larger. The booming of thunder made them stop on a tree branch and re-inspect the sky. The sight that greeted them would forever be ingrained in their memories.

The wind began howl through the forest, the moderate rain became a heavy downpour, lightning began to split across the sky, the earth rumbled beneath them…and small twisters fell from the heavens. It was like _cataclysm._

"Come on!" Mei's head snapped to the Raikage, who had his arms in front of his face to protect from this hellish storm. "We need to find that chakra!" he was practically roaring. His voice fighting against the raging wind around them. Mei only nodded and leapt forward in to the gale, the Raikage following suit. Both of them began to channel chakra throughout their bodies, the added power dampening the effects of the storm on their body.

A few minutes later they arrived at a clearing that had the charred remains of a house… _and a child wielding lightning._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ameyuri smirked as she strolled up to the front door of the orphanage. The ANBU had formed a 30 yard wide circle around the house, leaving another 25 yards between them and the tree line.

She gripped her swords as she stood just outside the entrance to where her target was supposed to be residing. As an experienced hunter-ninja, she instinctively scanned the house for chakra signatures and traps. She frowned to herself, all she felt were the tiny chakras of children and one chakra that was chunin level, no giant chakra befitting the child of a god.

As for the chakras she felt, the chunin level one appeared to be washing dishes, if the chakra movement in her arms was accurate. The smaller chakras were up on the second and third floors of the orphanage. Combine the way the chakra coils were laid out, the age of the children and the time of the night, they probably were sound asleep.

Without further thought, Ameyuri marched straight up to the door and promptly kicked it off its hinges. She felt great amusement at the shock written all over the old woman's face as her door exploded inwards. She looked up as she felt the chakra signatures above start to scurry about, and the sound of multiple shuffling feet reached her ears.

"What reason do you have to be knocking down my door?" Ameyuri turned her gaze back to the woman, the matron, she presumed. By now, all of the children had gathered in the living room to her left, the matron in the kitchen to her right.

"'What reason do I have'?" mocked the Swordswoman as she inspected her reflection on her sword, "I don't need a reason to break down your door. I could do it to anybody's door and they wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it. You want to know why?" Ameyuri grinned a sinister smile. Some the children whimpered at the sight of her teeth and a scowl appeared on the matron's face. "Because I have _power._ I have the power of lightning at my beck and call. But I digress." Ameyuri turned deadly serious, and the matron grew worried about the reason Ameyuri was here, worry that was validated with the following question: "Where. Is. The. Boy?"

Truth be told, the matron _didn't_ where he was. When he disappeared to train at a pond, he always went to a different one scattered around a radius of four miles. That was a lot of small bodies of water, not counting ponds he created on a whim by drawing water from the surrounding plant life. Still, she couldn't just hand him over to these monsters, (she could feel the chakra signatures outside her house-just because she was old and retired didn't mean she let her sensory skills go to waste) there was no telling what they would do to him. Brainwashing him into a merciless murder machine was her first thought, and she didn't want to go any further than that. For now, she decided to play dumb.

"What boy? I have lots of boys under my care." The narrowing of Ameyuri's eyes was more than enough to tell the retired chunin that she wasn't buying it. "Please don't play dumb with me, wench. My orders are to retrieve a young boy with black hair and sea-green eyes that has more chakra than some jonin. After I have him, the rest of you can continue your miserable lives as they are. Now then, none of these brats here even remotely resemble the one I'm looking for, so you better tell me where he is," lightning began to dance around the Lightning Fangs, bathing the room in an electric blue, "or I start removing heads." Her smirk terrified the children and sent shivers up the matron's spine.

Ameyuri sniffed the air and looked at the group of kids, "Smells like one of the babies needs their diaper changed." She turned to the matron, "You really to start potty training these brats, if they can't handle me, how do they expect to be ninja if a little killing intent makes them shit all over them selves?"

Some of the children began to cry at the scary lady's words. The matron grew worried. Time was running out, and she had no doubts that Ameyuri would follow up on her threat to kill children. She had heard worse stories be told about Ameyuri Ringo, Hound of the Hidden Mist. With that in mind, the matron had two choices: tell the truth and hope for the best, or continue to lie and risk the death of her beloved children. _'Kami help us all.'_

With a deep breath, the matron spoke, "I don't know where he is. At night, he leaves the orphanage to train at a random body of water. I don't know where he's at right now."

The lightning around Ameyuri died out as the matron began to speak. Ringo stared deep into the matron's eyes looking for any sign of deception. The matron stared back unflinchingly. Finding no sign of lying, Ameyuri smirked, "Is that so...?" She raised one of her swords and gazed into her own eyes, contemplating. "Hn. Well then, it seems I have a bit of a dilemma here. Spend Kami knows how long looking for a brat in the woods, wait for him to return here, or…send up a signal flare." The short woman turned to look at the matron who stood at 5ft2 as opposed to her own 4ft7.

Without hesitance, Ameyuri put her swords on her back, grabbed the matron by the shirt, and threw her out the hole where the door used to be. She skidded across the ground before an ANBU appeared and hoisted her up into a standing position, holding her arms behind her back in an iron grip.

Ameyuri turned and grinned at the shocked orphans, "All of you stay in here. If you leave this house, you will be killed." The children could only nod dumbly, still in shock over the entire situation. Ameyuri turned around and began to walk out of the orphanage when she felt a chakra signature speed up behind her, along with hearing the most pathetic war cry ever. It sounded more like a squeaking mouse in all honesty. She turned her head to look at a little girl around seven years old, clad in a pink nightie, trying to run at her with her fist raised. _'Points for bravery kid, but futile in the end.'_ With her skill as an elite jonin, her sensory awareness was through the roof, along with her cognitive perception, so it was like watching the girl move in slow motion. Ameyuri's grin stretched her face as a bolt of lightning exploded from the Lightning Fangs on her back. The deadly electricity slammed into the girl's chest with lethal force, blasting her back into the group, knocking them over.

"NO!" Ameyuri tuned back to look at the struggling matron in the hands of ANBU number 12. She continued to struggle until the ANBU hit her on the back of her head, forcing her to her knees. Ameyuri smirked, she did that a lot recently, and she vanished from sight and reappeared in front of the sobbing woman. The matron looked up at the Hound of the Hidden Mist, hatred glaring at her through red and puffy eyes. She had been crying. "YOU MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU!? SHE WAS ONLY A CHILD!" Her voice was hysteric.

Ameyuri could barely contain her excitement at what she was about to do next. "Oh, you think that was bad?" Sarcasm dripped from her mouth as she pulled the Lightning Fangs from her back, "You see, I lied to you when I told you what my mission was." Lighting began to spark around her, her excitement affecting her connection with her beloved blades. "True, I was sent here to capture a boy with a huge amount of chakra that was living in an orphanage… _and to leave no witnesses._

The matron's eyes widened in horror.

Ameyuri turned around, ignoring the cries of the middle-aged woman behind her, and stabbed the Lightning Fangs into the ground. Since there were no clouds out tonight, only the full moon, she would have to use more chakra for this technique. It was one of her favorites. It was the one that earned her the reputation of being able to beat 100 chunin, when she used it to slaughter a small army of, well, 100 chunin.

" _Lightning Style…_ " She began to chant, lightning blasting into the sky above her. The matron had stopped her screaming, looking on in open mouthed-terror. The children had gathered where door once was, looking out at the men in masks and the scary lady that hurt their grandmother figure.

" _Thundergate!_ "Lightning erupted from the black sky above them… _and the orphanage exploded, small bodies flying into the night._

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 _ **Sorry for the late update. I started this in October, and decided to cut it short here. If it wasn't for the large space in-between updates, this wouldn't have ended in a cliff hanger.**_

 _ **So just what did everyone see at the orphanage? Who are the people Percy was dreaming about? (Shouldn't be that hard to figure out)**_

 _ **Next chapter… "Awakening Pt.1"**_


	5. Awakening Pt 1: A Demigod's Wrath

_**Welcome back readers! The story progresses once more.**_

 _ **Also, this chapter will have a fight scene that those of you who have watched the anime will find very familiar. It was my Inspiration for this chapter.**_

 _ **Now, to address my kindly reviewers:**_

 _ **Fenerath:**_ He is indeed having precognitive dreams. The means by which shall not be revealed at this time.

 _ **Dr. Entity:**_ Correct on Sister, whose name is Persephone, and Grover, but you need to go back and look at the chapter on the status of 'Annabeth'. __As for wielding lightning, that will be revealed in this chapter.

 _ **niechi93:**_ Thanks. It makes me feel good that there are people out there that like reading these small-type stories.

 _ **Also, a shout-out to all the people that have followed and favorited this story! Thank y'all kindly!**_

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On her hands and knees, the matron stared in mute horror at the destruction before her. It was like a scene out of a nightmare.

The orphanage was nothing more than burning wood now. Small bodies could be seen smoldering in the fire, and other bodies charred black strewn out around the clearing. Juvenile giggling drew her attention back to the _monster_ responsible for this massacre.

Ameyuri was crouched down, her swords still impaling the earth. Her smile was stretched impossibly wide, the shark-like teeth that inhabited her mouth practically glowed in the light of the fire. Her pale skin reflected the yellows and reds almost like a mirror. In the light of the inferno, her eyes glowed an angry…demonic… _crimson_.

The matron began to tremble, her grey hair falling over her face. Despite being inactive for two decades, her chunin level chakra reserves began to flow through her coils once more, their only purpose to give her the strength to kill this creature. The matron was no fool, Ameyuri was reputed to kill 100 chunin, and she only made it to mid-chunin level _and_ had been in-active for 20 years. This last ditch effort to avenge her darling children…would be her last. She had one shot to pull this off, then the ANBU would remove her head.

Gathering her power, the matron's wrinkled face contorted into a snarl. With one final tensing of her muscles, the matron exploded from her position on the ground, closing the distance between her and Ameyuri in milliseconds. She had her fist cocked back behind her, all of the remaining chakra in her body concentrated into her hand ready to be unleashed into a lethal blast…aimed straight at Ringo's skull. Closer and closer her fist came to the murderer's head. Inches, centimeters, millimeters…!

 _Squelch!_

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Ameyuri could only grin wider when she felt the chakra signature of the old woman behind her start to fluctuate. _'Here she comes.'_

The Hound of the Hidden Mist felt the chakra get exponentially closer to her back. _'All too easy.'_

Moving faster than the ANBU could follow, Ameyuri drew her swords from the ground and pirouetted on the spot, a brief flash of light blinded the onlookers as to what just happened.

The matron walked forward, her steps slow and wobbly, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. The ANBU recoiled slightly… _when the matron's head fell off her shoulders._

Ameyuri looked behind her at the decapitated corpse and smirked. She began to chuckle, her body trembling at the motion. She threw her head back and screeched with laughter, her shark-like teeth fully exposed to the world. The ANBU stared in what was as close to shock as their minds would allow. Their master hadn't prepared them for this!

So engrossed were they in recent events, they didn't notice the six year old boy appear at the edge of the clearing.

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His hands shook in fury. His teeth grit in anger. His head bowed to hide his tears.

 _I'll kill them…_

He had never felt this way before, hatred and despair all roiling around inside of him. It was all _their_ fault! These masked ninja and the sword-wielding girl with the auburn hair! If they weren't here, none of this would have happened.

 _I'll kill them..!_

He wasn't stupid. One look around the clearing was enough to tell him what had transpired here. _And it sent him over the edge._

 _I'll kill them!_

His chakra began to flow through his body, empowering him. His gut felt like it was being ripped in apart, his instincts telling him that a maelstrom was forming. The ground around him began to tremble under his power.

 _I'LL KILL THEM ALL!_

With a roar like that of a monster, his chakra exploded from his body in a sea-green inferno of rage.

The ANBU took notice of him at last when they felt the massive chakra signature seemingly appear out of nowhere.

Rain began to fall from the darkened sky, and the boy's chakra began to grow larger. As soon as the first drops of water hit his body and that of the surrounding area, his brain was flooded with information. Twenty men and one woman. All armed. Smallest weapon: senbon. Largest weapon: katana. Primary chakra types: water and lightning with two men between the ages of thirty and forty with fire affinities. Standard issue armor. All experienced soldiers. Unknown entity in the far tree. Two large chakras approaching from the east. Largest chakra: lightning, earth, and fire. Smaller chakra: water, fire, lightning, and earth. Kekkei genkai: Vapor Style and Lava Style. Overall threat level: HIGH.

Despite their intense emotional training, the ANBU couldn't help but feel fear. This boy's killing intent was suffocating. In his fear, ANBU number two threw a handful of chakra-infused shuriken at the enraged child. They flew at break-neck speed, easily slicing through the wind and rain. They sliced through the boy's flaring chakra… _and straight through his body._

There were gaping slits where the projectiles had ripped through him, but he didn't seem to take notice. The ANBU tensed, however, when they didn't see any blood leaking from the wounds. And to their unending shock, the holes _closed up._ It looked like the rain fell into the openings and the just…came together. Like he had regeneration connected to water.

The boy finally looked up and glared at them all. The ANBU and Ameyuri recoiled in shock, for instead of pupils in his eyes, there was a strange symbol, a symbol similar to that of a horse's shoe…

His divine chakra had awakened.

" _Εγώ θα σε σκοτώσω όλες!"_ They listened in shock at the strange language that came out of his mouth, but if they spoke Greek they would've known he was about to kill them all.

He took off in a mad sprint, a shockwave erupting from his motion, cratering the ground and splitting the falling rain, the trees behind him blowing over. He charged toward ANBU number five, his steps breaking the ground. The soon-to-be dead man drew his sword in an attempt to strike down this monster, but he was far too slow.

The boy's hand shot forward into the man's gut, _and icicles exploded from his back_ killing him, ANBU number six, and knocking ANBU number four to the ground. Blood spattered the boy's face as he ripped his arm free of the impaled corpse. He stood over ANBU number four, and raised his right arm into the sky, the rain solidifying into a pointed icicle.

He was about to stab the bastard and reap vengeance for his brothers and sisters when he felt three ANBU members move and appear above him, their swords pointed down. He heard one say what sounded like "die…" before he let the pointed objects pass through his body once more, stabbing and killing ANBU number four.

' _His body…it's like water!'_ Were the final thoughts of ANBU numbers seven, eight, and nine before the boy leaped up…and twisted his body, viciously kicking all three in the head. Their bodies were blown away from the amount of chakra he put in his legs, their necks snapped like twigs.

' _I need more…'_

His chakra flared once again, and his gut clenched even tighter. Lightning erupted across the sky, illuminating the night. The wind picked up into a violent gale, ripping across the landscape, uprooting trees, forming small tornadoes. The power of the Stormbringer unleashed across the Land of Water.

In about ten more years, an ancient and powerful creature would do the same thing, only on a _much_ larger scale.

He looked over at the remaining fifteen people responsible for taking his family away from him. Twelve of them had positioned themselves in front of him…and two were beside the one he wanted to kill most…the one with auburn hair.

' _I need more.'_

Forming another icicle in his left hand, he took off once more, his arms angled behind his body in the way most ninja moved. He ran straight at the ANBU without any hesitation. When he got to them, they all slashed at his small body, but their swords slashed him with the same effect that they had on water.

"There's no mistake! He's somehow liquefying his body!" One ANBU yelled out. "Is he a member of the Hozuki Clan!?" Another voiced.

The boy cleared the formation and swung his arms forward, the icicles traveling faster than bullets at the two ANBU beside his target. The projectiles impacted ANBU numbers ten and eleven right through their hearts, killing them instantly, their corpses sent flying through the air due to the amount of kinetic energy the icicles had.

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Ameyuri was in shock. When Kisame described this brat, it was nowhere near as _terrifying_ as this. First, he has more chakra than anybody on this squad. Second, physical attacks didn't seem to have any effect on him at all. Third, it was apparent that he could control the weather, make ice from water, had some type of sensory ability, and far more physical strength than what was expected of child that just graduated from training pants.

Now he had just ripped apart eight of these fake ANBU and was currently barreling forward straight at her. Oh the joys of a ninja's life.

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He stared at her as he moved, his eyes never leaving her form, the monsoon around him giving him extreme detail of any move she made, along with any movement from the others in the night.

The thing in the tree was still where it was. The approaching chakra signatures were still on course, moving at a faster speed than before. The ANBU behind him seemed to be moving in slow motion.

' _Oh, I'm in slow motion. My brain is processing fast enough to where my time perception seems like everything has slowed down. Good.'_

Suddenly, he right in front of Ameyuri. His body slowly moving through the air, his right arm raised, the rain dropping around him in a beautiful slow motion picture. His eyes glowed with chakra, the Omega symbols the only thing in his iris. His hair was spiked up, his chakra subconsciously making it stand up in a crown of black spears.

Ameyuri raised her swords in an 'X' formation, ready to cut this kid in half. She no longer cared about capturing him alive, she wanted to get out of here alive! Lightning flashed behind the airborne demigod, and she squinted at the sudden brightness.

Her last mistake.

In a manner similar to the Hyuuga Clan, the boy thrust his fist forward, the chakra he channeled into it erupting like a cannon, blowing Ameyuri into the ground, making a crater. The Lightning Fangs fell from her grasp, impaling the ground a few inches from either of her hands.

' _I need more!'_

His fists began to crash down on her body, bone shattering like glass, muscle tearing like paper. In the early stages of his chakra control training, he would accidently blow apart trees just by channeling a little bit of his chakra to his feet. Now, however, he was forcing massive amounts of chakra to his fists. Each impact dug out the earth around them.

The ANBU stood and watched in mute horror as a child turned an elite jonin into pulp. Eventually, he stopped pounding her body, his form hiding Ameyuri from view, but not the puddle of blood that mixed with the rain.

The demigod looked at what was left of the woman. Her face was an unrecognizable mess, her body was twisted and shattered beyond anything a human could accomplish. It looked more like she was mauled by an animal than beaten by a boy.

He could sense the remaining twelve ANBU behind him. Their hands were moving, their chakra molding. He heard them say "Lightning Style: False Darkness" before twelve beams of lightning flew at him from behind.

His arms snapped out and grabbed the Lightning Fangs. He whirled around, the swords crossed in front of him. Lightning erupted from his body, meeting the lightning jutsu head on. The bolts clashed in a struggle for dominance. The ground beneath the impact began to break apart, small chunks of rock lifting into the air only to be turned into ashes.

The lightning canceled each other out and exploded, sending both sides flying away from each other. The boy growled at the ANBU on the other side of the clearing. The Lightning Fangs began to spark with electricity, reacting to his ever increasing rage.

' _I need more_ _ **POWER!**_ _"_ He roared the last part of his thought aloud. The Lightning Fangs erupted with chakra, lightning soaring from the heavens to strike the blades. Wind, water, and chakra swirled around him, _forming a hurricane._

The ANBU looked on wearily, growing more nervous. When they saw him form what looked like a wall of wind, rain, and green fire, they took off, trying to prevent him from gathering more power. It was all in vain.

The boy's speed caught them way off guard. Instead of waiting for them to arrive, he met them half way… _and tore them apart._ A little voice in the back of his head told him the two chakra signatures had arrived and were looking on.

ANBU numbers one, two, and three were at the forefront of the pack, so to speak; they were the first to die. The boy appeared in front of them, the torrent of wind blowing the other nine ANBU away. He swung his lightning-covered swords in a back-to-front arc, removing the heads of the three shocked ANBU.

' _Nine left.'_

They surrounded him on all sides, using their chakra to keep them grounded against the whipping torrents of water, wind, and chakra.

His strange eyes stayed locked on the ground, but his senses remained in overdrive. Without warning, he was in front of ANBU number twelve. He stabbed both swords into his gut and ripped them out, spinning to his left. ANBU number thirteen was too late to react and ended up with two burning wounds on his torso, the Lightning Fangs cauterizing the wounds instantly.

' _Why did this happen?'_

ANBU numbers fourteen and fifteen had leaped into the air, the other five had retreated a 'safe' distance away. The boy leaped into the air to meet the airborne ninja. They threw handfuls of shuriken at the rising demigod, but his personal hurricane batted them away. He slashed at ANBU number fourteen with his left and at ANBU number fifteen with his right.

' _It was because the ninja.'_

Arcs of lighting discharged from his swords. The ANBU were fried like food. All three beings fell back to the ground, two of them smoking. He looked up at the reaming five ANBU. Rage burning in his glowing eyes.

' _The ninja…I'll kill them all. I'll kill all the ninja in the world!'_ It was at this moment…that the fate of the Ninja World was forever changed.

He raised the Lightning Fangs to the sky, the energy surrounding the blades ejecting into the lightning storm above them. The hurricane surrounding him and the maelstrom ravaging the Land of Water ceased. All that remained was the constantly fluctuating lighting in the clouds above, a lot of environmental damage, and a light rain.

Instinct guided his actions now, rational thought leaving him with the preparation of this next and final technique.

A distant roar drew the attention of those present to the clouds. From the heavens descended a beast made of lightning…a beast with red eyes…and the body of a dragon…

The dragon roared at the last five ANBU, their primal instinct of fight or flight kicking into overdrive. They promptly chose to live for another day and ran in the opposite direction. The demigod starred at them with half-lidded eyes, the Omega still takin the place of his pupils.

He pointed his swords at the retreating figures, a single phrase leaving his lips, "Vanish with the roar of thunder…" Kirin struck forward, an avenging angel for a broken boy. In an explosion that would make a mad bomber sick with envy, the heavens met the earth with divine wrath.

The land trembled, massive chunks of earth shooting into the sky. Mei, Ay, and Zetsu covered their eyes to shield from the blinding light. The ANBU never stood a chance against a lightning jutsu of that magnitude, their bodies vaporizing instantly.

The boy was hunched over breathing heavily. His hair had fallen back down, his eyes returned to normal. He had stabbed the Lightning Fangs into the ground to give him support. Blood covered his small form.

A light groan drew his attention to a small crater in the ground to his left. His eyes shot wide open in anger and disbelief. _'She's still alive!?'_ His teeth grinded together, and with a final surge of energy he grabbed the Lightning Fangs from the dirt and stalked his way over to where Ameyuri lay, barely alive. The blade tips cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter, creating small trenches.

He reached the lip of the crater and looked down. Said crater was 20ft wide and 5ft deep. Sure enough, Ameyuri was twitching at the bottom of the hole, her body responding to her movements ever so slightly. It pissed him off.

Putting the blades in reverse grip, he slid down the side of the crater, coming to a stop at her feet. He raised his arms into the air… _ready to end her life once and for all._

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Ameyuri twitched when she gained consciousness. She groaned in pain when she tried to move. _'Dammit, I can't move. That kid really did a number on me. I can't sense the ANBUs' chakras. Did that kid really kill them all?'_

She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of something sliding down rocks. The sight that greeted her was far from pleasant.

The boy stood above her, her own swords in his grasp, ready to stab her. The rain had stopped, the clouds parting to reveal a moon the color of blood. It was positioned right above the boy, bathing him in unholy light. Ameyuri gasped in fear.

Behind the boy, an ethereal figure formed. The ghost wore a white robe, leaving its purple, emaciated chest bare to the world. In its left hand were rosary beads. In its right, a tanto ready to strike. But its head-oh its head!-a grin filled with black, needle-like teeth. A mane of pure white hair, horns jutting from its temples. And its eyes…sclera the color of the abyss, and irises the color of freshly spilled blood.

Ameyuri closed her eyes and chuckled without humor. _'So this is how I die? Heh, sorry kid, but if this is the end, it'll be on my terms.'_

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The boy was ready. The light of the Hunter's Moon behind him provided enough illumination for what he was about to do. He was about to avenge his family for this bitch's transgression. She was bloody, broken, and beaten. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. He was sure of it. So imagine his surprise when she started chuckling.

"So kid, you think this is it? You think I'm going to just lie here and let you stab me with _my own swords?!_ " The child was confused at her language. She was beaten, there was no way she had anything else up her sleeves, where was this bravado coming from?!

She reached under her neck wrappings with her left arm…and pulled out an explosive tag.

Her next words would define his life.

The tag began to glow with chakra, and the boy jumped out of the crater, barely escaping the fatal explosion. Ameyuri died with a grin on her face.

He laid on the ground, exhaustion finally taking hold of his body, the Lightning Fangs held tightly in his hands. His vision began to darken around the edges, the crimson moon staring at him from above.

Two people entered his darkening vision, a woman with auburn hair-great- and a hulking figure with darkish skin. He didn't care though. Ameyuri's last words were still reverberating through his skull

" _Always have a backup plan."_

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 _ **There we go folks. The next chapter is written and done. Percy has awakened his demigod power. He will have a number of new abilities that will be covered next chapter.**_

 _ **Ameyuri gave some parting advice that will be a major theme in this story. We saw how powerful Percy is, being able to take on twenty-one ninja of high power, and he's only six. Granted it was during a thunderstorm. Now my theory for that.**_

 _ **Percy always got stronger when he was doused in water. Against Clarisse, against Luke, against Ares, and I'm pretty sure there were other instances but my memory is hazy about them. If ya'll could tell me in the review section I'd be most grateful.**_

 _ **That being said…leave lots of reviews for me to look over. Ask questions, make comments, leave observations, and make suggestions!**_


	6. Strange Dreams

_**I return once more with another chapter. This one will be slower than the others, but I hope to open up somethings that will leave you with questions. Now then, on to my reviewers, who reviewed within 15 minutes of posting, and were the only two reviews I got:**_

 _ **Omegazero6-**_ Thank you for the compliment!

 _ **Neichi93-**_ Yes, Percy will not be weak compared to other ninja. He's _demigod_ with _chakra._ We've all seen what happens in anime when demigods have power. Take Asura's Wrath for example.

 _ **Just two, guys? We can do better than that. Let's aim for five!**_

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Mei stared down at the child worryingly. After he collapsed from exhaustion from slaughtering 21 highly trained ninja, she and the Raikage had picked him up and transferred him back to her headquarters. They didn't want to be around that area when the search parties showed up to investigate that swell in power.

Plus the presence of the Raikage would bring un-wanted attention the Hidden Cloud Village.

The entire time they were tree-hopping, Mei held onto the boy tightly, and he held the Lightning Fangs in a death-grip. Whenever she looked over at the Kage of the Cloud she would see a calculating glint in his eyes, like he was assessing and planning something. She was one-hundred percent sure it was related to the child that was being cradled in her arms.

When they arrived to her hideout, she immediately put him in her bed. She would've changed him out of his soaking wet clothes into dry ones, but there was one problem. He was dry as bone. That certainly raised questions and created theories in both her mind, and the Raikage's.

Although she did wipe the blood off his face. It sucked trying to move your jaw with dry blood on it, she would know.

It was when he started twitching, that her maternal instincts kicked in.

His eyes swam in his sockets, but they never opened. His body trembled, nut never got cold or broke out into a sweat. His breathing quickened, but his pulse stayed the same. Then she realized: he was having a nightmare.

She tried to wake him, but to no avail. She also tried to remove the swords from his grip, but his fingers were locked in place. So, without being able to do anything, she sat there, watching helplessly as his nightmare played out in his mind.

She was interrupted from her reverie when the door opened, the Raikage walking in with a triumphant grin on his face.

"I have a proposal I think you would be willing to hear."

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 _White._

 _That was all he saw. An endless white expanse stretching as far as he could see. "Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?" His words echoed around him, unanswered._

 _Then the world changed._

 _Grass and ground sprouted, trees grew, and the sky became a clear night. The full moon shined down upon the world. His eyes narrowed when a three-story house appeared in front of him._

 _His face twisted in rage when twenty-one ninja blurred into existence around the house. When he saw Ameyuri, he charged like a bull. He gasped in shock when he passed right through her. He waved is hand in front of her face and through her body, but she was like smoke. He ran over to one of the ANBU, and the same thing happened._

 _Despair ripped through his body like a knife. Why did he have to watch this again!?_

 _As the events of that night played out in front of him, his eyes began to lose their brightness. He became desensitized to death. His heart closed itself off to feelings like compassion, empathy, and pity. His mind became analytical, taking note of the storm that he created, the increase in his chakra when drenched in water, the change in his eyes, the strength that was granted to him when he had said eyes. He took special note of the ice he formed, the liquidated state his body took when in danger. His eyes widened when he countered 12 lightning jutsu at once with a single blast. His eyes widened even more when he formed a hurricane around himself…and slaughtered the remaining so-called_ _elite._ _By the time the vision was over, gone was the innocent child. Gone was the aspiring ninja. Gone was the kind and caring boy._

 _In his place, a monster was born. A coldhearted being who cared nothing for people, only for achieving his goals, anything and anyone was just an obstacle to be overcome. In his heart, a seed sprouted. A seed carrying darkness._

 _It would later be called, by a yellow-haired girl, the Curse of Hatred._

 _Then he gave his ultimatum, "This world…is Hell. But with this power…I will change it. Starting with the Mist Village. Then all of the ninja villages will follow in their destruction."_

 _The child's eyes changed color. They went from a vibrant sea-green, to a dark emerald. His new eyes narrowed when the world around him began to change. The Land of Water was replaced with a large room. The first thing he noticed about the room was the_ _extremely large toad_ _that was sitting in a pool of water, the front of which bore the kanji for_ _sage_ _. The toad was brown with a white belly, skin riddled with wrinkles, and squinted eyes. On its head was a professor's hat, and around its neck was a neckless that had the kanji for_ _oil_ _inscribed on it. Behind the old toad was a number of giant scrolls._

 _In front of it were two smaller toads sitting on pedestals. On his left was a green one with spiked-up white hair wearing a cloak that was pointed at the top. On his right was a purple one that had bubbly-purple hair wearing cloak that flared at the top._

" _I have had a vision. The prophecy has changed," the old one spoke. The little ones exchanged looks, the green one speaking up, "Great Honorable Geezer," the boy cocked a brow at that, "What have you seen?"_

" _Jiraiya will still train a student that will either become the savior or destroyer of this world, but the Divine Child will also play a role. He will either assist the Child of Prophecy…or annihilate them." The toads and the boy recoiled in shock, although the boy's was much more subdued._

" _I'll summon Jiraiya-boy at once to inform him." The purple one began to form hand-seals. To most, it would have been a blur. To him it was a slow motion crawl. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and lastly, Ram. The hand-seals were now engraved in his memory. He always had a good memory._

 _In a puff of smoke, Jiraiya of the Sannin appeared on Mt. Myoboku._

 _He looked around in confusion before his eyes widened in recognition at his location. "Ma! Pa! Geezer Toad!" he called amicably. His expression lost its smile when he took note of the serious atmosphere. "I take it this isn't a social call, then?"_

 _The toad identified as Pa spoke, "No it isn't. Honorable Geezer, tell him what you told us."_

 _The Great Toad Sage sat in silence, before he said in a mighty voice, "What are we talking about?" Jiraiya face palmed, Pa sighed, and Ma spluttered in outrage, "You senile old frog! Tell Jiraiya-boy about the Divine Child you saw in your vision!"_

 _Jiraiya perked up at the mention of 'Divine Child.'_

" _Ah yes, the demigod. Jiraiya," the Elder's voice held no humor in it, "You will still go on to train the Child of Prophecy, but the demigod will interfere."_

 _Jiraiya's eyes became like steel, concern for his student and his godchild growing within him. "Interfere how?"_

" _He will either aid the Child…or destroy them."_

 _The Toad Sage gaped in horror at the Great Toad Sage, "But why? Why would he kill Minato or Naruko?! He has no reason to…"_

" _The path ahead of us is filled with many twists and is shrouded in shadow. Dark times are ahead, child," Gamamaru's voice was grim._

 _Jiraiya adopted a thinking pose, "I'll scour the world. I'll send my spy network into overdrive looking for a child that doesn't seem normal," he began to pace back and forth, "I'll start in the Land of Water. That storm was supernatural, I'm sure of it. I'll find this kid and bring him to the Leaf. If he and Naruko are raised together, there's no way he'll even think of harming her. She's such a bright child," his face broke into a small grin when he recalled five-year-old goddaughter, "She'll probably end up calling him her brother or something…"_

" _Jiraiya." He stopped his rant when the Elder spoke to him. "You will_ _not_ _search for the demigod. You and he will cross paths eventually, but if you pressure him, he will bring destruction to the Leaf."_

" _But Great Toad Sage, I can't just let this kid go around the world knowing that there's a chance he might kill my students. I have to do something!"_

" _And you will," spoke the Toad Sage, "You will wait to meet him. You've already done enough to put him on edge."_

 _It was true, the boy was weary of the Sannin. He had no intention of letting this man capture him, or going to the Leaf. Not yet…he wasn't strong enough. But he was confused about something. How did this lump of meat know what he was feeling?_

 _It was Ma that voiced everyone's confusion, "Great Honorable Geezer, what do you mean 'put him on edge'?"_

 _The Great Sage took a deep breath, "As you know, demigods are the offspring of a mortal and a god," at the nods of everyone present, he continued, "This gives them a special ability called 'Essence Projection.' With this ability, they subconsciously project themselves into the past, present, or future, allowing them to witness certain events. With enough practice, they can perform this ability at will, and control where they go. As a Sage, I can sense when one is near." The boy, Jiraiya, Pa, and Ma began to get anxious._

 _Gamamaru's eyes opened, and stared at a spot just behind the Toad Summoner, "Jiraiya," he spoke, "He's standing right behind you." The boy's emerald eyes bugged out of his skull as everyone turned to look at the place he was standing._

 _Then the world changed once more._

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 _The boy could only stare in awe. The battle he just witnessed was…destructive on a whole new level. Mountains were reduced to rubble. Miles of forest turned to ash. Oceans were spawned in a single breath. Lakes turned to steam in a single explosion._

 _The strength of the combatants was monstrous. Able to send each other flying into the air, skidding across the ground, or crashing through giant rock formations. And they were able to shrug off the blows like nothing._

 _Then there was their speed. They were little more than blurs. Blurs that had enough kinetic energy to create shockwaves that ripped up the earth. When they clashed, craters_

 _Finally, there was their jutsu. It was beyond anything he had ever seen. Tidal waves of flame. Giant, winding trees. Colossal warriors made of chakra that had the power to 'smash all things in this universe' with a single stroke of the blade. Apparently, it rivaled the Tailed Beasts._

 _The entire battle, he wondered if this is the power a god wielded. His narrowed and reflected unwavering resolve. He would attain that level of power, and bring a revolution unto this cursed Hell._

 _Now though, it appeared the end was fast approaching._

 _Looking to his left, the demigod took note of the fist warrior. Glowing red eyes, pale skin, and raven hair. He stood suspended well over a hundred meters in the air, encased in a titanic construct made of his chakra. Two wings spread out behind it, with a katana-like blade was held in its massive arms. The warrior called it his 'Perfect Susanoo.'_

 _The one to his right was just as remarkable. Honey-golden eyes with strange markings on his face, tanned skin, and, like his opponent, black hair. Also like his opponent, he stood on a massive construct that towered over the land. Made of wood with the likeness of the Buddha, hundreds upon hundreds of arms splayed out behind it, reminisce of a peacock. 'True Thousand Hands' the warrior had said._

 _The two stared at each other from across the wasteland they created, both locked in a battle of wills with their eyes. On an unspoken signal…they charged._

 _The Susanoo's footsteps sent shockwaves through the earth, each foot leaving a crater several feet deep. The True Thousand Hands scraped across the land at an equal pace, digging a trench behind it._

 _As they closed in, the left one raised his sword and the right commanded several of the wooden arms to surge forth. Before they clashed, they each roared the other's name:_

" _Ashura!"_

" _Indra!"_

 _There was a blinding flash, then…the world erupted._

 _The wind howled in outrage. The land shook in fury. The boy watched from afar but even he, as nothing more than an astral projection, could not escape the blast wave that surged forth like a tidal wave._

 _As the kinetic energy washed over him, the world shifted once more._

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 _Moonlight streamed in through the open window, illuminating the bedroom he was currently in. It was hard to tell what gender the room was geared toward due to its Spartan appearance. Perhaps the denizens lacked the proper funding or were just abusive to the lone occupant. Lying in bed, was a girl. Her was back turned, and her body covered in a blanket, all he could see was her jet black hair._

 _She began to squirm in her bed, a nightmare of some kind taking hold. The boy stood and watched silently, knowing that interfering would be futile. When she turned her head, however, shock flooded his system._

 _It was her._

 _She was younger than the last time he dreamt of her, about his age actually. That's when he noticed their uncanny resemblance. It was like looking at a mirror. A mirror that showed what you would look like as the opposite gender._

 _Hm._

 _Her face contorted…before a scream ripped from her throat._

 _The demigod stepped back in shock. He heard the sound of running footsteps before her door burst open, revealing a woman with sparkling blue eyes, and long, brown hair. The girl's mother. As with the girl, he felt a…connection with this woman._

 _The woman rushed over to her screaming daughter. She shook her and spoke frantic words, waking her up. The girl looked around, taking in her surroundings, before she locked eyes with her mother. Her lip trembled before she buried her head in her mother's chest, the sounds of her sobs filling the room._

 _The mother stroked her daughter's hair, soothing words leaving her lips. The boy felt something in his chest, something strange. His eyes widened in realization upon recognition of the feeling. 'I'm feeling…jealousy. I'm jealous of the love this mother is showing her child.' He grit his teeth together in self-loathing. 'Pathetic. I've made it my ambition to change this world and I'm feeling envious of this girl. Never again.'_

 _When the girl stopped crying, the mother asked her, "What was your nightmare about that had you screaming so much?"_

" _It was horrible." She went into an explanation of her nightmare, an explanation that the boy found very familiar. "It was night time. In a forest. A bunch of people in masks surrounded this really big house. Some girl kicked the door down. It was an orphanage of some kind. She started screaming about a boy and-and power and then threw the matron out of the door and then she shocked a girl with a lightning bolt."_

 _The mother's eyes narrowed when she heard the last part, thoughts of a certain Sky God floating around in her mind. "Oh, baby…I'm so sorry you had to watch that. It must have been terri-_

" _That wasn't all."_

 _The mother promptly shut up and looked at her daughter's face. It looked haunted. Her eyes were wide and sunk in. Her face was ashen. Her breathing had leveled out, but that only added to her ominous statement. "Go on, Persephone, what else did you see?"_

" _The girl had one of the masked guys hold the matron…and blew up the orphanage. After that, a boy showed up," her face scrunched up in remembrance, "He looked like…me." The mother's eyes shot open, memories of her newborn son resurfacing after so many years. She never told her daughter about her younger twin brother._

 _Persephone continued her recollection, "He got angry, and then the sky darkened. It began to rain…and thunder…and lightning. It was like he created it…like the weather reacted to how he was feeling."_

' _Stormbringer…' the mother thought._

" _His body lit up with green fire, then he ran at the masked guys. He broke the ground each time his foot hit it. He reached the first guy and hit him. Ice ripped through his back and stabbed another guy and another guy fell to the ground. The boy stood over the guy on the ground, and he raised his hand. The rain from the sky…came together…" her vocabulary wasn't broad enough to include the word 'coalesce', "It turned into an icicle. He was about t-to s-s-stab the guy, but more masked guys dropped down from above him. They were going to kill the boy, but their swords passed through him like he was made of water."_

' _He was able to take the rain and freeze it into an icicle, and turn his body into water? I need to talk to Poseidon.' "Was that all, sweetheart?"_

 _Persephone shook her head, "After he wasn't stabbed. He jumped up and kicked them all in the head. There was a weird cracking sound, and they didn't move. Mom, did he…kill them?"_

 _The mother was hesitant to answer, but answered nonetheless, "Yes, baby, he killed them."_

 _Persephone buried her head in her mother's chest. "What else happened, sweetheart?"_

" _He made another icicle and ran at the rest of the masked guys. They all slashed at him, but their swords all passed through him. He was running at the girl. She had two masked guys standing beside her. He ran passed the masked guys, and threw the icicles. They moved so fast, I couldn't see them. The two masked guys were sent flying away."_

' _He threw them so hard they had enough force to send two full-grown men through the air? Such power…'_

" _He reached the girl, and she was ready to cut him, but lightning flashed behind them and she was blinded. He hit her in the face and…he hit her a lot."_

' _He beat her face in…'_

" _The masked guys behind him shot lightning from their mouths', but the boy grabbed the girl's swords and shot his own lightning bolt. The lightnings met each other and exploded."_

' _He shot his own lightning? Maybe a child of Zeus, but that doesn't explain the ice…'_

" _The boy and the masked guys were sent back from the explosion. The boy got angrier and the wind and water swirled around him. It reminded me of the hurricanes we learned about in school."_

' _Definitely need to talk to Poseidon,' thought the-screw it, her name is Sally. You know it, I know it, we all know it. So, her name is Sally._

" _He ran at the masked guys-he did a lot of running-and killed three of them. Nine were left. He was in front of another in a second. He killed him and another right next to him. Two more jumped up into the air. The boy jumped up after them. They threw something at him, it was too fast for me to see. It didn't seem to do anything, though. He swung at the masked guys, and lightning blasted them. When they fell back to the ground, their bodies were smoking."_

' _Personal hurricane and lightning…Poseidon and I are going to have a looooooong chat. This is too much of a coincidence.' "What happened to the other five, Persephone?"_

 _The girl's face turned pale, "He raised his swords to the sky, and shot lightning into the sky…there was a roaring sound…and a monster came from the clouds…then I woke up."_

" _Oh, baby," Sally embraced her daughter tightly. "Momma?" Persephone asked. "Yes, child?"_

" _That boy, I felt something when I watched him. I felt sad for him, I felt mad at the masked guys for hurting him, and I…felt…I felt…like…like I knew him. Like he and I were supposed to know each other." Sally listened with rapt attention. Most of all though, I felt like I should be protecting him." At her mother's knowing look, Persephone asked, "Mom…do you know him?"_

 _Sally sighed. Her next words sent the twins' eyes out of their skulls._

" _It's time I told you about your twin brother."_

 _Then the world erupted in white_

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 _ **That would be all for this chapter, folks. Yes it was super slow, but it also put in motion the plot.**_

 _ **I was going to add more, but I looked at when I last updated and was like, 'I need to post another chapter ASAP.' So here it is.**_

 _ **Next chapter will deal with Percy and his future for the next few chapters.**_

 _ **Don't forget to leave a review for this story, your inputs are highly appreciated.**_

 _ **P.S. there has been a plot bunny bouncing around in my head involving The School, a xenomorph, TG Percy, and the Hunters of Artemis. Leave a review if you want to see something like this written, and I'll begin work on it pronto. All I need is one person!**_

 _ **Have a nice weekend! Also, Star Wars in a week, let me feel the hype!**_


	7. A Different World

_A Different World_

 _ **Holy Zeus…over two months now since I last updated this story. I deeply apologize for this absence, but I have been working on my other story, Xenomorphic.**_

 _ **Quite popular actually.**_

 _ **Anyway, this chapter will set up the backdrop for the sequel. Yes, I have planned that far out. Call me ambitious.**_

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 _Sally sighed. Her next words sent the twins' eyes out of their skulls._

" _It's time I told you about your twin brother."_

 _Then the world erupted in white._

The first thing the boy noticed was how cold it was. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying in the snow. Strange, there wasn't any snow in the Land of Water. The third thing his body registered was the cramps in his hands from holding on to the swords so tightly.

The boy sat up. The snow crunching beneath the shift in his weight. His hands cracked as he released the Lighting Fangs. They fell into the powder with a dull thump. The demigod began flexing his hands, relaxing the tendons and muscles, a sound like firecrackers reaching his ears.

When he felt that hands were de-cramped, he stood up and took in his surroundings. An overcast sky, dead trees with snow-covered branches, and snowcapped mountains in the distance. He looked down at himself. Dried blood was soaked into his forest green shirt, covering it in large splotches of dark maroon. More red liquid covered the right side of his face, dried and cracked. It was actually really uncomfortable.

He turned his attention to the snow around him. He began to concentrate on turning the snow…into water. It was simpler than he thought it was going to be. A light tug in his gut, a mental picture of the snow heating into water, and boom. Water was floating in the air in front of him.

He commanded it to cover his face, and the blood flakes came off without a problem. He thought about doing the same thing to his shirt, but decided against it.

The boy had no idea where he was-he was damn sure this was not the Land of Water-and the world itself…felt strange. Like there was something missing from the air.

Well…he was covered blood, in the middle of a snow covered forest, no idea where he was, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't hungry. With that in mind he picked up his swords, attached them to his back with chakra, and began walking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Five minutes into his aimless trek through the snow, the boy began to ponder his newfound powers. First, he experimented with his body…that sounded wrong. He focused on liquefying his limbs and select body parts. It was easier than he imagined it would be.

His body obeyed his will without question.

Second, he deduced that there was a sensory connection with his hydrokinesis and water itself. He was proven correct when he concentrated on the water within the trees and was able to sense the element swimming through the roots and stems. He went deeper, though, feeling out the water vapor in the very air itself.

The sensory overload nearly brought him to his knees.

A wealth of information flooded his brain. He could feel the birds flying through the air, the insects floating without cause…and no chakra. That alone was shocking in and of itself. He had been taught that every living thing had chakra. The animals, the plants, the people. If it was organic, it had a chakra system. So for him to not feel _any_ chakra anywhere…it was cause for great concern.

So where the abnormally large canine-like creatures failing to sneak up on him.

The son of the Stormbringer turned around to face his would-be assassins…and raised a brow. They looked like the demonic love-children between an ape and a wolf. Hunched over figure, black fur covering their bodies, bones protruding from various locations, large forelimbs, and bone-like masks covering their heads.

Glowing, crimson eyes glared at the boy with a primal hunger.

The demigod was sure that these animals were meant to strike fear in the inhabitants of whatever this place was (he was sure this wasn't the Ninja World), but he found them mildly annoying. There were seven of them in total. Based upon previous observations, their threat level was: medium.

Enough to warrant caution, but not enough to take seriously.

The first beast, the apparent leader, roared at him. Three creatures charged, two began to circle around, and the leader stayed in place with the final creature.

The boy smirked and drew his swords, then he channeled a burst of chakra to his legs, his body blurring out of sight. He reappeared in front of the creature circling to his left. The beast was startled at the boy's sudden appearance and was beheaded for its hesitation. The boy didn't even blink as another burst of chakra sent him blitzing across the forest…right through the charging animals. He bisected all three of them at the waist. He came to a stop in front of the other circling creature. This one was prepared though. Its arms were reared back, ready to crush his smaller body. On reflex, his own arms shot up and his swords sliced through the beasts' like knives through butter.

Its arms fell uselessly to the ground, and the beast stumbled back, staring at the crimson stumps where its arms once were. The boy simply sliced it in half…the back-flipped over the creature that tried to catch him unaware. The beast rammed into its deceased comrade, sending them both crashing into a particularly thick tree. The boy leaped high into the air, front flipped once, and stabbed the dazed animal in the back with both his swords.

He removed the blades and leapt off the corpse, eyeing the alpha creature. He twirled the Lighting Fangs around his hands, adding to his intimidating factor. It seemed to work. The creature snarled once…before turning tail and running. The boy scoffed at its retreating back. As if he was going let this thing live after it tried to kill him.

So, without any more thought on the matter, he hurled one of his swords at the animal. It blurred through the air, a near invisible disk of kinetic death. It vertically bisected the creature in less than a second. He blurred forward and caught the sword before it could go any further.

He looked at his latest kills and, once more, raised an eyebrow when he saw the corpses _dissolving_ into a black substance that faded into the air. After a few seconds, all the beasts were gone.

With a deep breath the boy reattached his swords to his back.

Then something appeared on his 'radar.'

It felt like a woman, a wounded woman if the position of her arm and the amount of water pouring out of her body meant anything, being chased by a greater number of the creatures he just made mincemeat out of.

Well, she was dead. He had no reason to help her, nor did he feel any obligation to do so. He made it his life's ambition to revolutionize the Ninja World, to do that he needed to get back to that world…not play hero by saving a soon-to-be corpse.

God, he was screwed up.

But…wait. This woman was most likely native to this land. Most likely held knowledge of where he was, what this world was, and what these creatures were. He sighed in defeat at his own logic.

Time to play hero.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Summer Rose was currently running for life.

A few hours ago, she had been on a Bullhead heading out to a remote location in Vale to help defend a small village from the Grimm. The mission details given by the anonymous sender said that a small pack of Beowolves had been coming in the night and making off with one or two people. It sounded simple enough, the Hunter Association had given it a B level rank.

As a mother of two little girls, and a world renowned Huntress looking for a little stress relief from motherhood, she had immediately signed up for the mission. She currently regretted nothing more in her life, than that decision.

Since she was beginning to retire so she could take care of her daughters, Ruby and Yang, and hopefully steer them down a path that didn't involve being a Huntress, this mission seemed like the best for a 'final farewell.'

Ironic.

After the Bullhead had reached the right coordinates, Summer had leapt out the side-door. The air craft promptly turned around and headed back to refuel. After a short hike through the calm, beautiful, snow-covered forest, she came upon the designated village…that was in ruins.

Further investigation showed that this settlement had been like this for months. Any human life had either deserted the village…or had been eaten. Morbid as that was, it was not uncommon for groups of people to create a small outpost or settlement in the Wild Lands, only to be shortly overrun by a Grimm horde. But that begged the question…who submitted the assistance request…and why this place?

But her musing had been cut short when the Grimm showed up...a _massive_ horde of them. Okay…anonymous contact, ruined village, isolated location, and way more than just a small pack of Grimm. This was a setup, a very carefully set up…setup. That begged the question of who the perpetrator was and who their intended target was.

Summer resolved herself to find those answers after she got herself out of this pickle.

It was not to be.

The horde, easily over a hundred strong, was being led by five ancient-looking Beowolves. They were huge, easily over 20 feet tall, massive claws, and numerous scars across their visages'. Badges of honor, in a way. The Elder Beowolves, as Grimm of that age were called, would send the grunts in droves, which were easy enough to handle as they were quantity than quality. But that was their strategy.

While she was busy slicing apart the expendables, the Elders would sneak around her, using her distraction to their advantage, and land heavy blows on her. Blows that quickly drained her Aura.

She was nearly drained when she killed most of the horde. That's when the Elder launched themselves into the fray. She was quickly overwhelmed by the experienced Grimm while in her weakened state. They had knocked her weapon out of her hands, leaving her defenseless except for her Aura. The monsters quickly destroyed that as well.

Without her Aura, she couldn't use her Semblance. And without her scythe, she couldn't fight.

That led to her current predicament of being sliced across the abdomen and hobbling away from certain death. She knew, though, that the Grimm were just toying with her. Their unnatural sadism towards humans and Faunus overriding their experience. They wanted to draw her suffering out before they killed her.

She had activated her emergency transmitter in a vain hope that a rescue squad would get here soon. Then she tripped on an unseen tree root. She grunted as she land face-first in the snow. Feeling the Grimm closing in around her, she hauled herself up so she could lay against the tree trunk that belonged to the evil root.

She stared at her approaching murderers without fear…but with sadness. Sadness that she would never see Taiyang again. Sadness that she would never get to see Yang again. Sadness that she would never see her darling Ruby become a woman.

"Heh," Summer said, her voice soft, "I was going to make cookies for everyone when I got back…"

She stared teary-eyed at the approaching Beowolf, the leader of the pack it seemed. The creature raised its claw high. Summer smiled wide, her eyes closing, accepting her fate, as memories of her family rushing through her mind.

The Beowolf slashed down…

 _CHING!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The arrived to witness the end of the 'hunt', as it appeared to be. He had to admit that the woman was beautiful. Red and black hair that fell to her mid-back, pale skin, athletically toned build, clothes themed in white and crimson, and unnatural silver eyes.

The image was marred by the gaping wounds on her abdomen.

Blood flowed almost like a river from the openings, painting the white cloak she wore as red as roses…speaking of wounds, the boy analyzed the black creatures about to kill his information source.

Five of them stood out, being bigger and stronger in appearance. The remaining seven were just the same as the first ones he killed. In other words…not worth worrying about. The big ones _might_ be more of a threat.

Oh dear, the first one was raising its claw for the kill…that wouldn't do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Summer could only gape in shock at the sight of a little boy that looked to be about her stepdaughter's age, dressed in clothes that looked to be covered in blood, duel wielding identical swords… _holding back an Elder Beowolf…with one arm._

He had blocked the claw with his left blade, while his right was held in a reverse grip. The Grimm cocked it head in confusion. It was unprepared for the strange human child to slash upward with his right sword, splitting its head in two.

Blood sprayed from the sudden laceration.

The corpse fell to the snow with a resounding thud. The other Grimm growled and barked at the boy, but then the air…changed. Like a wrathful spirit had just entered the vicinity. The angry Grimm began to whimper like puppies.

The child then turned, revealing his face to Summer. She felt her heart constrict the sight. Black hair that descended like a curtain of black strands, tanned skin that belonged to someone from Vacuo, and bangs that fell over his eyes…his emerald eyes. His eyes held a dark intensity, like he didn't see her as a woman, but as a resource to be used. They looked like they were calculating something, like deciding how to efficiently dissect an animal to analyze its entrails.

"What's your name?" he asked.

His voice was high in pitch, expected of a child his age, but held a demanding edge to it.

"S-Summer…Summer Rose."

The boy looked at the red snow, a brief flash of concern in his eyes, then replaced with concentration. Amazingly, the snow began to rise form the earth. It steamed, before becoming crimson globules that floated in the air. The boy brought his hand forward, and the globules moved forward. They entered the cuts and Summer squirmed at the uncomfortable feeling as her own blood reentered her body. The boy's face scrunched together as he put his hand on her stomach. Summer gasped as the feeling of…crawling…over took her senses.

The boy removed his hand from her body, a light sheen of sweat covering his face. Summer looked at her skin where the wounds once were…only faint lines greeted her vision.

The boy had healed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Using the snow to heal 'Summer' had taken more concentration than he expected. It was also an experiment as well. If he could use water to heal himself, could he use it to heal others? The answer appeared to be yes.

But he was also smart. He had only sealed the wound and returned some her blood to her body, just enough so that she wouldn't die from blood-loss. It wouldn't be very helpful is she kept jumping in front of him when he was fighting, nor would it be favorable if she ran away. The latter was unlikely, he could tell she was the type to always help people, no matter who they were.

Noble, but ultimately stupid. That life-style resulted in an early death. Which he just spared her from.

Now to kill the creatures so they wouldn't interrupt his upcoming interrogation. He figured he would play the oblivious child card to get what he wanted.

The child turned away from Summer, brandishing the Lighting Fangs in front of him. Four big ones in front, the seven others evenly spaced between them.

This might be more fun than he thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few minutes later_

 _Same location_

 _Summer POV_

She could only watch in awe, shock, and _horror_ as a six-year-old boy turned a highly experienced Grimm pack…into a pile of dissolving dead. It was scary to watch as the boy looked like he was dancing through the Bane of Humanity. Ducking, spinning, weaving, slashing, stabbing, jumping, kicking, flipping, and lot of other ing's. In less than ten minutes, this boy-this child-this _warrior_ -had exterminated the Creatures of Grimm.

Then he walked back over to her.

The boy kneeled down, his swords sticking to his back by unknown means, and asked, "Where is this place?" His voice was a stark contrast to the fighter just moments ago. It sounded innocent…pure even.

What'd he just say?

"W-What do you mean 'where is this place'? We're on Patch, the island west of Vale." How did this kid not know where they were? He grew up here didn't he?

"What's the name of this world, then?" Okay, what?! Who was this boy? How did he not know the _name_ of his own planet?

"This world is called Remnant. But how would you not know that? You live here don't you?" The boy gained a defensive, almost hostile visage, prompting Summer to ask again, "You… _do_ …live here…right?" The boy was silent for a moment, looking to be contemplating something, before he opened his mouth to say something…then he froze.

His arms shot out and grabbed her shoulders and he pulled them both to the ground and began to roll. They came to a stop a few meters away and Summer looked back…and saw a number of huge, black feathers impaling the snow where they once were. She looked up and saw a small flock of Giant Nevermore circling around the sky.

The boy growled and stood up, staring at the oversized avians above. He pointed his hand at the snow around them, the crystalline water beginning to vibrate beneath them. The Nevermore crowed before launching another volley at them. The boy whipped his arm up, wall of snow erupting in front of them. He grunted when the barbs impacted his 'shield', the points barley digging through. He let his arm drop, the snow and the feathers dropping too.

The boy spread his arms wide and to Summer's further shock, massive amounts of snow rose from the ground. The boy clenched his fists, and the snow separated into several spheres about twice the size of a basketball. The spheres hovered for a moment…before the boy clapped his hands together as if he was praying. The spheres of compacted snow erupted forward like cannonballs in a wave of white death.

The Nevermore were obliterated.

Summer's mind was racing. His Semblance was obviously linked to water. Hydrokinesis perhaps? But the level of power he had…the level of _control_ he possessed. Most people didn't activate their Semblance until their late teens. And after that it took years to fully master their new-found powers.

She and Taiyang had finally gotten Yang to stop wetting her bed on accident…and a boy her age was throwing around power equal to that of an experienced Huntsman.

Just _who_ is this boy? There's no way he should be this powerful at his age. And where were his parents? Even if they were dead-Heaven forbid-it was impossible for a child to survive on his own and gain this level of power.

Summer had so many questions to ask him when they got back to Vale.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The boy was annoyed at the constant interruptions. First were the animals themselves. They were just there when he got here so he had to take care of them anyway. Then there was the flock of giant birds. It was intriguing. He couldn't feel their presence, nor could he sense their blood flow, but he sure felt it when their projectile feathers were slicing through the air. It was his reflexes that saved the woman's life.

He could have liquefied himself, but that would've ended with his information source's death.

Not feeling in the mood to waste time with the annoying birds, he decided to go all out. His stomach got tight when he first reached to the snow, and it was split second reactions that caused him to turn it into a shield. He honestly didn't know if that was going to work. Regardless, he tested something. Since his gut tugged whenever he used his hydrokinesis, he channeled chakra to it when he made his snowballs.

The results spoke for themselves.

Now then, to find out what the hell these things were. He turned around and looked Summer in the silver eye, "What, exactly, are these black creatures that keep bothering us?" As expected, the woman adopted an expression of shock. It was predictable that she would be of the mind that he was native to her world. Maybe he should play the amnesia card as well?

"These animals are known as the Creatures of Grimm. They live only to kill humans and Faunus." The demigod kept a straight face. Faunus? What were Faunus? He was about to ask…when he whipped his head around when the presence of something big, fast, and full of people entered his range.

It put him on edge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _He didn't even know what Grimm were?!_

That…that was beyond anything she had ever heard. It was obvious this kid had amnesia or something, based on his lack of knowledge of his surroundings, but not even knowing what the most infamous creatures on the planet were?

It was like he wasn't even born here.

Then he saw him tense up and she followed his gaze to the west. A Bullhead was coming. If it wasn't for how tired she was right now, she probably would've jumped for joy and spun this child around in her arms. As it was, she settled for a giant smile.

"That's a Bullhead," she told him, "It'll take us back to Vale where we can get you cleaned up and find where you came from." The after a moment, "I think I'll introduce you to my daughters, Ruby and Yang. You'll all get along so well!" She said with a bright smile.

The boy inclined his head, his bangs hiding his eyes, his mouth drawing into a thin line. He began to step back, giving off a dangerous aura. Summer was growing confused. What was he doing? They were about to be rescued from this Grimm-infested forest.

The powerful child spun on his heel and was about to take off, "Wait!" She stood up and leaned on the tree for support. Maybe she could stall him long enough for the Bullhead to get here. "Where are you going?"

"Away from here." His tone was clipped and short.

"But…why? That ship will take us out of here." She sounded as confused as she looked.

"It will take you out of here. I have no intention of going to Vale. I belong somewhere else." He was about to take off, the ship was almost above them now. "What's your name?" He paused to look over his shoulder, his emerald eye looked broken. The Bullhead hovered overhead, the side doors opening, cables dropping from the openings.

The boy turned his gaze upward and then back to herself. Then he blurred forward, snow erupting from where he once stood.

Summer's cry of 'wait' went unheard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demigod blitzed through the frozen forest, the trees blurring around him. He had no idea where he was going, but his mind was going over what he had learned. He was on an island called Patch, which was west of a land called Vale, on a planet called Remnant. It was either winter right now, or it was just generally cold here in this part of the world.

How would he get back to his world?

This world had no chakra. Summer didn't have chakra coils…actually, it felt more like her coils had become diluted, her 'chakra' freely swimming about her body. When he came across her, her 'reserves' were barely above civilian level. Granted she was near-death, but after he partially healed her, her 'reserves' were still civilian level.

Ugh, chakra-less world, black furred canon-fodder everywhere, and no idea how to get to his own…place of origin. It was hardly his 'home' anymore.

His thoughts were cutoff when he felt someone enter his water-range. They were approaching fast, which was a feat in and of itself. Based on the way water was distributed throughout the person's body, they were male, over six feet tall, and he was…anxious…and annoyed. This man more than likely had a connection to Rose, and was told by her to come get him. That was only speculation though.

The boy was having an internal dilemma as he ran through the snow. Fight the man and render him unconscious? Or keep running with no destination in mind?

 _Go left._

The demigod almost stumbled at the masculine voice that reverberated through his head. Who had said that?

 _Go left._

It was more forceful this time. The man was steadily gaining on the boy. Well, it's not like he had anything more important to do. Without any more thought, the demigod cut sharply to the left. If this voice turned out to be hostile though…the person wouldn't live to see the end of the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Qrow Branwen was anxious and annoyed. First, his surrogate sister goes on a B-level mission only to activate her emergency transmitter, an unprecedented event. Then, the Bullhead that dropped her off wouldn't be back for another three more minutes. Third, when Taiyang burst through the doors, panic and rage clear on his face, he had brought Ruby and Yang with him. The big oaf never did think things through.

That had been a tense and careful conversation with the girls. How did you tell children barely out of diapers that their mother was possibly dead?

Fourth, when the rescue team was ready to, Qrow was informed that even at top speed, the Bullhead wouldn't reach Summer's location for another 15 minutes. Taiyang almost jumped out the VTOL to run on foot. Qrow was able to hold him in though.

Then they finally got to where Summer was…and she looked just fine. Her cloak was ripped and she looked borderline exhausted. When they talked to her to get a grip on the situation, her story was one they could never have predicted.

A child as old as Yang slaughtering Elder Grimm? Then using a sort of Hydrokinesis Semblance to turn the snow into a barrage lethal projectiles that disintegrated a flock of Nevermore? Then running away just before they got here?

Qrow wanted to know what the woman was smoking because he wanted some.

But when Summer gave him _The Look_ and then _begged_ him to go after the fleeing child, he really couldn't refuse her, if only to satisfy his own curiosity about the 'Mystery Boy.' Someone had to have made that massive snow trench.

Taking off at his top speed, he was shocked to sense that there was _actually_ a young boy just ahead of him. And moving fast. But the energy he could sense pouring out of the child was unreal. Qrow was quite proud of his ability to sense the size and location of another person's Aura, but this kid…

His Aura was so large it made Amber's look like a drop in an ocean.

And she was a Maiden!

…why did this kid just take a sharp left?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The boy was skeptical when his sprint brought him to the edge of a cliff. A calm, grey ocean stared up at him from below. He wasn't afraid to jump, it was water down there after all. But the voice told him to trust it and jump.

When a disembodied male voice told you jump off a cliff, one would usually stop and think about that. While he was busy thinking though, his water-sense told him the man that was chasing him had finally caught up to him.

Great…now this was happening.

"Who are you kid?" His voice was rough and slurred.

The boy looked at the man over his shoulder, his emerald eye boring in to the man's red ones. He took special note of the weapon strapped to the man's lower back.

"Why would I tell you that?" He did _not_ feel like dealing with ignorant adult right now.

"Fair enough. But I have to ask why your shirt is covered in dried blood though." That was a story he wasn't sharing with a complete stranger.

"It's from the Grimm I killed. It got messy." He did his best to sound convincing. The man's eyes narrowed.

"I may be drunk most of the time, but I know how to spot a lie clear as day. Who did you kill?" The boy turned around to face the man fully. He could feel the mounting confrontation.

"That…is none of your concern."

The man gripped the hilt of his weapon, "I'm afraid it is. Summer asked me to bring back a boy with black hair wearing a blood-soaked shirt wielding identical swords. She may believe in the purity of every living being, but I don't." The man drew his weapon, the blade extending into a broadsword. He pointed it at the boy. "I'll ask _you_ one more time… _who did you kill?"_

The boy drew his own swords from his back, the blades flashed with lightning. "I'll tell _you_ one more time…it's none of your concern."

The man's face twitched in anger at this kid's impertinence. "You won't answer me?! Then I'll beat the truth out of you!"

The boy glared icily at the angry drunkard, "You will try."

The boy watched calmly as the man charged at him with an impressive speed. But the fool was fighting him in the middle of a snowfield…with an ocean just behind them. The boy could feel its power giving him strength just from being in close proximity.

This wouldn't even be a fight. Just one-sided annihilation.

The man was a few feet away when the demigod jerked his head up, a pillar of condensed snow exploding at his feet, slamming into the man's sternum… _hard._ Just as the man was launched backward, the boy tilted his head to the side, and a smaller pillar erupted from the side of the big one, knocking the man's weapon off to the side.

The idiot man crashed into the snow over fifty feet away, deprived of his sword.

A weak moan reached the boy's ears.

The boy turned his back to the fool, but kept his sixth eye trained on him in case he had a sudden rush of strength or some other cliché sudden advantage. He walked back to the edge of the cliff, placing the Lightning Fangs on his back once more. He looked over the still waters, weighing his options.

 _Jump into the water. Everything will be taken care of._

The voice again. The boy looked over his shoulder. The man was still dazed in the snow. His energy had been almost depleted when the snow pillar hit him. The demigod had been aiming to kill though, so points for durability and resiliency.

With a sigh…the boy performed a dive that would have made men in white cloaks jealous.

He dove through the water without feeling any pain or injury. For that matter, he didn't feel any cold either. Just an unnatural warmth and comfort from being in the ocean…

Then he blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Another cliff hanger…and right after I left y'all with one at the end of Xenomorphic, and haven't updated this story in two months.**_

 _ **I am such an evil person.**_

 _ **A quick summary of the chapter: Percy was mysteriously transported to the RWBYverse (explanation in the future) and prevented Summer from being killed on a mission/assassination attempt. He then proceeded to mop the floor with Qrow Branwen in a one-on-one fight after having a rather hostile conversation.**_

 _ **What? Percy was surrounded by frozen water, you think he would waste time and energy when he could use his environment like Gaara uses sand? I don't think so.**_

 _ **Now be sure to follow and favorite and leave lots of reviews for me to read.**_

 _ **It's so heartwarming checking my email and seeing lots of support from the people who read my stories.**_


	8. A Trip at out Sea

_A Trip out at Sea_

 _ **Welcome back to Backup Plan!**_

 _ **Mixed reviews last chapter about the sudden RWBYverse crossover, which was not unexpected. Honestly, you could think of it as a filler chapter, but I put it in there anyway.**_

 _ **It'll make the future sequel I have planned make sense…hopefully.**_

 _ **As for those of you who downright hated it…all I can say is too bad. This is a fanfiction. Unexpected and irritating things should be expected by this point in time.**_

 _ **This chapter will go into detail about the dimension change, will give Percy a name for the rest of the story, and begin his relationship with the Third Raikage.**_

 _ **There is a reason he's listed as a character in the description.**_

 _ **Now then…onto a bunch of talking!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, and other things belong to their respective owners.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The boy's eyes snapped open, drinking in the space around him. He was getting real tired of losing consciousness only to wake up in the weirdest places. For instance…wherever the hell he was now.

He was surrounded by what appeared to be Blue Space. There were stars, clusters of stars, stars slowly moving along, and what looked like really thin clouds. But instead of it being a black void with tiny lights everywhere, it was colored _light blue._

Trippy.

As for what he was sitting on…it was like an invisible floor beneath. When he looked down all he saw was the same scenery of that all around him. Blue Space.

It was…calming, actually. Peaceful, relaxing, _serene_. Like in this place all of his troubles no longer existed, like he could live here and just exist in peace…forever.

"Ahem." The boy calmly turned around toward the sound of someone clearing their throat. He should've whirled around and hurled one of his swords at the location of the voice because he couldn't sense _any_ water in their body. That alone should've sent off warning bells. But he was still unnervingly calm.

"You're not human."

Indeed. The man standing before the boy was not human. Large horns stood from his head, looking almost like rabbit ears. His black hair was wavy in appearance, and fell down to his mid-back. He was dressed in a black kimono, with an intricate haori adorning his shoulders depicting an ocean storm. But it was the man's _eyes_ that drew the attention of the young demigod.

Purple iris and sclera, with concentric rings surrounding the pupil.

"No. I am not human." His voice echoed with deep power.

"Are you a god, then?"

"Yes."

"Then what is your name?"

The god grinned patronizingly, "Guess."

The boy growled, but his mind began run through every god he had read about in the orphanage. Then…a name popped into his head.

"You are Susanoo. God of seas and storms, wielder of the Totsuka Blade and husband of Kushinadahime."

The god laughed, "Yes I am Susanoo."

The boy's eyes narrowed and he began to reach for his swords, "You feel familiar to me. Are you my father?"

The Storm God smirked, "No. I am not your father."

The boy let his arms drop back to his sides, "Do you know who is?"

Susanoo regarded his champion, internally debating how much he intended to talk. This was going to be a fun conversation.

"Yes, I know who he is."

Emerald eyes bored into purple ones, "Are you going to tell me…or do I have to guess that too?"

Purple eyes stared unwaveringly into emerald ones, "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. But now is not the time for pondering, now is the time for explanations."

"Explanations of what?"

Susanoo's ringed eyes glowed…

"… _Everything."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I have a proposal I think you would be willing to hear."

Consciousness returned once more to our raven haired anti-hero. Immediately, his senses expanded, taking in his surroundings. The blood on his face was gone. He was dressed in the same clothes. The Lightning Fangs were still tightly clutched in his hands.

A total of fifteen people in a 200 meter radius. Two people, one male, and one female right next to him. The female was between five and six feet tall, had unreasonably long air, and had fire, water, earth and lightning chakras. The male was a giant, based on the flow of water through his body. He was easily over six feet tall, had lightning, earth, and fire chakras.

These were the same people that were watching him slaughter the Mist ninja.

Great. More ninja.

"What is it?" asked the woman. The boy kept his eyes closed and his breathing even. He was hoping to milk them for information by playing possum.

"This boy has power and potential on par with the Jinchuuriki. Maybe even surpassing them. You are in desperate need of weapons and soldiers." The boy didn't like where this was heading.

"Yes, that's true. But what does this boy have to do with anything?" Her heart beat was increasing. She was nervous.

"The boy comes with me. In return, I'll give you weapons and food, and a battalion of ninja to aid and train your own forces. After four years, the boy will return to aid you and your cause. After Yagura is overthrown, the boy will return to the Cloud."

So he was being used as a bargaining chip, and as a power play by the Raikage. Bastard.

The woman had shock traveling through her body. She was seriously considering the man's proposal. The boy himself was actually weighing the option. If he went with the Raikage, he would be trained by professional soldiers, practically be handed power for free. Then he would get to return to the Mist and reap vengeance for the death of his siblings.

On the down side, he would have to tolerate the presence of the thing he hated for an indefinite amount of time _and_ learn their arts. The hypocrisy was not lost on him.

But…at his current level of power, he would never be able to abolish the Shinobi system. He would never have his revenge. He may be able to take down a few of the elite ninja, but he was not so arrogant to believe he could fight the entire world and win.

Not yet at least.

"B-but…what about the child? Won't he have to agree to this?" The woman was _concerned_ about him? More than likely her maternal instincts.

The child felt the Raikage turn his gaze to his 'sleeping' form, "Why don't we ask him right now? He has been listening to us, after all."

The demigod's eyes snapped open, emerald orbs starring at the beige ceiling. He wasn't surprised the Raikage knew he was faking. The man was an age-old ninja with decades of experience.

The demigod sat up, his back popping and cracking. Great, he had to deal with this again. He looked the Raikage straight in the eyes, ignoring the woman's expression.

"So boy," the Raikage started, his voice deep and gravelly, "Do you accept my offer?"

The answer was immediate: "Yes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The means the Kage of the Cloud took to get here…were less than impressive.

The boy, the Raikage, whose name was Ay, the woman, whose name was Mei (heh, rhyme time), and a few nondescript ninja stood in an abandoned fishing village on a remote coast of the Land of Water's southwestern shores, facing the four-island archipelago. There was a light fog around, boosting the demigod's powers. The buildings were little more than ramshackle structures of wood that looked rotten and ready to collapse. The sky was a dreary overcast.

The group stood at the end of a dock…the old fishing boat at the end looked like the shacks that dotted the mainland. The captain was only known as 'Quint' and he called his oversized piece of driftwood _The Orca…_

"You came to a nation embroiled in a civil war…in a _fishing boat?_ "

Ay seemed just as disgruntled as the demigod, "My advisors told me it would lead to complications if it was obvious the Hidden Cloud had any relations with the Blood Rebels. So we hired this man and paid him handsomely to keep his mouth shut."

The boy shook his head, "How long will it take to get to the Land of Lightning via the sea?" The Raikage made a 'thinking face,' "It took me about two days to get here, so it should take us about a few days to get back."

Two days at sea? To the demigod, for some reason, that sounded absolutely splendid.

With a nod at Quint, the boy and Ay boarded _The Orca_. The captain started up the motor, and the boy was worried the poor thing was going to explode. After a few seconds of listening to the struggling piece of equipment, the motor finally hummed to life with a rumble.

Mei called out to them, "Don't forget our deal, Raikage! Four years, troops, and supplies!" Ay merely nodded at her, a gleam in his pupil-less green eyes. "Hey, kid!" the child in question looked at the auburn haired woman. "What's your name?"

The boy blinked. His name? He hadn't had a name since he was born. The matron and his siblings had always spoken about with pronouns, and spoke directly to him without a problem. Regardless, he began to ponder something to call himself. In a few seconds he had run over one hundred different names, but none of them struck him.

"And in to the abyss we go!" Quint cheered as he steered his boat into the open water. The boy's eyes widened. He just found the perfect name.

He looked Mei straight in the eye, and said unto her, "Shin'en."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The Orca_ calmly chugged along the sea, it's destination a few hundred miles north. They had been out here for a few hours now, the sun was beginning its descent.

Shin'en was currently having the time of his short life. The sea spray, the salty smell, the feeling of ungodly power flowing through him. Being at sea felt like being at home. It felt right.

It furthered strengthen his hypothesis that his father was a sea god.

He could sense everything in the water for _miles._ He could feel all of the fish just beneath him, and all of the whales deep below. He could also tell that if he jumped into the water, he would have more than enough power to crush the powerful Raikage like an insect…actually, he had the power to do that right now.

It was tempting to just will the water to bring the boat down, and drown the two men…but that would be a waste. No need to spill innocent blood. And killing Ay would rob him of the chance to further his power.

Make no mistake, Shin'en had no intention of becoming the Raikage's dog. After he had turned the Mist into a crater and had Yagura's head mounted on his sword, he would milk the Cloud for every technique and secret it had…then the village and all of its ninja would follow in the footsteps of the Mist.

Then the rest of the Villages would fall to his power, and his revenge against the creatures known as shinobi would be complete.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was night now, the moon shining above the water, illuminating Shin'en's face.

His skin was lightly tanned, his black hair hung down like messy, inverted spikes, bangs falling into his face, slightly obscuring his emerald eyes.

Emerald.

Such a far cry from the vivid sea-green they once were. Watching those you called family die over and over again while helpless to prevent it and then losing any regard for human life would do that to you.

Ay and Quint had invited him below deck for dinner, but Shin'en had refused, opting to stay on the ship's bow plank, leaning over the railing.

He was in deep thought, his conversation with Susanoo playing over again in his mind.

 _Flashback_

"… _Everything."_

 _The dimension erupted in to a black void, then a blue and green sphere popped into existence. The god and demigod quickly 'zoomed in' on the sphere. Shin'en cocked a brow when he realized what this sphere was._

" _Earth?"_

 _Susanoo nodded, "Yes…1,000 years ago." Shin'en looked at the Storm God, "Why am I looking at Earth 1,000 years ago?" Susanoo pursed his lips, then they 'zoomed in' to the surface of the planet. Shin'en raised both brows when he saw the_ _massive tree_ _rising into the clouds._

" _What the hell is this thing?"_

" _This 'thing' is called a Divine Tree. They are sporadically planted across many planets by Izanagi in his Life Growing Experiment."_

" _Why would the patriarch of the Shinto gods want to plant trees on random planets?" The fact that Shin'en wasn't the least bit concerned about there being multiple planets, nor about the existence of Izanagi, was testament to just how dead he was on the inside._

 _Susanoo shrugged, "Father's exact words are, 'Because I can.'"_

 _Shin'en just decided to roll with it, "Then what exactly is a Divine Tree? And what does it do?"_

" _A Divine Tree is, essentially, a catalyst for the emergence of life. Charged with the chakra of a god, a Seed can be planted on any planet, or in any barren waste. Using the chakra within, the Seed will sprout and grow. After time, it will germinate, dispersing smaller, less powerful seeds across the land. When enough trees have grown, the planet's atmosphere and/or environment will become more hospitable. And natural plants will begin to grow. Not long after that, the Seed that's become a Divine Tree will create a new kind of life: animals._

" _After the animals have inhabited the world, humans will soon be born. And with the arrival of man…comes the arrival of war and death. Izanagi keeps doing this hopes of creating a world with everlasting peace with no divine intervention. After millennia of trying, he's still unsuccessful."_

" _Neat story," Shin'en said dryly, "But does that have to do with what I'm looking at?"_

" _Despite Father's faith that one day humanity will achieve peace, he is not naïve. Humans born from the Divine Tree have inherent knowledge that the Trees was made by the gods, so they worship it and revere it as such. However, every one thousand years, the Tree will bear a fruit. A Chakra Fruit._

" _In most cultures spurred from the Divine Tree, the Fruit is forbidden to touch or eat. But if someone does eat the Fruit…they will gain the primordial power of Divine Chakra."_

 _Shin'en's eyes widened, his mind racing through what that meant, creating theories of his own. "So what you're implying is…a thousand years ago…someone ate the Chakra Fruit produced by this tree…and gained the power of chakra…for the first time. And this person used that power to end the conflict that was raging on this world…the Ninja World…"_

 _Susanoo looked surprised, 'And Athena keeps saying children of Poseidon are stupid.'_

" _That's exactly what happened. The person who ate the fruit was a princess of unmatched beauty. Even some of the goddesses were envious of her face. The princess created peace on this world…for a time._

" _The princess gave birth to two sons. The eldest was named Hagoromo and the youngest was named Hamura. Like their mother, they were born with chakra…and a lot of it. Their mother taught them well…but over time, it became apparent that the brothers were more powerful than their mother. It was something that slowly drove the woman mad. Eventually, while the brothers were at their peak, the princess snapped_

" _Doing something that not even_ _we_ _could have predicted, she_ _absorbed_ _the Divine Tree. But the power was too much and she lost her mind, becoming nothing more than a rampaging beast."_

 _The scene around them changed, the landscape becoming desolate and ruined, the Divine Tree morphing into a giant, cycloptic monster. The monster's single eye was crimson red with rings surrounding the pupil and three tomoe on each ring. Its body was grey, and extremely well-built with horns sprouting from its head, and flat teeth lining its maw._

 _A massive, mollusk-type shell covered in small spikes was attached to the monster's back. The most eye catching thing, however, were the ten elongated tails that ended in humanoid hands sprouting from its backside._

" _Ten…tails?"_

" _This beast had the power to drink oceans, swallow mountains, overturn continents; it had the power to split the very sky itself. It went on a rampage unlike anything we gods have ever seen. Hundreds of millions of mortals fell to the unyielding might of the monster."_

" _Why didn't you or any of the other gods come down to stop it?" Shin'en asked._

" _Despite how much we wanted to, the gods that existed before Izanagi had created laws that forbade divine interference, lest the god or goddess have their power stripped from them and given to another."_

" _Then how was the monster stopped?"_

 _Susanoo smirked, the landscape changing once more into a crater-filled wasteland with the Ten-Tails battling two men._

 _Shin'en recognized the men instantly, despite never seeing them, "Hagoromo and his brother, Hamura." It was a statement. "Hagoromo's eyes…they're the same as yours, Susanoo."_

 _The Storm God smirked, "These eyes are called the Rinnegan. They are the eyes of the gods, and when a mortal is granted them, it means that a time of great importance in drawing near. I.e. a primordial monster wreaking havoc on the Mortal Plane."_

 _Shin'en hummed in response. He wondered if anyone currently possessed the Rinnegan in the Ninja World right now._

" _On with the history lesson: The brothers battled the monster for days, but in the end…were victorious. However, fearing the beast's power, and rightfully so, Hagoromo sealed the monster within himself, becoming the world's very first-" Susanoo was cut off by Shin'en's whisper._

" _Jinchuuriki."_

 _The Slayer of Yamata-no-Orochi nodded gravely._

 _Shin'en smirked coldly, "And to think…Jinchuuriki today are treated as mindless war machines, when the man responsible for the creation of the Shinobi way was one himself."_

 _Susanoo stared at the boy._

" _What?" asked Shin'en, "Hagoromo is the Sage of the Six Paths, and the monster is, I'm assuming, called the Ten-Tails. It wasn't hard to figure out."_

 _Susanoo shook his head, "You figured that much out…can you figure out the rest of the story?"_

 _Shin'en eyes narrowed in thought, his hand coming to his chin. He began to pace, "After sealing the Ten-Tails…Hagoromo gave the rest of the world chakra…then he and Hamura began to travel the world, teaching people about their new power. After a time…they went their separate ways…and Hamura drops out of the history books…and fact becomes myth and legend._

" _Legend says that the Sage had two sons...one was a prodigy, the other was useless. On his death bed, the Sage asked his sons a question, to determine his successor. He chose the younger brother. Enraged, the eldest challenged his brother…and the outcome is never told." He looked at Susanoo, "But there are gaps. Who were the sons, what was the question, what happened to the Ten-Tails, and how did the Tailed Beasts come into play?"_

" _You know who the sons are…you've dreamt of them fighting."_

 _Shin'en's eyes widened for a microsecond before returning to their half-lidded state, "Indra and Ashura."_

 _The God of Storms nodded, "They are indeed the sons of Hagoromo. On his death bed, the Sage asked 'what was the correct way to peace?' Indra said that it was power, using a firm but guiding hand to keep the people moving forward, and in line. Ashura said that love was the answer, building bonds of understanding and friendship with others. Hagoromo chose Ashura over Indra, the latter reminding him of how Kaguya ruled over the Earth."_

" _That explains the brothers…but what about the Tailed-Beasts?"_

" _The Rinnegan grants its bearer several abilities. The two most revered being control over life and death, and creation from nothing. The_ _ **Banbutsu Sozo**_ _is a technique that involves both the Yin and Yang aspects of chakra. The Yin envisions what is to be created, and the Yang gives it form. Knowing that the Ten-Tails would be released upon his death, Hagoromo split the beast into nine separate pieces of varying strength and power."_

" _The Tailed-Beasts."_

 _Susanoo nodded, "From the One-Tail to the Nine-tails, their names are: Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, and finally, Kurama."_

 _Shin'en had his eyes narrowed, "Isobu is currently sealed inside of Yagura, isn't he?"_

" _Yes."_

" _How unfortunate."_

 _Susanoo looked sad, "I know what you are planning, Shin'en. The destruction of the Shinobi Way. I know that you desire the power of the Rinnegan, and vengeance against those who have wronged you."_

 _Shin'en's emerald eyes narrowed so much they looked almost like slants, "Do you plan on stopping me?"_

 _Susanoo looked forward at nothing, "Do not let your desire for revenge blind you from the world around you."_

 _The scene changed, a grassy field at night with two groups of people squaring off. The left group was clothed in high-colored robes, had long, spikey black hair, glowing red eyes-the Sharingan, Shin'en noticed-and pale skin._

 _The Uchiha Clan._

 _The right group wore armored plates strung together by rope that covered their chests, necks, shoulders, crotches, and thighs. They had tanned skin, black eyes, and straight, dark-brown hair. The symbol on their neck-plates displayed their allegiance._

 _The Senju Clan._

" _Back to the subject of Indra and Ashura. The brother's feud continued long after their natural death. The families that the brothers created would eventually be called the Uchiha and the Senju, respectively. I trust you know the main history of the Clans?" A brief nod was Susanoo's answer. "Did you know that Indra and Ashura reincarnated several times over the centuries and eventually ended up as Madara and Hashirama?"_

 _A deadpan stare was the response._

" _Oh yes. Madara and Hashirama were the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura. And they were the most powerful incarnations since the originals."_

" _And they've been dead for over a decade. I'm assuming the brothers have reincarnated once more in this time as well?"_

 _The scene changed from the Uchiha and the Senju, to the Hidden Leaf. Two children, a boy and a girl, were playing with each-other. The boy was obviously a descendant of the Uchiha, while the girl had a more…exotic appearance._

 _Azure blue eyes, blonde hair tied into pigtails, peach skin, and three whisker-like marks on both cheeks._

" _This is Sasuke Uchiha, son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, and Naruko Namikaze, daughter of Minato and Kushina Namikaze. They are the current incarnations of Indra and Ashura."_

" _I wonder how Ashura likes being reincarnated as a female," said Shin'en._

 _Susanoo blinked. He had no idea how to respond to that._

" _Now that we're caught up on current events…why was I sent to Remnant…and who is the girl I keep seeing in my dreams?"_

 _Susanoo regarded the demigod carefully, "You were sent to Remnant…as an experiment."_

"' _An experiment'?" Shin'en's voice sounded like ice._

 _The scene changed once more. This time…Shin'en stared at hundreds of Earths arranged in multiple rows and columns that stretched, literally, as far as he could see, suspended in a black void._

" _This is the Multiverse belonging to the Shinto gods. Here, there are several different realities that we've created over the millennia either for entertainment, research, or by accident."_

" _Entertainment?" Shin'en hissed._

 _He was ignored. "There are several realities that haven't gone…as intended. One thing or another went wrong, and because we're forbidden from interfering, we can't set things right. The Multiverse has grown too big, even we gods cannot oversee all of it at once. However, your existence presents us with a unique opportunity to fix things."_

" _You're saying that you're going to use me as an interdimensional hitman to fix what you and the other gods have screwed up."_

 _Susanoo fidgeted under the burning gaze of his champion, "More or less."_

" _And let me guess: that woman, Summer Rose, was originally supposed to die at the hands of the Grimm."_

" _She was."_

" _Speaking of Summer Rose…that world, Remnant…the energy around me…felt like diluted chakra. Explain that, please." It sounded more like a command than a request._

 _Susanoo coughed and mumbled something._

" _Louder please."_

 _The Shinto Storm God looked the demigod in eyes this time, "It was about three thousand years into the future."_

 _Shin'en twitched, "Why did you send me three thousand years into the future?"_

" _It was an experiment to see if you could change things. It was a success."_

 _Emerald eyes glowed faintly with chakra, "I refuse to be used as a divine repairman."_

 _Susanoo shifted, "You said something about a girl?"_

 _Shin'en scoffed at the obvious change of subject, but let it go nonetheless, "Yes, my apparent twin sister, Persephone. What's the story between her and me?"_

 _Susanoo waved his hand, and the scene changed to…a summer camp? A three story house made of wood, a lava-spewing climbing wall, an arena, a bunch of columns surrounding a bunch of tables, a giant tree, and twelve cabins arranged in a U-formation were a few things he saw at the 'summer camp.' Oh, and a small army of teenagers decked out in neon-orange shirts._

 _Disgusting._

" _This is Camp Half-Blood. It is where the children of the Grecian Pantheon train to fight the monsters of their world. This is also the place where your elder-by-twelve-minutes twin sister will reside in the upcoming years._

" _As you might have already guessed, you are not originally from the Ninja World. In fact, it was I that gave you chakra and brought you to the orphanage."_

" _Yes, the orphanage that was blown up and every inside of it killed. My gratitude knows no bounds." A deaf person could've picked up the sarcasm._

" _Right…moving on. The dimension from which you were born has many different pantheons in it. The Greek/Roman, the Egyptian, and the Norse being the main ruling bodies. In fact, that dimension was originally ruled by us Shinto gods. Then the Titans were born and we decided to create our own dimension, but that's a story for another day."_

" _Fun story, where do I fit in?"_

" _The Titans. They were born of the primordial essences of the Sky and the Earth. The youngest Titan, Kronos, wanted to be in charge. He was an arrogant and power hungry being, but he was also cunning. He knew he didn't stand a chance against his father, without the help of his elder siblings. But his father, Ouranos, was just as evil as he. Gaea the Earth and Ouranos the Sky had six more children together. Ouranos saw them as too 'ugly' and imprisoned them within the Abyss," said Susanoo._

 _Shin'en cocked a brow, but said nothing._

" _Enraged, Gaea told her children to overthrow their father. Kronos was the first to agree. He convinced his elder brothers to aid him, and while they used their power to hold down Ouranos, Kronos used a scythe forged by his mother to slice his father into many pieces. He then went on to rule the universe. However, before his death, Ouranos gave his son a prophecy: Just as he had been overthrown by his sons, so too would Kronos be overthrown by his progeny."_

" _Let me guess: when Kronos had children, he killed them out of fear?" observed Shin'en._

" _Indeed. His first five children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon, were eaten alive upon their birth. Worried that her husband would eat their sixth child, Rhea tricked her husband and fled with her third son, Zeus."_

 _Shin'en's emerald eyes lit up in recognition for a fraction a second when he heard the name 'Poseidon.'_

 _The demigod picked up where Susanoo left off, "Then Zeus grew up to be a powerful god, freed his siblings from his father's belly, started a war called the Titanomachy, won, and became ruler of the Olympian Gods and Mount Olympus. He then proceeded to set a record for siring the most children in a lifetime, pissing off his wife, Hera; a number of those children ended up as Olympian Gods."_

 _Susanoo nodded, impressed with the demigod's instinctual knowledge._

" _If I were to hazard a guess and say that the Titans were rising, and the gods wanted some type of insurance plan, which would be me, would I be correct?" Shin'en's voice betrayed no emotion._

 _Susanoo's Rinnegan glowed faintly, "You are correct in that the Titans are rising, but it is not the Olympians that gave you to me. The beings that did that are called the Fates. They are the Overseers of your home dimension, and are responsible for keeping the timelines moving in the proper direction. If they find any 'glitches', the Fates will come up with a way to fix it."_

" _And so they looked into their magic ball and saw that the gods wouldn't be able to beat the Titans a second time, so they gave me to you so I could gain power and save everybody's asses."_

" _More or less," Susanoo said slowly._

" _Outstanding," Shin'en drawled, "but what does my sister have to do with this?"_

" _Your sister's role is simple: she exists as your replacement."_

 _Shin'en stared at the ripple-eyed god, "Elaborate."_

" _Originally, your sister would've never existed and all of her exploits would've gone to your name. But since you are here in this dimension, the Fates had to have someone to keep things on track in your home dimension. Thus, Persephone Jackson is born twelve minutes before her brother Perseus."_

 _Shin'en frowned, "Why a girl, though? Why not a boy to handle these things? Or why not another demigod altog-" Shin'en cut himself off as the answers became clear._

" _The Fates are using my sister as an insurance policy, hoping that I'll become emotionally attached to her so I have a reason to actually help them survive the Titans."_

 _Susanoo kept an external façade, but he was internally gaping, 'Incredible! His intellect is off the charts. He's easily on par with the Nara Clan.'_

" _You are exactly correct. Will you come to love her, though? As a brother should?"_

 _Shin'en was quite, an internal debate raging in his head. 'On one hand, she is my sister. But she's also my 'elder' twin, so she'll more than likely try to be overprotective. A pointless endeavor seeing as I am already stronger than she'll ever be. Besides that, I don't even know her. Not on a personal level, anyway. Those feelings I experience whenever I dream of her are more than likely the Fates forcing my attraction to her. Furthermore, her sole purpose for existing is to be a metaphoric anchor to hold me down. At this point in time, she's only a name and a face. No need to become attached to that.'_

" _I doubt it," Shin'en finally said, "As it stands, she is little more than a stranger to me. And there's no telling when we'll ever meet in person. Besides that though, what do you get out of this? I doubt you would've accepted taking in a demigod from another pantheon without some type of benefit for yourself, besides fixing your dimension."_

 _Susanoo nodded, "Yes, there is a reason why I brought you here. You should be able to figure it out, but I'll give you a hint: it's a similar reason as to why the Fates gave you to me."_

 _Shin'en paused, the wheels turning…then he groaned and face palmed, "The princess that became the Ten-Tails is making a comeback, isn't she?"_

 _Susanoo guffawed and slapped the boy on the back, sending him face-first into the dirt, making a crater that kicked up dust._

 _Shin'en flipped back to his feet, and slugged Susanoo in the face with a chakra enhanced haymaker. Upon contact with the god's nose, the world exploded back into the pocket dimension of Blue Space. The god skid across…the floor. He came to a stop and said, "Ow."_

 _He stood up and looked at the serious face of Shin'en. "Do not hit me unless you want me to hit you back." Susanoo popped his nose back into place, "Noted."_

" _Also you kept saying 'given to me,' like I was a gift. I don't like how you make it sound like I'm your property."_

 _Susanoo smirked at Son of Poseidon, "Well…I am your patron god, after all."_

 _Flashback End_

Shin'en sighed. Titans, dimensions, and evil unnamed princesses…oh my.

Regardless of all of that bullshit, his endgame had not changed. If anything, it just made it easier to achieve. Despite being downright furious over being slung around the Shinto multiverse, it would offer opportunities to gain more power. And power was something he desperately needed.

Being the champion of the Storm God should help with that.

Sasuke, Naruko, and he would eventually cross paths, of that Shin'en was certain. When that happened, however, he didn't know, but when it did, he wondered if they would fight eachother, and how strong they would be.

Shin'en looked at the moon. Hm. He had been thinking for a long time, the moon was close the western horizon.

He always felt like he was being watched whenever he looked at the satellite, like something ancient was staring at him, assessing him. It made Shin'en want to destroy it just to remove the feeling.

Shin'en reached out with his senses, discovering Ay was sleeping below decks, and Quint was trying not to fall asleep at the helm. There was a pod of whales about ten fathoms down and five miles starboard. A Great White was hunting two miles to port. A school of fish aimlessly swam three miles to stern.

The sea was alive.

 _A few days later_

After making port at a beach he didn't bother to learn the name of, he and Ay had tree-hopped through the forests until they reached a desert with more buttes than what should be naturally possible, they finally reached the gates of the infamous Hidden Cloud Village.

Ay gazed at the towering mountains with pride, Shin'en only had one thing to say…

" _Who the hell are all of these people!?"_

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 _ **Whew…that took longer than I expected. Percy now knows some ancient history, has a name, learned his role in life, is so coldhearted he doesn't care much about his own sister, and has finally arrived at a Ninja Village.**_

 _ **I hope you like the**_ _ **Jaws**_ _ **cameo. I thought it was funny.**_

 _ **For those of you that didn't hit up the translator, shin'en means 'abyss.' Rather fitting, I think.**_

 _ **Favorite, Follow, and leave me many reviews telling me what you thought of the chapter!**_


	9. Cloud Arc: Episode One-Introductions

_Cloud Arc: Episode One-Introductions_

 _ **Welcome friends. This will be a short chapter, but it will cover all I want it too. Now that we've closed the Intro Arc, we're beginning the Cloud Arc.**_

 _ **In this arc, Shin'en will learn new jutsu, build relationships with characters, be put in morally conflicting situations, and kick some genin-ass.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own neither series or any cameos.**_

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Shin'en looked at the assembled group with caution. Each one had a large amount of chakra.

The man on the far left had dark skin, shaggy white hair covering his left eye, and two tattoos, one on each shoulder. His right shoulder had the kanji for lightning, while the left had the kanji for water. A large red-and-white sword hilt stood from his right shoulder. He wore a sleeveless, dark-grey uniform with a high collar, and loose-fitting dark pants. Over his uniform he had a white flak-jacket buttoned to his left shoulder. His visible right eye had a lazy look in it, but Shin'en saw, deep inside, a dark, calculating glint.

The next man could be best described as eccentric. Dark skin, overly-muscled, and his slicked-back blonde hair was kept in place by a Hidden Cloud headband. He went shirtless, opting to wear just the Cloud flak-jacket held in place by thick, red rope. He wore baggy pants, with white legwarmers that had red shin guards built in, with fingerless gloves of a similar design adorning his hands. The kanji for iron was tattooed on his right shoulder, and a tattoo of bull horns stood proudly under his left eye. His eyes were covered by oval-shaped glasses, a white scarf was wrapped around his neck, and he had a goatee. Seven red sword hilts peaked out from behind. He felt familiar.

The man in the middle was obviously related to Ay in some way. Dark skin, huge muscles, tattoos of fuma shuriken on both of his shoulders, slicked back blonde hair, small beard, the apparent standard uniform for Cloud Ninja, gigantic golden vambraces, and a gold belt with the face of a boar.

The fourth person was the only female of the group. She had long, straight blonde hair, tied with bandages, and dark eyes. More bandages were wrapped around her legs and arms. Fingerless gloves covered her hands, and rosary beads were wrapped around her left arm. She wore a dark blouse with a purple chest, and loose-fitting pants. There was designs similar to clouds on her left pant-leg, and on her right breast. A kunai holster was strapped to her right thigh, and a red belt was tied around her waist. She also felt familiar.

The fifth and final person was a pale man with yellow hair and dark eyes. He wore the sleeveless version of the Cloud uniform, but had armguards running from elbow to knuckle. Shin'en could tell this one was less combat oriented and more sensor oriented.

Well, if the panicked look on his face when they locked eyes was anything to go by.

"Father!" called the middle giant, his voice deep, "Were the negotiations successful?"

Shin'en and Ay reached the group. With the closer proximity, the demigod realized why those two had a familiar vibe. They were the Jinchuuriki of Gyuki and Matatabi. Shin'en was deftly aware that all but Ay's apparent son were staring at him.

Not liking the feeling of being dissected, the demigod began to subtly leak his KI, a warning that he was not to be trifled with.

The assembled shinobi suddenly felt very cold. They all shared a look when they realized it was the boy that was emanating that feeling. "Lord Raikage…who's the kid?" asked the woman.

Shin'en's eye twitched at being called a 'kid.'

As entertaining as it would be to watch a demigod and a Jinchuuriki duke it out, the Third Raikage moved quickly to defuse the situation, "This 'kid' is the demigod that the world's been looking for." He clapped Shin'en on the shoulder, careful to avoid the Lightning Fangs.

The son of Poseidon glanced at the meat-paw on his shoulder, then back at the gaping audience, "You'll catch flies…if you keep staring at me like that." Their mouths promptly snapped shut.

"Yo, kid! The name's Killer Bee! I hope that in the future you can be friends with me!" Shin'en stared at the self-proclaimed 'Killer Bee' with a disturbed expression.

"Iron Claw!"

Ay and his son slammed Bee into the ground. The woman shook her head at the display, the blonde sighed, and Shaggy groaned.

"Bee, if you keep that up, he'll never have any respect for you," the woman said, then she offered Shin'en her hand, "My name is Yugito Nii. I'm a chunin and the Ji-"

"The Jinchuuriki of the Two-Tailed Monster-Cat," Shin'en cut her off. Everyone looked at him in shock, none more-so than Yugito, "H-How…did you…know that?"

The demigod shrugged and began to walk into the Village, "Saw it in a dream."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Shin'en walked through the Village, his destination the bulbous structure built into the mountains, he took inventory of his new surroundings.

Predictably, the people stopped and stared, but that could also be attributed to the procession behind him, or his still blood-soaked clothes. The 'ground floor,' as he decided to call it, was a twisting walkway built around the towering stone structures. Carved out of some of the mountains were little shops and restaurants, and built around the tops of the mountains were glass structures, similar to observation decks.

The thing Shin'en found most profound, however, was the fact that his water-sense picked up _bodies_ inside the mountains. That could only mean one thing…

"Did you hollow out the mountains…for living space?" Shin'en asked.

"Yes, yes we did," answered Ay.

The demigod hummed, not even breaking his stride.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group of seven had gathered inside the Raikage's office.

The room was overly spacious, and borderline barren. A simple couch sat behind a desk. Off to the side was a bench pressing rack with a punching bag hanging a few feet in front of it. Windows lined the wall behind the couch, giving a rather stunning view of the village below.

The Raikage was sitting on the left side of his couch, and Shin'en was sprawled on the other side, the Lightning Fangs stabbed into the floor. Ei, the Raikage's son, Bee, the Jinchuuriki of Gyuki, Yugito, the Jinchuuriki of Matatabi, Darui, the Raikage's bodyguard, and Cee, also the Raikage's bodyguard, stood at attention in front of their Kage.

They had just been debriefed on everything that happened in the Mist, the fact that they would be supplying the Rebels with men and armaments, and that Shin'en was going to be trained in the Shinobi arts by _all six of them._

The 'Shinobi arts' part internally pissed off the Champion of Susanoo.

Not everyone here was excited about training a child for four years, though, "WHAT!?" It seemed the son had inherited the father's temper, "You expect me to waste the next four years of my life training this little brat!? Why should I spend my time teaching this pants-shitter how to be a ninja, just so he can go frolic in the Mist, and 'avenge' his dumbass -dead orphan family!?"

 **[Naruto Shippuden OST: Yogensha]**

The temperature in the room steeply dropped. Frost began to grow on the walls, the floor, and the windows. The Raikage eyed Shin'en warily, while the others began to shiver. Hot breath stained the air.

Low growling, like that of an angry wolf, reverberated through the office. All attention was drawn toward the _furious,_ temperamental demigod. The light in his eyes was like a sub-zero flame.

This was a new level of angry for Shin'en. When he witnessed the death of his family, his fury had caused an eye-less hurricane that wreaked havoc across an entire country. This level…it was so strong it had a 'negative' effect.

He had yet to test the full limits of his hydrokinesis, but he could liquefy his body, bend water to his will, and solidify said water into ice. The last book he read said that the human body was 70% water. Time to test that theory.

Reaching out with his power, feeling the familiar tug in his stomach, Shin'en 'gripped' the water inside the source of his unyielding ire.

Ei gasped, his breath visible in the blue-tinted office, as a very uncomfortable feeling racked his body. It felt like worms were crawling through his veins. His back arched in pain when those worms suddenly constricted, his feet raising to his toes.

Shin'en stood from the couch, all eyes on him. He stalked over to his would-be 'sensei.' Ei's eyes were rolling into the back of his head at this point, his body arching into a near-perfect crescent. Shin'en walked past the dying man, stopping by his head.

"Let him go, Shin'en." The demigod looked at the Raikage out of the corner of his eye.

"Let him go."

Ei fell to the floor, coughing raggedly, as his blood flow returned to normal. The Raikage's office returned to its normal temperature, the frost receding.

 **[OST End]**

" **Bee…do not anger that boy."**

" **Be very careful around that child, Kitten. There is a darkness in him surpassing that of any Jinchuuriki."**

Killer Bee and Yugito silently nodded to their respective Tailed-Beasts. Cee and Darui had similar thoughts. The Raikage though, _'When I saw him controlling the water, I had no idea it would be to this extent. Bloodbending…with a power like that, he's practically invincible. Maybe even invulnerable too, considering his liquefaction ability.'_ Ay eyed Shin'en as he plopped back on the couch, _'Then again, those powers could only be accessible under extreme circumstances.'_ Ay internally snorted, _'What kind of battle will a demigod be in that isn't extreme.'_

Ei glared at Shin'en from his place on the floor, "You insect…" he growled. The future Fourth Raikage rose to his full height, intent on putting the pants-shitter in his little place, when the demigod's eyes snapped open.

Ei was immediately pinned in place when those emerald orbs locked on to his own. The amount of fear he felt at that moment…it was like the first time he saw the Eight-Tails. He felt so small, so _insignificant_ at that moment. The mountain of a man began to hyperventilate, his heart rate soaring. His mind was flying through the pros and cons of the Flight or Fight instinct, when the monster spoke.

"Do you feel fear, Ei? Good. That means that you are smart enough to realize when you are in the presence of one far more powerful than you. If you ever insult my family like that again…" Shin'en's eyes bored into Ei's, "I don't need raw power in order to kill you… _insect._ "

The son of the Raikage scowled, but there was still fear in his eye.

Shin'en turned to look at the Raikage, "Now that we have the pecking order out of the way, what now?"

"Now, Shin'en…we begin your training."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Short chapter, I know, but I had to get this out there.**_

 _ **Now Shin'en has been introduced to the main Cloud Ninja, has gained the power to bloodbend, and has cemented himself as someone you don't want to piss off.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_

 _ **P.S. Leviathan is next to be updated.**_


	10. Cloud Arc: Episode Two-Settling In

_Cloud Arc: Episode Two-Settling In_

 _ **Been a month since I last updated this one. The good news is that we finally reached triple digits in the follow category. I need some more reviews though, 24 just doesn't seem right with a story that almost had one hundred favs.**_

 _ **But whatever, on to the story…**_

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 _Ei was immediately pinned in place when those emerald orbs locked on to his own. The amount of fear he felt at that moment…it was like the first time he saw the Eight-Tails. He felt so small, so insignificant at that moment. The mountain of a man began to hyperventilate, his heart rate soaring. His mind was flying through the pros and cons of the Flight or Fight instinct, when the monster spoke._

" _Do you feel fear, Ei? Good. That means that you are smart enough to realize when you are in the presence of one far more powerful than you. If you ever insult my family like that again…" Shin'en's eyes bored into Ei's, "I don't need raw power in order to kill you…insect."_

 _The son of the Raikage scowled, but there was still fear in his eye._

 _Shin'en turned to look at the Raikage, "Now that we have the pecking order out of the way, what now?"_

" _Now, Shin'en…we begin your training."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 23, 1006 After Sage (A.S.)_

 _Training Ground 01_

The Raikage's personal training ground is where we find Shin'en, Darui, Cee, Bee, and Yugito. Ay and Ei had to deal with political stuff.

The ground was ovular in shape, at least over a hundred meters in length and fifty in width. A few trees and boulders dotted the landscape. At the end of the ground was a large pool situated at the bottom of a trio of small, thin mountains. Honestly, they were more like spires of rock than actual mountains. Lining the field was a forest of dense, emerald trees.

"Here," said Darui, "Is where we will determine your chakra nature, work on your taijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and other dull things."

Walking into the middle of the field, the Raikage's body guard gave Shin'en a piece of paper. "This is chakra paper. Channel your chakra into it and we'll be able to tell what affinities you have."

Shin'en looked at the paper held between his fingers, mentally calculating how much chakra control it would take to not blow this thing up in his face. With a shrug, he channeled his _bare minimum_ into the paper.

It split in half, one side crinkled into a tiny ball, the other was soaked into nothingness.

Everyone but Shin'en's eyes widened. Three chakra natures!? And all three with equal prominence!? The only person capable of claiming such a feat were the Tsuchikages of the Hidden Stone.

"I take it that means that I have water, wind, and lightning chakra natures?"

Gaining his bearings once more, Darui nodded, "Even though it's dull, but yeah. Water makes the paper wet, fire burns it, lightning makes it crinkle up, wind cuts it, and earth makes it crumble into dust. Don't ask me how it works because I don't know."

"How many jutsu do you know for each element?" Shin'en asked neutrally.

"Between the four of us, quite a few," answered Yugito.

"And because of Ay's order, you're going to teach me all of them, aren't you?"

Cee narrowed his eyes, "Yes, because of _Lord Raikage's_ order, we're going to teach you what we know. Show some respect, brat."

Shin'en looked at the blonde out of the corner of his eye, "Brat you say? Funny that you call me that…when you were there when I taught Ei a lesson in not pissing me off."

Cee paled even further and backed off, a shiver travelling down his spine.

"Hey now. There no need for hostilities. We're all here to explore Shin'en's possibilities," Bee rapped. Darui and Cee face-palmed, Shin'en stared at the Jinchuuriki, and Yugito slapped him upside the head. "Please refrain from _trying to rap_ in front of our guest. We don't need you teaching him your bad habits." The demigod had read that cats had strong maternal instincts, apparently being the Jinchuuriki of the Monster Cat had some side effects.

Regardless, Shin'en felt nothing for her. He doubted he would ever feel anything but contempt for other people.

"Despite my partner's horrendous way of saying it, we're here to test the limits of your powers. We know you have water, wind, and lightning natures, as well as decent swordsmanship considering the Lightning Blades. Furthermore, we know you have water-manipulating powers, and that the weather is evidently influenced by your emotions," Yugito listed. "What else can you tell us about yourself?"

Time seemed to pause as the Champion of Susanoo began to think, _'They know much about me already. Damn that Raikage! So far, the only thing it seems they don't know about me is that I can liquefy my body. They also don't know I have every intention of destroying this place after I'm done with the Mist, but they don't need to know that.'_

"I watched my family get murdered in front of me a few days ago and I have really vivid dreams about stuff. I also care very little about human life."

Yugito blinked. That was not what she expected. She honestly expected him say something about his favorite color, favorite food, hobby, pastime, or something. She would've been fine with him saying he still wet his bed.

But 'I care very little about human life' was just not right to hear from a six-year-old.

"Anyway…" Darui drawled, "Right now, we have no training regime set up, but we'll fix that tomorrow. As the Raikage ordered, you're to stay with Yugito for the next for years."

Internally, Shin'en's eyes narrowed, _'Pairing me with Yugito isn't out of convenience. They're hoping that her maternal instincts will get me to bond with her, either to use as leverage in the future, or to get me attached to the Village.'_

The Black-Lightning wielder paused, trying to think of something to say…and came up with nothing. "This is dull," then he disappeared in a blur of speed.

"I'm with him," then Cee vanished too. That left a ridiculously grinning Bee, and small-smiling Yugito, and an irritated Shin'en left behind. "We walked all the way out here…for _that?"_

Yugito nodded her head, "Yep, and no charge of mine will be going around in blood-soaked clothes, so come on." She promptly grabbed Shin'en's arm and vanished with a Teleportation ninjutsu despite his protests.

Bee looked around at the empty training field, shrugged, and used his own Teleportation jutsu.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Yugito and Shin'en materialized in front of a clothing shop, the only thing that prevented the boy from cutting her hand off was the pedestrian mass swirling around them, and the shinobi that thought they were hidden. Making a scene was not a wise decision.

"Right then, let's go in."

The door opened with a jingle. Shin'en looked around, surveying the inventory, then he looked up, counting the number of bodies on the upper floors of the hollowed out mountain.

"Welcome! How can I help you today, Ms. Nii-oh," the female shopkeeper's greeting was cut off when she saw the state of Shin'en's clothes. "W-what? H-how? W-w-why? Ms. Nii…what happened to this boy?" the keeper was either maternal or just freaked out…probably both.

Yugito placed her hand on Shin'en's shoulder, avoiding the Lightning Fangs, "His clothes are why we're here. He's going to need a few sets of the best you got." When the keeper looked like she was about to ask something else, the Jinchuuriki gave her _the look._ "Y-yes ma'am," the poor girl squeaked. "Right this way please."

Yugito shook her head at the shopkeeper. Even when she was babysitting her year's prior, Kiyomi always was too inquisitive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en determined that this girl was not trained in how to hide her emotions. The entire time they browsed through the clothing shop, she was either stuttering, glancing at anywhere but him, or trying to control her breathing.

On the bright side, this place did have some nice clothes. Shorts and pants with multiple pockets. Shirts and jackets with hidden slots and compartments. Trench-coats, gloves, shoes, scarves, sandals, and more stuff with hidden functions geared toward shinobi and sneak attacks.

It made the young revolutionary sick.

Yugito had joked (read: irritated) Shin'en by saying that they should get him a few skirts and some panties. He had 'joked' back by slugging her in the stomach. It was with a strained smile and a wheezing voice that Yugito paid for several complete outfits for her charge. After sealing everything in a scroll (Shin'en made a mental note to ask about that later), Yugito Teleported them back to her residence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Go take a shower. You smell horrible." Shin'en gave Yugito a bland look, "Yes, because I know the layout of this apartment."

Yugito's apartment was situated in the closest thing to a pent-house suite the Hidden Cloud could offer, in the top of a mountain. The north side of the suite had a balcony overlooking the Village. The living room was right inside of the balcony. A couch was placed against the west wall, and a TV on the east wall. Adjacent to the TV wall, to the left, was an open kitchen complete with everything a kitchen needed. To the right of the TV was the master bedroom, which was Yugito's. Behind the couch wall was a bathroom and guest bedroom. The door was on the south wall, and right when you entered, immediately to your left was the washroom.

It wasn't designed for luxury, but for efficiency. This was a military styled Hidden Village, after all.

"Well considering that you can sense water wherever it is, I assumed that you would be able to track the plumbing," came Yugito's sarcastic answer.

Shin'en's eye twitched, "Oh I can sense the plumbing water… _it runs through this entire complex!"_ His patience with this woman was running low. The demigod sensed the movement of atmospheric water molecules and, on reflex, brought his arms up, blocking the hand Yugito had thrust out to cover his mouth.

If she was surprised by his speed, she didn't show it. She did, however, say this, "Keep your voice down. There are other people below us and I don't want them banging on my door telling me to 'shut up.'"

Shin'en snorted, "The walls are sound-proofed, and I doubt anyone has the balls to tell an Elite Jonin/Jinchuuriki to shut up. Now would you _please_ tell me where the shower is?"

Yugito huffed and backed off, crossing her arms underneath her chest, "It's just around the corner. And please use soap, you smell like ass."

Yugito spun around and headed for her own shower, fully intent on soaking herself in the warm water, when her enhanced Jinchuuriki hearing picked up the tiny whisper of words: "You would know what ass smells like, since you eat it all the time."

The Jinchuuriki's face turned a fiery red in righteous fury. Who the hell did this brat think he was!? How the hell does he even know about something like that!? Yugito was willing to bet money that this little ingrate would wake her up in the middle of the night with his thumb in his mouth, softly crying about his wet sheets!

Yugito whirled around, ready to bend this brat over her knee and tan his hide, but he had already retreated into the bathroom, a soft click signified the locking of the door.

' _Oooooooh, when you get of there kid, you're in for the spanking of a lifetime!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The water came on with a powerful hiss, quickly filling up the bathroom with steam and heat.

Shin'en undressed himself, throwing his bloodied clothes into the corner by the door. Not even his underwear was free of blood, the life-fluid having soaked through his pants. His clean clothes, a set of simple, dark navy pajamas, were folded neatly on the sink counter.

With a sigh, he moved aside the curtains and stepped into the running water.

A feeling of serene calmness overtook his body when the warm liquid engulfed him in its embrace. He felt clean now, safe, refreshed, protected. His mind felt clear. No more analyzing potential threats, no keeping his nose to the dirt, no watching over his shoulder, no making sure he wasn't being followed…no more keeping his mask on.

 **[Naruto Shippuden OST: Loneliness]**

Finally, away from prying eyes, Shin'en mourned for his family. Tears fell from his eyes as his emotional dam broke. He lamented the good memories and the bad memories.

The time he Kazuma went fishing, and he was the only one to catch fish.

The time he Hinami played hide-and-seek in the woods and got lost.

The time he Arashi went hunting, and they killed a bear together.

The time he let Kyoko dress him up.

The time he and Hideo played shogi all day, but Hideo never won.

The time he and Yoshio stayed up all night to look at the stars.

The time he and-

Shin'en fell to his knees and clutched his heart as a sob ripped itself from his chest. It hurt so much.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito looked out the balcony window. The setting sun had been covered in rainclouds, and rain fell heavily upon the Cloud Village. Considering there was co forecast for that type of whether anytime soon, that could only mean one thing…

She heard the water stop running, so she turned off the TV. She got up from the couch and walked over to the hallway. Shin'en stood there in his newly-bought pajamas, his eyes red from finally letting it out. Yugito was a trained ninja; it was easy to read the emotions of others. Just like she could tell there were still things the little boy hadn't let out yet.

Yugito got down on her knee and wrapped the six-year-old in her embrace. He struggled only half-heartedly, his energy spent, but not all gone. She held him tighter and said softly, "Let the rest of it out." The boy froze in her arms…lightning flashed right outside the window, a clap of thunder accompanying the blast.

Percy Jackson couldn't fight it anymore, and cried himself to sleep.

 **[End OST]**

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 _ **Was it short? Yes. Was it late? Yes. Was it heartbreaking? Most definitely. Even I feel sad about this chapter, but Tragedy is one of the genres for a reason.**_

 _ **Favorite, Follow, and Review please…**_


	11. Cloud Arc: Episode Three

_Cloud Arc: Episode Three-Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu_

 _ **Welcome back. As per the title, this chapter will finally introduce some action. I know y'all have been growing impatient, so here you go.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson._

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 _Next day_

 _August 24, 1006 A.S._

Shin'en woke up to the smell of cooking bacon. The events of last night replayed in his head, and he couldn't stop the growl of self-hate that rumbled in his throat. Emotions like that were for the weak, and he refused to be _weak._

No matter what, Shin'en swore to never cry again.

The demigod climbed out of his bed and made his way to the kitchen. "Morning," Yugito greeted. Shin'en gave her a curt nod in return. He grabbed a chair from the table and pulled it out, then he climbed into the seat. He was still only six, so he was pretty short.

He had also slaughtered 21 ninja of high B-rank and higher, claiming one of the most famous swords in history while doing so, but that's not important.

Yugito frowned at the lack of verbal response, but said nothing to scold him. Forcing him to open up was not the wisest of moves right now, even the Two-Tails was telling her to play it cool. Finishing up the bacon she was cooking and the eggs she was scrambling, the Jinchuuriki piled the food onto two separate plates, turned off the stove, poured twin glasses of orange juice, and in an impressive display of balance and coordination, set the table.

Shin'en's head was bowed the entire time, his black hair shadowing his eyes. He only twitched when food was placed in front of him, quickly followed by a plate. The Champion of Susanoo reached out to fill his plate, then snapped it back when Yugito tried to slap it, "Manners? What do you say?" The demigod raised his head slowly, annoyance and disbelief in equal measure clear in his eyes.

"… _thank you."_ It sounded like a wolf trying to speak softly.

Yugito bobbed her head once, "Not bad, but it needs improvement. I'll tell Darui to schedule in some proper etiquette."

Shin'en stared blankly at her. He grabbed his fork and scooped some eggs onto his plate, and quickly followed up by grabbing a handful of dead pig. Yugito mirrored his actions.

The admittedly delicious breakfast was eaten in silence, until Shin'en reached for his glass to take a drink and Yugito asked, "About last night…who were you crying for?"

The glass was promptly shattered, spilling its contents all over the table. Shin'en slowly lifted his gaze to meet Yugito's cautious one. Within her mind, Matatabi voiced both of their thoughts, **"Oh shit…"**

"That…is _none_ of your business, nor your concern," his voice held more steel than the entire village combined. A crack of thunder echoed across the village, despite the cloudless sky.

The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that day_

 _Training Ground 01_

Yugito and Shin'en arrived to see Bee, Darui, and Cee standing there waiting. Everyone was wearing their standard outfits aside from the boy. The demigod was wearing a navy tank-top and loose fitting pants of the same color. Brown sandals covered his feet and the Lightning Fangs were stuck to his back.

"Today, we'll be teaching you your first ninjutsu, and we expect you to use it to its fullest potential. After that, we'll be covering change in chakra nature for your affinities. Depending on how much time is left in the day, we'll finish with a light spar," Darui said.

"You assume that it will take time for me to learn how to change my chakra nature," came the dry response.

Darui scratched the back of his head with a nervous laugh. Cee had a displeased look on his face, "It can take a man months in order to master his element. If we're lucky, you'll just manage to cut a leaf by the time four years is up."

Shin'en narrowed his eyes and began to reach for his blades, which caused Cee to tense and prepare for battle, but Yugito stepped in and diffused the situation with a glare and Tailed-Beast enhanced killer intent. The blonde shivered, but the demigod only let his hands fall back to his sides.

Bee grinned and was about to fire off another rhyme, but Darui _swiftly_ nipped that in the bud, "Let's go teach you that jutsu, even though it will be dull."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This jutsu is B-rank in level due to its chakra consummation, and the amount of stress put on the user. It takes your chakra and distributes it evenly among those that you create. It's called the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Darui crossed his fingers together, and an exact copy of him appeared in a puff of smoke, "Created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, this technique is different from elemental clone jutsu, these ones, when dispelled, will transfer their memories and experiences back to the original, making them ideal for training, and espionage missions.

"The down side is that they are easily destroyed"-Darui hit his clone on the back of the head, making it go up in smoke- "and if you make too many at a time, the mental strain from so many copies dispelling and transmitting their memories can lead to shock, or even worse: death.

"Of course," Darui drawled, "those with high amounts of chakra won't suffer the same side-effects to the same degree as those with low levels of chakra. For example, Cee and I can only make about twenty clones each, and then we feel exhausted. However, Bee and Yugito can make two-hundred clones and yawn. How many clones you can make is also dependent on your level of chakra control.

"Having a dull level of control will result in you sloppily pouring chakra into a technique and screwing it up. A good level of control will end up with less chakra spent, and a better result. With me so far?"

Instead of nodding, Shin'en crossed his fingers in the iconic hand sign, molded his chakra in the way he felt it travel through Darui's body, and in a surge of emerald-colored energy and smoke, _one-hundred_ copies of the boy stared blankly at the gaping faces of the four Jonin.

"H-how?" Darui stuttered.

One-hundred-and-one Shin'ens shrugged, "Chakra is present in every cell of the body, not just the chakra coils. When you molded the chakra in your body, I could feel it travelling through you in a specific pattern. Then you pushed it out of you and poof, Shadow Clone. All I did was mimic the way the chakra flowed. I guess you could say it's kind of like the Sharingan."

"Hey now, that's not right. With a power like that, you can hardly call it a fight!" The Eight-Tails Jinchuuriki rapped. The demigod glowered at him, "I can't predict movements, you imbecile. All I did was feel the way Darui's chakra flowed through his body."

"Yes," Cee interrupted, "And you haven't told us how."

Shin'en's face went stony. _'Damnit, I revealed too much. Might as well tell them, there isn't anything they could do about it anyway.'_

"I can sense water in any form. Liquid, ice, vapor, doesn't matter. I can sense it flowing through plants, in ponds, lakes, rivers, _oceans…_ I can even sense the water flowing inside of a person's body down to the very molecules inside of their cells."

Yugito nodded, "You sensed Darui's chakra travelling through the water in his body and read the flow."

"Yep."

"That's also how you were able to affect Lord Ei like that, because you controlled the water in his body," Cee said sharply. Shin'en didn't deny it. "Now that we have the first part of today over with, can we move on to the chakra nature part?"

Darui coughed once and nodded his head. He pulled three leaves from behind his back, "Since you have three chakra natures, we'll be teaching you three basic exercises. To practice water transformation, focus your chakra on making this leaf wet. To practice your wind transformation, focus on cutting this leaf in half. Finally, to practice your lightning transformation, focus your chakra on making this leaf vibrate until it burns at the edges."

Shin'en took the leaves, and stared at them with a critical eye, his mind already coming up with strategies and methods to use to accomplish this task. But a question came to mind, "You said to make this leaf burn, but fire isn't one of my affinities."

Darui nodded, understanding the confusion, "Lightning is the most unique out of the elements. It has the cutting and piercing power of wind, but heat equal to, and sometimes _exceeding_ that of fire. That's because of the very nature of lightning chakra itself."

The demigod cocked a brow, silently telling Darui to continue. "Vibrations. The intense vibrations of lightning give it a slicing attribute capable of cutting through rock, while at the same time, those vibrations create intense friction, which gives off proportional heat, which causes things to burn. Get it now?"

Shin'en nodded once before turning to his small army, "One third of you get to work on water transformation, another third get to work on wind, and the last third begin work on lightning. Now go!" The clones dispersed in several high-speed blurs, the force kicking up a massive dust cloud that caused a coughing fit for everyone but the son of Poseidon.

When the dust and everyone's lungs cleared, Shin'en spoke up, "Since they're all working on nature transformation, that leaves no reason for why we can't spare now."

Darui looked up at the sun. It hung high above them. _'Damn, this kid isn't dull at all. Spawning a hundred Shadow Clones just after I showed him the jutsu and already having them work on changing their chakra nature. I planned to have this cover all day, now it looks like we'll all go home with hours before dinner. This is so not dull.'_

"Well…is you insist."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en stood in front of Cee, ten yards between the two. Bee, Darui, and Yugito stood far off to the side, almost on the edge of the forest, wherein the Shadow Clones were hard at work with their tasks.

This was to be a fists only spar, so the Lightning Fangs had been stabbed into the dirt next to Bee. The Jinchuuriki had tried to hold them, only to get a massive electric shock for his troubles.

Darui had asked Shin'en who he wanted to fight, but Cee volunteered himself saying that he 'needed to see if this brat was worth it.' Darui told him to not go overboard and take it easy. The demigod eagerly accepted the challenge.

It was a classic example of experience vs overwhelming power.

"I won't take it easy with you because you're a child," Cee stated.

Shin'en snorted, "Don't flatter yourself. You're barely worth the time it takes to scrape an insect off of my shoe."

Cee growled at this kid's arrogance, but calmed down because he was about to put him in his place, "Enough talk. Let's fight."

The ground beneath Shin'en's feet cracked under the force with which he pushed off, making Cee's eyes widen in shock upon seeing the amount of speed the boy possessed. The blonde crossed his armored forearms in front of his chest to block a chakra enhanced punch that blasted him backwards, making his feet skid across the ground.

' _He charged up chakra in that punch and then let it go the moment he made contact with my arms, similar to the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist style. My guards were made to take on the Raikage's punches, but it still hurt. Shin'en has so much chakra, I can't get an accurate read on just how much he has,'_ Cee thought analytically. He came to stop and immediately dropped to the ground to avoid the sweeping kick the demigod sent at his head in midair. The Jonin spun on his hands and kicked up, nailing the boy and sending him flying.

Shin'en landed gracefully and began to systematically block the flurry of punches the taller man sent at him, his reflexes and superior strength making him more than a match for the sensor ninja. In a display of terrifying accuracy, Shin'en _grabbed_ both of Cee's fists mid-punch.

The Jonin grit his teeth as he and the demigod entered a deadlock of raw strength. It was clear who was stronger though. You see, chakra is a mix of the physical energy of the body, and the spiritual energy that was somehow generated by the _mind,_ of all things.

Shin'en had chakra in an amount beyond spades. His reserves rivalled that of the Raikage's, probably even surpassed his, _and he was only six!_ He should've been on the final stages of potty training by not wetting his damn bed, not overpowering an Elite Jonin with raw power alone!

Suddenly, the demigod smirked. Then he kicked _up,_ right into Cee's jaw. The man back-flipped through the air, but despite the blood filling his mouth, he landed on a knee and had just enough time to spit out the contents of his mouth before Shin'en was upon him once more…

…with a vicious combo.

The demigod slugged the man with a left and right cross, then followed up by spinning on his left leg, ramming his heel into Cee's temple, sending him flying. The world entered slow motion as Cee traveled through the air. Just as his legs cleared Shin'en's body, the demigod's leg came back down to the ground. He grabbed Cee's legs-the world resuming its normal flow- and _spun_. Building up momentum, he slammed the sensor face-first through the ground, sending up dust and rocks, obscuring him from view.

But Cee was nothing if not durable-all ninja were, really-and snapped his legs out like a horse. As predicted, Shin'en's arms came up on reflex to block, but that was the point. Cee used the firm resistance as a spring-board to push off of, rolling forward out of the dust.

His sensing picked up on Shin'en speeding at him from behind, so he whirled around and brought his left hand up to intercept. It worked, but he was not expecting the _bone-crushing_ chakra blast behind the punch.

Cee howled in pain and clutched his broken hand. He looked up to see Shin'en sending a glowing fist at his head, a blow that would surely knock him out for days with a mild concussion, maybe even brain damage…but then the Jonin smirked.

Behind Shin'en, _another_ Cee appeared, this one aiming a kunai right at the boy's back.

The world stopped as the demigod began to process his situation, _'When he kicked off of my arms and rolled forward, he created multiple Shadow Clones. The first of which is currently trying to stab my back while the others lie in wait. This is a killing move, something he wouldn't do in plain sight, so he's using the dust cloud to his advantage. It also appears that he forgot that I can sense water, so I can feel the clones displacing the water vapor. Let's see what he thinks of this.'_

In a manner typical of overdramatic moments, Shin'en planted his foot, halting his forward momentum, and spun around, his fist _millimeters_ from Cee's shocked face. His spin took him out of the kunai's path, and into one that ended with his glowing fist dispelling the clone. Using his adjacent hand, Shin'en grabbed the kunai knife before it could fall to the ground, and completed his spin…just in time to backflip out of the way of two other Shadow Clones that were aiming to spear him from the sides, but ended up dispelling each other.

Still in the dust cloud that seemed to never clear out, while in midair, a fourth clone leapt at him, thinking the dust would hide his approach. The clone was wrong. Shin'en sensed him easily and hurled the kunai right through the clone's head. The kunai didn't encounter any resistance upon passing through the smoke and continued on its path… _right next to Cee's head._

The blonde gasped when his own kunai zipped past his head, and was even more shocked by the memories that his clones transferred to him. This little brat had killed all four of them. This was a strategy that Cee had developed when he was a Genin in the Third Great Ninja War that had gotten him out of _many_ jams. It was a strategy that he used to kill _Jonin._

 _And a six-year-old just demolished it!_

The dust finally settled, and what Yugito, Bee, and Darui saw was Shin'en standing across from Cee, his breathing perfectly even, while their blonde friend was cradling a clearly broken left hand.

"Winner: Shin'en." Darui said, clearly impressed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This just got dull," was Darui's complaint. "We breezed through everything I had laid out for the day. You got the Shadow Clone jutsu down instantly, had all of those clones begin work, _and make progress,_ on changing your chakra nature. Then you were able to beat Cee in a taijutsu spar."

The blonde huffed and looked away, his left arm cradled in bandages and wrapped around his neck. That hand wouldn't be useful for a while, literally every bone in it was either broken, cracked, or turned to powder. There were even fractures lining his ulna and radius.

"I have no idea what to do next. Man, this is dull."

"You already said it was dull," Shin'en drawled, his swords strapped to his back once more. Truth be told, he was just as lost as Darui…but then he saw the sword handle above the Jonin's shoulder, "How about a sword spar?"

Darui actually paused to consider it, "Are you sure, kid? You just fought Cee, aren't you tired after that? Besides, I've been using this thing"-he drew his cleaver, the blade unfolding to full length- "for longer than you've been alive."

Shin'en scoffed, "One: I'm sure. Two: No, I'm not. And three: just because you've been using _that_ for a long time, doesn't mean anything." The demigod drew his own twin blades, "These swords are better anyway."

Now Darui's pride as a swordsman was being challenged by someone less than half his age. This kid, while undeniably powerful, was not a swordsman, so he had no right to claim whose sword was better than the other. Then again, this was the Lightning Fangs versus a cleaver, so maybe one was factually better than the other.

"Alright, kid, you're on."

The 'kid's' eye twitched, "I have a name, you know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ignoring the crater in the ground, Darui and Shin'en stood apart. Darui adopted a wide, slightly-hunched over form, with his blade held in front of him by both hands. Shin'en had his arms hanging limply at his sides, his small height making the blade points pierce the earth.

Through the years, Darui had learned to _never_ strike first. Always let the opponent come to you, that way you can form a counter plan, read their moves, and create a way to turn the battle to your favor. Of course, that didn't really work in mob battles with multiple people rushing you from all sides, but hey…this was only a spar.

So, Darui struck first.

Shin'en was actually impressed with the speed that the Jonin used to get in front of him. One second in one spot, the next about to take his head off.

Unfortunately for the dark-skinned ninja, Shin'en was _born_ for the sword. Millennia of warrior blood ran through his veins; the blood of a _god_ ran within his body. Natural battle reflexes superior to that of any mortal man, reflexes only enhanced and strengthened by his immense chakra reserves.

That, and his swords were imbued with lightning itself and the high frequency oscillations made for a rather clean cut…through just about anything.

Moving on from the exposition, Darui swung point-blank at the boy's head, but Shin'en's reflexes made it appear that the blade moved in slow motion. His left arm snapped up… _slicing through Darui's cleaver like butter._

Darui gaped in shock and what was left of his weapon. The two parts of the once whole cleaver glowed red-hot where they were severed, the top half laying in the dirt.

"Well…I guess this concludes our spar, then?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, our demigod-ninja can now mass produce Shadow Clones based on a hopefully plausible theory, has begun startling headway on nature transformation, and can easily go toe-to-toe with fully-fledged Jonin with raw power alone.**_

 _ **Man can I crank out new chapters when I sit down and write.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	12. Cloud Arc: Episode Four-Kekkei Genkai

_Cloud Arc: Episode Four-Kekkei Genkai_

 _ **Welcome all! Out of the two reviews for last chapter, one was positive, the other mixed. On a brighter note, we finally hit triple digits for Favs and Follows! Yay!**_

 _ **Personally, I thought my water explanation on copying the Shadow Clone was good…other people thought otherwise. I also get that while the jutsu is secret/forbidden, do y'all really think that after seeing it multiple times on a battlefield, that survivors wouldn't make reports, write records, and form theories?**_

 _ **These are ninja we are speaking about.**_

 _ **Anyway, as the chapter implies, we will be introducing Ice and Gale Style Ninjutsu!**_

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 _September 8, 1006 A.S._

 _Raikage Training Ground_

Shin'en's had progressed at an unnatural rate. He completed the three chakra exercises within eighteen hours, excelling at them and twisting them in his own way. His skill with changing his chakra nature had caused Darui, Bee, Yugito, and Cee to start teaching him elemental ninjutsu, along with the Basic Three. That is, Substitution, Clone, and Transformation.

He had learned those within two days, even the regular Clone was not beyond him because of his advanced chakra control. He could sit upside down on a tree branch while holding kunai to his fingertips by their points. There were Jonin that couldn't do that, that had four times the experience and one-sixth of the chakra.

As for elemental techniques, Shin'en had learned two jutsu for each element. Water Styles: Water Dragon and Explosive Water Shockwave. Wind Styles: Great Breakthrough and Pressure Damage. Finally, Lightning Styles: False Darkness and Thunder Gate (the demigod felt a certain sense of retribution upon learning _those_ two jutsu).

Six B-rank ninjutsu…all learned in the span of a few days. The demigod's ability with hand signs was nothing short of prodigious. He could run through all _forty-four_ signs of the Water Dragon Jutsu in under two seconds.

Additionally, they decided to test his Shadow Clone capacity. After charging up enough to chakra to make the non-sensors think a Tailed Beast was on the rampage and cause a village-wide panic, Shin'en maxed out at _eight-thousand_ even.

It really made the four Jonin feel inadequate.

Here was this kid that wasn't even half of any of their ages, that had learned six jutsu of B-rank in less than two weeks, could create an army at will, and almost had more chakra then all four of them combined. Oh, and he could combine the Lightning Fangs at the pommels to make a double-bladed sword. Lovely.

If his sword-skills weren't already impressive, he fought against Killer Bee in kenjutsu spars every day (with disgusting, unbalanced swords), and won nine times out of ten. That tenth time Bee had unexpectedly drawn on Gyuki's chakra and majorly boosted his physical prowess. The sudden surge in power had Shin'en off-guard, and the Jinchuuriki capitalized instantly.

Of course, the demigod didn't take that sitting down, and hurled Bee into the lower atmosphere by controlling the tall man's blood. He survived by entering his Version Two cloak-his skin peeled off and was replaced with writhing black-and-red lines—and fell back to the Earth. It was quite the sight, seeing a blazing-red comet crash into the ground all the while screaming 'whee.'

 **(If you think that Percy is overpowered, too bad. This is my story, my version, and my path. Besides, Madara mopped the floor with the Go-Kage, took a shit on an army, and chained the Tailed Beasts down like disobedient pets, and he wasn't the son of a** _ **god,**_ **nor was he the** _ **champion**_ **of another** _ **god.**_ **)**

"Because you've made such stunning progress with elemental jutsu, and you have three chakra natures, we're going to test a theory today," said Darui. "Tell me, what do you know what happens when you combine two chakra natures?"

"They either blow up in your face resulting in your gruesome death, or you get a new sub-element of questionable power."

Darui accepted the answer, "As you might know, mixing Water and Lightning chakras will create Gale Style. Gale Style, depending on the ratio between Water and Lightning, will either result in high-speed beams of varying lethality, or actual gale-force storms. **(It's the difference between Laser Circus, and Thunder Cloud Void Wave.)** "

"Yes, you've used it against me enough times for me to get the basics. More Lightning chakra makes the lasers, more Water makes the clouds."

"If you know that much about my Gale Style, what dull things can you tell me about what happens when you mix Water and Wind?" Darui asked.

Shin'en's eye twitched, "You get Ice Style. Similar to Gale Style, alternating the ratio will alter the effects of the jutsu. More Wind Style will result in more snow; more Water Style will result in more ice."

Darui was impressed, "Not bad. Where did you learn all of that?"

"Yugito's a good teacher," Shin'en said neutrally. The woman in question looked proud at her charge's 'praise.' The demigod wasn't praising anyone; he was merely stating a fact. The Two-Tails Jinchuuriki made sure he was keeping up on his brains as much as his brawn. What was interesting, however, was that whenever Shin'en looked at the words, they seemed to either vibrate or move around.

It was nothing the _Greek_ demigod couldn't handle, however.

"Good. Well today, even though it's dull, we'll be seeing if you can mix your chakras to form either Ice or Gale Style," said Darui. "Thanks to the Rebels, we have a few scrolls on Ice Style and its theory." The Jonin tossed Shin'en three scrolls, all of which were snagged out of the air with a single hand. "Make some Shadow Clones to work on those, you and I will personally work on Gale Style."

Shin'en made half the Ram sign, and fifty clones poofed into existence behind him. He lazily tossed the scrolls behind him, hidden satisfaction warming within as he heard the scrolls being caught.

The clones all vanished into the forest without a sound to complete their creator's pre-ordered wish.

"Now, since you've seen this jutsu the most, it'll be the one we try first," said Darui. The Jonin made the Rat, Tiger, Dog, Snake, and Dragon hand signs, his chakra mixing and molding within him. A halo of light circled his clasped fists, making them glow.

"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"

Multiple beams of bright chakra burst from Darui's hands. The beams curved and travelled up into the air, where they became thinner and thinner until Darui cancelled the chakra flow. Shin'en accurately read the chakra flow within the Jonin's cells.

He could do this, easy.

"Now…you try," Darui had never sounded more serious.

The demigod nodded and took a wide stance. His hands began to move, forming the appropriate hand signs. _'Rat…Tiger…Dog…Snake…Dragon. Mix and mold the chakra. Balance the ratio…and…_ _fire!_ _"_

"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"

The difference between his jutsu and Darui's? Darui's didn't blow up a _mountain._ The chakra beams were bigger, faster, and more numerous than the Jonin's, but that was due to the unintentional amount of chakra put into the technique, and Shin'en's inherent lack of control over the technique because it was his first time.

The resultant effect was that the middle mountain became slag.

' _Oh man. Lord Raikage is not going to be happy about his training ground being destroyed like that. But…on the first try, Shin'en was able to use a technique designed for blunt force neutralization and distraction, for wide-scale destruction. The level I use it at is typically C-rank or lower. That attack? It was A-rank at the lowest.'_ Darui looked at the red-hot stone, _'Is this the power…of a child of the gods?'_ A shiver crawled up Darui's spine, _'If he becomes our enemy…'_

His thought was never finished because of Shin'en's statement, "That was unintended and unacceptable. I refuse to let myself waste so much power on a single technique." He looked up at Darui, ignoring the gaping expressions of Bee, Yugito, and Cee, "Show me again."

The Elite Jonin gulped as he looked down at his 'student.' The smoldering rock cast an evil, crimson glow over the boy's face. Darui would forever look back on this moment as the day that started the beginning of the end.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _September 24, 1006 A.S._

 _One month after training began_

 _Raikage Training Ground_

Today, Ei and the Raikage himself had come to see the fruits of Shin'en's labor. Receiving daily reports of the boy's progress had astounded Ay, but Ei refused to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

Which is why the demigod and the body-builder were about to fight.

"Who do you think will win?" the Raikage asked his Elite Jonin.

"Honestly, Boss? I don't know," answered Darui. At the look that was given to him, the dark-skinned Jonin elaborated on his thought, "Ei has the experience and the brute force; the Lightning Armor gives him a massive advantage in speed, strength, and durability. But Shin'en is far more versatile. He knows jutsu for Water, Wind, Lighting, Gale, and Ice Style. His kenjutsu is on a level I haven't seen since the Red Death. His only shortcoming is that he refuses to _think._ "

Ay raised a brow, "Refuses to think? How so?"

Darui looked at the combatants, "Shin'en rushes into battle using overwhelming power to overcome his opponents. He doesn't formulate plans or counterattacks, just spawns Shadow Clones and rearranges the landscape."

"And how is that a bad thing?" asked Ay. "By pressing such a hard attack, he gives his opponent little time to react, or make their own plan. It's similar to what my son and I do; overwhelm the enemy and utterly crush them."

Darui nodded, "That's true, Boss. But when Bee, Cee, Yugito and I evaluate a day's events, we often point out moments where we found an opening to capitalize on, but the result would've been lethal."

Ay was silent as he digested this information. "So…he leaves fatal openings…and because you are not here to kill him, you don't use those openings…which is why you don't know who will win this fight, because Ei has openly expressed his distrust and hatred toward the boy."

"Yes sir."

"Well let me ask you this, Darui." Said man looked at his superior, "Did you not stop to consider that the 'openings' Shin'en left…could actually be decoys to get you to let your guard down?"

The dark-skinned man gaped in surprise. That possibility had never occurred to him. He looked back at Shin'en and Ei, a new perspective present in his mind.

If what Lord Raikage said was true, then what was the demigod's true plan?

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Shin'en analyzed his opponent. Ei had forgone his shirt, leaving his hulking physique visible to all. On his arms were gigantic bracers that looked to be made of gold. No doubt to add weight and resistance to the man's body. When he took them off, Ei would most likely get faster and stronger without the extra baggage.

The look in the man's eye was different than the last time Shin'en saw him. The first time, there was speculation, distrust, contempt, disgust, and rage. This time, there was caution, distrust, alertness, and you could see the gears turning inside his brain. At least this time Ei wouldn't take Shin'en lightly.

Good, maybe he would be more of a challenge than the others.

Then again, why not just control Ei's blood and make his heart explode? Why not do that to every ninja in this village? Why not do that to the rest of the world, and bring the it to his heel by making those that opposed him die by way of heart failure and other means?

Because it would be too easy, too quick. Shin'en already had the power to kill any living creature; if it had water, he could control it. But that isn't the path of vengeance that he wanted to travel. He wanted the vindictive path, the hard path, the _ironic_ path.

What better way to destroy the Ninja Way than with its own techniques?

"Before we begin…do you want to quit?"

Shin'en's eye twitched once, twice, _thrice,_ before finally saying, "Let's just get this over with. I have better things to do than play ninja with you."

Ei's face contorted into one resembling a tomato. The demigod's hydro-sensing detected literal steam coming from the Elite Jonin's ears.

"Lightning Armor!"

With a tremendous blast of chakra, Ei was wreathed in lightning…and streaking forward at terminal velocity. For the first time since he got here, Shin'en found his reflexes to be put to the test. Whipping the Lightning Fangs from his back to an 'X' in front of his body, the Son of Poseidon grit his teeth as Ei's fist slammed into his makeshift shield.

But Ei didn't stop on contact. Instead, he took Shin'en with him on a quick trip across the training field, the boy's feet digging trenches into the dirt. With a grunt, Shin'en tilted his swords to the left, the change in direction sent the muscle-mountain flying past…for about two feet.

Ei firmly planted his foot and pivoted, Shin'en ducking just in time to avoid the right backhand. With his torso wide open, the boy was about to thrust his blades into the massive target, but Ei wasn't done spinning. Shin'en just barely avoided the spin kick aimed at his skull by jumping backward.

Using his newly created distance, the demigod was able fire off a quick jutsu.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

The jutsu hit Ei point-blank, and exploded into a massive torrent of violently-whipping wind. Ei was sent flying from the force of the jutsu, with a manly scream. Shin'en took a breath, the brief taijutsu battle taking a small chunk out of him.

The jutsu wasn't powerful enough to do any debilitating damage, but it was powerful enough to create an interval of brain-collecting…and tear down half a forest.

Shin'en created six Shadow Clones, three on each side of him. The Clones ran through two different set of hand seals, the left and right sides proclaiming at the same time:

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

The left Clones spat out streams of water that took the form of serpentine dragons, while the right side spat out a bolts of lightning that mixed with the water.

"Combination Ninjutsu: Lighting-Water Dragon Jutsu," announced Shin'en with an air of finality. The Lighting-Dragons roared before flying off. Ei chose this moment to throw off the trees that were burying him…only to come face-to-face with three A-rank jutsu bearing down on him with electric fury.

The muscle man grunted before the techniques impacted with explosive force, lightning and steam erupting into the air.

Shin'en wasn't surprised when Ei blurred into existence behind him and his clones, lightning dancing around his hulking form. That's why the clones whirled around and announced the name of the jutsu they were preparing after the Combination:

"Water Style: Explosive Water Shockwave!"

That jutsu was designed to be an area-affecting technique that one could use to either drown enemies, or use it as a source for more water jutsu. In this instance, all of the Clones used most of their remaining chakra to use overpower a B-rank ninjutsu, turning it into a Moses-level flood.

The laws of physics state that water will carry an electrical charge because of its ionic configuration. That's why people die because they drop their hair-dryers in the bathtub. Water and Lightning natured chakra worked on the same principle.

Naturally, because of his heightened reflexes and superior experience, Ei deactivated his Lightning Armor to avoid being fried. The massive torrent slammed into him with the force of an avalanche. Unfortunately for the future Raikage, he forgot Shin'en had a pair of naturally electric swords that were made for lightning conductivity.

The demigod channeled Lightning-natured chakra into his swords, and the swords resonated. Arcs of brightly-colored electricity flew from the Lightning Fangs…right into the flowing water.

As the liquid was lit up like a Christmas tree, Shin'en swore he heard a female voice proclaim in his head, _'Twelfth Legion Fulminata!'_

What. In the hell. Did _that_ mean?

Whatever it was, it was pushed deep into the recesses of the demigod's mind as he focused more on glowing ocean in front of him. After a few more seconds, Shin'en cancelled the flow of chakra and dispelled his clones. The sudden loss of forward force caused the artificial ocean to backlash, like water coming out of a dam.

Shin'en jumped up and landed on the raging waters, his chakra serving as a solid platform to stand on. He idly took note that Ay, Bee, Darui, Yugito, and Cee were standing on top of the left mountain, no doubt escaping the waters that had submerged the entire training field two feet.

Due to the water he was connected to, Shin'en easily located the charred body of his adversary. With a jerk of his head, the water super-pressurized around Ei…causing his body to disperse in a flash of lightning.

' _A Lightning Clone,'_ Shin'en observed. He didn't even blink when the real Ei erupted from the water behind him, splashing water everywhere. _'And this is a perfect opportunity to test that new jutsu I've been working on.'_

In slow motion, Ei rose from the water, and Shin'en began running through hand signs. Ox, Hare, Ox, Hare, Dragon, and Serpent:

' _Ice Style: Flash Freeze!'_ In a massive burst of Ice-natured chakra, the water around Ei suddenly froze, trapping him a cocoon of ice. The rest of the water was affected by the jutsu as well. The small lake was instantly frozen through, freezing into a massive block of ice.

With the jutsu completed, Shin'en turned to look at his captive, "You are a fool. From the moment the I hit you with Pressure Damage, I knew that I was facing a Lightning Clone, and that you were still buried in the trees, waiting for an opening. In a way, I gave it to you when your Clone attacked me and I turned my back, but you didn't take it. It's irrelevant though, I've won."

Shin'en turned away and headed for his audience…when the ice-prison began to crack.

A smirk found its way onto the demigod's face, _'Round Two begins…now.'_

The prison shattered and Ei roared in rage. A quick burst of chakra and his bracers fell to the ice…and shattered the frozen water. "Kid! I'm going to teach you the fear of true fury!"

"…you will try."

Jonin and demigod clashed fists with shockwave-inducing force.

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 _ **And that's chapter twelve. Shin'en can use Gale and Ice Style, knows some jutsu, and is steadily falling down the Path of Hatred. Maybe Naruko can use her special conversion powers on him and bring him into the light (note the sarcasm)!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and PLEASE Review!**_


	13. Cloud Arc: Episode Five: Moral Ambiguity

_Moral Ambiguity_

 _ **Sweet Christ it's been two months, but I've been binging**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **so you can all deal with it.**_

 _ **This story is definitely the least favored of my little trio of awesomeness, but it's also the first. Hopefully now that I've become a bit more popular, we can get some more reviews for this story.**_

 _ **Fans from the beginning will recognize that I've changed the summary and upped the rating. I feel that it gives the story a darker meaning.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Naruto or PJO_

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 _September 24, 1008 A.S._

 _Two years after Shin'en and Ei fought_

The champion of Susanoo stood atop the highest mountain in the Hidden Cloud Village. It was night, and a waxing crescent moon shown above. The sky was clear, the millions of stars blinking brightly. It was chilly this time of year, even more so when you're several thousand feet in the air.

Shin'en always did this when he wanted to think.

The past two years had been kind to the boy. He _chose_ not to learn anymore jutsu, and his…and the people he was closest to had been confused, but had agreed nonetheless. Instead, he had focused on the jutsu he already knew. He had read that is was possible to cast jutsu without using hand signs, but it took a tremendous amount of skill.

The demigod has a tremendous amount of skill.

He had spawned thousands of Shadow Clones a day to work on lessening the required hand signs, breaking them down to one-handed signs, lessening the required one-handed signs, and finally being able to mold the chakra within him naturally. Of course, this hadn't happened in just a few weeks. To make the progress that he had, Shin'en had spent months—with an absurd amount of Clones—working on his jutsu. It had all paid off in the end.

Shin'en was particularly fond of Gale Style: Laser Circus though. Actually, it was his favorite damn jutsu. It was the perfect antithesis to the Ninja Way. Ninja were supposed to be quiet, stealthy, using shadows and deception to win battles. What better way to screw that system over than by spamming beams of bright destruction?

His swordsmanship had also improved. Before, he fought using raw instinct and reactions. After being under the tutelage of Bee and Darui, Shin'en had refined and honed his skills to a T, using actual technique and style instead of swinging and slashing.

Shin'en had created three taijutsu styles, all based on chakra control exercises of all things. The first style was based on tree-climbing, hitting something and then blasting chakra out of his limbs like a cannon. The second style was based on the lightning-change-in-chakra-nature exercise, a single touch carrying enough of an electrical charge to make limbs go numb. The third style was based on the wind-change-in-chakra-nature, involving slashes, kicks, and rapid movements with concentrated blasts of wind chakra capable of slicing through rock.

The son of Poseidon had also begun to dabble to genjutsu and sealing jutsu.

Progress on sealing jutsu had been rocky, Shin'en finding it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time on a task that required so much patience on drawing the lines, kanji, and squiggles correctly, lest he blow himself up. Shin'en did manage to create his own storage seals, keyed to his chakra only. They were written with disappearing ink on the palms of his hand; that he way could summon his Lightning Blades straight into his grip.

Shin'en's genjutsu progress had also met with limited results. Despite his excelling chakra control, the demigod still had too much chakra to accurately mold it to have any effect on another's chakra. However, the demigod had been devising a personal method of creating illusions. By using a mixture of his advanced Water Style, his ungodly chakra reserves, and his own divine hydrokinesis, Shin'en was making progress with illusions by manipulating the water vapor in the air to bend light waves in a way that created false images.

Don't be fooled however. Shin'en couldn't command the vapor to make a false image of an army on a whim. That he was taking was highly strenuous and meticulous. He had to concentrate on every droplet around him to bend the light just right. Otherwise, he ended up with a distorted blob just hanging around. His end goal with this technique was to be able to create false images of projectiles, people, landscapes, and even other jutsu. Shin'en was also working on making it work on an auditory level by manipulating the sound waves as they travelled through the air.

It often brought a smile to Shin'en's face at the thought of sending a false image of a Tailed Beast to terrorize the people, only to watch their expressions when they realized they had been duped.

Remembering the dream of the Toad Sage, and what the Geezer had said about Essence Projection, Shin'en had made a conscious effort every night before he went to bed to think about being elsewhere. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. When it did work, the demigod was pleased to discover that after he was being Projected, where he went and what he did were easy to control, and he could wake back up on command.

That had led to some fun trips across the Land of Lightning and elsewhere.

Not everything was on the up and up though. Shin'en had discovered that he had _limits_ when it came to water. First off, he couldn't manipulate water when it was laced with someone else's chakra; it simply didn't respond to his will. However, when an opponent used a water jutsu against him, it had no effect. It didn't get him wet, nor did it give him a power boost. Another limit he discovered was that water laced with his chakra didn't give him any power. So he couldn't just spew out an ocean and become and activate god mode every time he fought somebody. But, water created from his hydrokinesis, such as storms or self-made water, still had every positive effect of regeneration, revitalization, and manipulation.

Something that concerned the boy, was that he was beginning to grow attached to Bee, Darui, Ay, Cee, Yugito, and Ei. His constant, daily interaction with those people had begun to form a special place in his heart…and it scared him.

He watched his family die thousands of times over and over again in a dream. His heart had frozen into a block of black ice. He had sworn to kill every ninja on the planet and bring destruction to the Ninja Way, but how was he supposed to do that if the ones who opposed him first were the ones he was beginning to care for?

Another thing that concerned, yet relieved Shin'en, was the absence of his patron god. Susanoo had said that there were problems with certain dimensions under the Shinto pantheon, and that the demigod would have to fix them. It had been two years since that had been said and not a peep from the God of Storms. Shin'en felt that something like that was about to happen though.

He was both curious and apprehensive about that experience.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Shin'en looked down at the simple digital watch on his wrist. It read 10:00 P.M. He had set that timer because the Raikage had scheduled an event for that time today. Well, time to go see what the old man wanted. Shin'en's body instantly turned into vapor that dissipated in the breeze.

Oh yeah, he could disassemble his body into water molecules and reassemble them at will in any location.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Manhattan, New York_

 _2001, 10:00 P.M._

Persephone Jackson was dreaming. Not too terribly odd, children often dreamed, and Seph dreamed more than most children, mostly about what appeared to be Ancient Greece. Tonight though, she was having one of her favorite dreams: a dream about her brother.

Percy and the man known as the Raikage were walking down a dark hallway, making it impossible to see where they were going. Her little brother was wearing black sandals, baggy dark-grey pants, and a black tank top. His body was defined and well-built for an eight-year-old. His black hair fell over his forehead in a curtain of thin strands, in a Light Yagami-ish style. His eyes were a dark shade of green, like emeralds.

"What exactly did you want me to do here?" Percy asked.

"Patience, Shin'en. You'll find out soon enough."

Seph walked with them down the hallway just as confused as her brother. She refused to refer to Percy as 'Shin'en.' That was not his name, and she would never use it when addressing him.

"Hm. I sense people beneath us."

"Good. Because there are. Can you tell me how many individuals are down there?"

"One-hundred and…seventy-four. Why do you have 174 people down there who, based on the way water is distributed throughout the cells in their bodies, are failed science experiments?"

"We raided one of Orochimaru's bases…he had some leftovers."

Percy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "And you want me to put an end to their suffering."

The Raikage shrugged, "Something like that, yes."

"What a waste of my time. Slaughtering 174 science rejects when I could be working on my genjutsu." Persephone couldn't help the sadness that stabbed her heart upon hearing her little brother's words. When they met each other, she swore she would break the ice that covered Percy's heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en and Ay stood at the edge of a massive pit. The diameter of the pit was 500 hundred feet across and the bottom of it was 50 feet down. Lining the bottom of the pit were multiple cage doors designed like arcs. Within the alcoves, multiple disfigured men, women, and children snarled at themselves and the outside world. The pit was illuminated by a massive arrangement of overhead lights.

"Seriously? None of those things are above the level of a chunin."

Ay barked out a laugh, "That is true, but they do have superior numbers and size."

"I can make thousands of copies of myself, and their size means nothing. I could wipe all of them out with a single Laser Circus."

"Then how about we make this interesting? You against all of them…taijutsu only."

Shin'en looked at the large man out of the corner of his eye, "What do I get when they're all dead?"

Ay looked at him with a smirk. Impressive ambition. "What do you want?"

"The Black Lightning Tattoo."

The Raikage laughed, the booming noise drawing the attention of the monsters down in the pit. The Raikage calmed down and looked at the unamused face of one Champion of Susanoo.

Ay smirked, "Deal, but only if you kill _all_ of them."

"You make it sound like there's someone down there that'll make me hesitate." Shin'en hopped down into the pit, landing silently in the middle of the pit. The cell doors creaked open and the deformed people streamed out like a horde of insects.

The monsters surrounded Shin'en on all sides, snarling, growling, and snapping at him like wild animals.

The demigod sighed to himself. These poor people were all once humans, were all once family, and friends, and siblings, and neighbors. But their lives were ruined perhaps by the most disgusting, repulsive, and inhuman shinobi on the planet. Shin'en knew of Orochimaru of the Sannin, he had seen the snake-man in the Bingo Book, and read of the crimes he had committed. He had also seen the man in his dreams, and knew why Orochimaru did what he did: immortality.

Shin'en knew of the Sannin's past and his 'tragic' backstory, how he had his ass handed to him by Hanzo the Salamander, how created a jutsu that allowed him to take over the bodies of others so he could prolong his life.

If Shin'en and Orochimaru ever crossed paths, the man would die.

The demigod sidestepped the first monster, and kicked it in the side, the chakra blast rupturing its internal organs and splintering its bones. He bent forward and front-flipped forward in place, his heel blowing off another monster's head. He spun and allowed the third monster to fly right past him into another, bigger monster which made it bounce off and land on its back at Shin'en's feet.

The demigod stomped through its heart.

Shin'en leapt high and back-flipped to the other end of the pit. A monster charged at him from the side, but the boy grabbed its outstretched arm and slung it into the wall face first. Then he channeled lightning chakra into its back, stopping its heart.

Shin'en didn't eyes or ears to know that the remaining 170 monsters were all charging at him. He smirked and met them all head-on.

It was like watching a dance. Shin'en dodged and weaved through monster after monster, punching and kicking all of them in any part of their body he could reach. He alternated styles between extreme blunt-force, electric shocks, and slicing blasts.

When he was done, the demigod was covered in blood, and the pit floor was painted with corpses and internal organs. There wasn't a scratch on the son of Poseidon, he was too fast and he easily voided any haphazard swing and attack by the experiments. 173 monsters were dead, and one was left.

Shin'en turned to look at the final monster.

The monster was a humanoid that looked like a young girl with brown, shoulder length hair. The monster was a little over three feet tall, a useless, lizard-like tail growing out of its tail bone. Its skin was a green color, like that of grass. A horn grew from its right eye, taking the place of the organ. The monster was clad in a torn up pink dress, and was clutching a dirty teddy bear.

Tears of fear fell from its eyes. "Please don't hurt m-me," the monster whimpered.

"Everyone must die!" Ay's voice echoed.

Shin'en went into thought. He wanted the Black Lightning Tattoo because it would further his power, and power was something he needed in order to survive in this world and fulfill his ambition. The question was: was he willing to kill this innocent little girl that he didn't know on any level what so ever for the sake of more power so he could avenge his family and fulfill his ambition?

Yes.

Shin'en stalked forward, his eyes harder than steel and his fists clenched. He wasn't so cruel as to draw out her suffering, so he would make this quick. A simple snap of the neck, and it would all be over. He would get his tattoo (granted Ay actually honored his word), and he would begin training with the Black Lightning.

' _Percy…!'_

Shin'en froze. _No one_ knew that name but him. He had never told it to anybody, and he sure as hell didn't refer to himself by that name. There were only two people who knew that name; the first person gave it to him, and the other one was probably going to end up dead in the next ten years.

How was she here anyway—right, demigod dreams.

Sure enough, a ghostly form took shape in between Shin'en and the monster. The ghost was in the shape of a girl that looked exactly like the demigod did. Her black hair was messy, fell to the back of her neck, and was tucked behind her ears. Her face was only slightly softer than his own, but her eyes were much brighter. She was dressed in a simple nightdress…that was blue.

' _Haven't you killed enough people all ready? You don't need to kill her too!'_

"I'm sorry, but no. I need to kill one more person before this night's up, and _you_ of all people…will not stop me."

' _She's only a kid! She never did anything to you!'_ Persephone's apparition argued.

"She doesn't have to do anything to me. She is an obstacle between me and my goal, and I will not allow her to remain."

' _Is power really all that's important to you? I'm your big sister, you're supposed to do as I say, and I'm telling you to stop!'_

"I don't care who you are. You are not even here right now, nor are you any sort of authority figure in my life. Now begone, sister." Shin'en walked right through her transparent form, making her dissipate like steam. He approached the monster, making her cower and clutch her teddy bear even tighter.

' _PERCY!'_

Shin'en turned around to look at his sister. She was crying.

' _Please…don't do this,'_ she begged. _'I know we've never met each other, and I know we've never seen each other face-to-face, but please, if you were ever going to be my little brother, don't kill her.'_

Shin'en stared at her for a long time, his mind lost in deep thought. "Fine then," he said coldly. "This will be the only time I listen to you." He began to walk back to the edge of the pit, Persephone moving to the side. _'Thank you.'_

The demigod paused and looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye, "Don't ever beg me, or anyone, for anything ever again. It's undignified." His twin grinned before fading from existence. It appeared that she woke up.

Shin'en whirled around and punched a hole through the girl's head, killing her instantly.

Little bitch had been hiding a kunai in her teddy bear, waiting for him to turn around and expose his back. She moved quietly, but to someone who had enhanced hearing, could sense the displacement of atmospheric water droplets, and could feel the water inside of human bodies…sneak attacks were not really possible.

Shin'en effortlessly leapt up to the top of the pit.

"Who were you talking to down there?" Ay asked.

"A meaningless ghost. I killed all of them, now where's my Lightning tattoo?"

Ay snorted, "Back in my office, but it's late and I'm tired. And you smell like shit. I trust you can get back to Yugito on your own." Before Shin'en could initiate a brawl with the most powerful man in the Village, the Raikage vanished in a burst of speed almost too fast for the demigod to follow.

"Fucking ninja."

What a filthy mouth for such a young boy.

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 _The next morning_

 _Raikage Training Ground_

Shin'en stood in front of his teachers, Yugito, Darui, Bee and Cee. Other than teaching him more jutsu, he had no idea why they called this meeting. He had specifically asked to be taught _no more_ jutsu, he could beat almost all of them in a spar (Yugito and Bee in their Version 2 Cloaks were too much for him right now), and none of them could really help him with his gen/sealing jutsu. So what did they want now?

"After two dull years of training you," Darui said, "we as a group have decided that there's nothing more we can teach you in the categories we were assigned. You've gotten a mastery of the jutsu you know, your taijutsu and kenjutsu are on Jonin level, we can't help you with your genjutsu or your sealing jutsu, and you can fight any of us to a stand-still."

"What Darui is beating around the bush about," Yugito cut in annoyed, "is that we've enrolled you into the Hidden Cloud Village's Ninja Academy!" she finished with a smile.

…

…

…

That was the very last thing the son of Poseidon ever wanted to here, and he let that be known:

" **WHAT!?"**

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 _ **After two months of absence, I sincerely hope this was up to everyone's standards and expectations. Like I did with**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **, I'm going to write a good amount of chapters for this story before working on**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **again, and then repeating the cycle (maybe).**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and let's hear it for some more Reviews (my others are both in the high-hundreds and this one doesn't even have 50, please help)!**_


	14. Cloud Arc: Episode 6: School of Killers

_School of Killers_

 _ **My prayers have been answered! 50 reviews I asked for, and 50 reviews I got. Thank you all so very much for this amazing show of support. A shout out to mj4wzpw for reviewing literally every chapter in the span of fifteen minutes. Truly impressive.**_

 _ **Also, beware of minor OCs in this chapter, and prepare for the end of the 'Cloud Arc.'**_

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 _October 1, 1008 A.S._

 _Hidden Cloud Ninja Academy_

Shin'en was doing his upmost _not_ to summon a storm that would rip this place to shreds.

The Ninja Academy, like every other place of residence/commerce, was built inside of a hollowed-out mountain. It was on the outskirts of the Village, more in the wilderness than in civilization. It was surrounded by forests, with only a single dirt path leading to the front doors. The Academy had every class and a room for it, each one designed around the Shinobi way in some form or fashion.

There was a culinary class that taught how to kill with ingredients. There was a house-maid class that taught how to steal and assassinate without arousing suspicion. There was a nursery class for those of dark-hearts that taught how to cope with the emotional weight of murdering children. There was even a crossdressing class for both genders that taught how to look and act appropriately for their opposite in order to complete a mission of such parameters.

Shin'en was placed in an advanced class by secret order of the Raikage. It wasn't that the demigod was a black-ops project that needed the upmost secrecy, it would just raise unneeded questions over why a young boy was enrolled in a class with students two years his senior by one of the most powerful and well-known shinobi in the Cloud.

The room the irate child was in was on the higher floors of the mountain. The back of the room was a giant window spanning the entire back wall, and the seats were designed in a decreasing fashion from the top, like a lecture hall. Top to bottom was the same as a two-story house, front to back was the same as a high school gym (only half the class was a lecture hall, the back half was a sparing mat), and side to side the same as sideline to sideline on a football field.

In short, the room was big.

The teacher was a Jonin with dark skin, large muscles, and a mop of purple hair of all colors. The man was dressed in the Cloud's typical outfit: sleeveless blue shirt with high collar, white one-strap flack-jacket, baggy blue pants, and blue sandals. He had a labret piercing, and two loop-earrings in each ear that were tight to the cartilage. His name was Yurui.

Shin'en could've chewed him up and spat him before squishing him like a bug before blowing him away with a burst of wind chakra.

Yurui was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the classroom. Behind him was a large, portable diagram board. The board had multiple sliding parts, so it could display several things with just a slide. Right now, it was displaying a detailed poster of the human muscular system.

The demigod himself was clad in his usual attire. Black tank top, baggy grey pants, and black sandals. The new editions, however, were the shuriken pouch on his right cheek and the kunai holster strapped onto the corresponding thigh.

It was times like this that Shin'en really hated his hydro-sensing. Because of his acute ability to sense water down to the molecule, and read how it flows, which enabled him track motions and movement, the son of Poseidon was aware of _everything_ that was happening in this place. He wasn't really fond of the fact that he was unconsciously getting a play-by-play of a girl taking a dump.

But, perhaps it was also a good thing. Here came the children he would most likely be beating and up-showing for the next two years. He wondered who the dumbass would be that tried to make him move from his seat up here in the top right corner.

The door burst open and a flood of ten-year-olds swarmed in like wasps.

Shin'en silently scoffed to himself. While he had no love for ninja, these kids were absolutely atrocious looking, especially since this was militaristic village. These kids were rambunctious, obnoxious, vexatious, and lacked any form of discipline. It was embarrassing to be affiliated with such hooligans.

"Hey you!" Shin'en glanced at the one who had spoken; a burly boy, blue short-sleeved shirt, and blue shorts, he had black eyes, pale complexion, and blonde hair cut short. "You're sitting in my spot, shrimp. Move."

Ah. So this was the dumbass. He also appeared to be the 'leader' of the class, because everyone was staring at the interaction with attentive looks. Even Yurui looked on with interest; the Jonin probably had limited knowledge of the demigod and saw this as an opportunity to learn more about his new student.

The boy grabbed Shin'en's shirt, "Are you deaf, shrimp? I said move!" The boy tried to throw him away, but the champion of Susanoo kept himself glued down with chakra. It was amusing watching Fatbody struggle to move him.

"What's your name?" Shin'en asked.

The boy stopped trying to rip the demigod's shirt, "Tetsuo Yuma. And if you don't get out of my seat right now, me and the boys-" que juvenile snickering- "will forcefully move you, shrimp."

"Tetsuo!" Yurui interrupted, "Find somewhere else to sit, you're interrupting my class."

Fatbody scowled, but complied nonetheless. He and his cronies went and sat in the first row, all of them mirroring their bosses scowl. It was a good thing Yurui acted when he did, because there about five less human beings in the world.

"Now that we're all settled, we can begin with today's events," Yurui said. "First off, our new student. Shin'en, would you like to come down and introduce yourself to the class?"

"No."

"Moving on, then. Luckily for all of you, today is a review day. That means that we'll be practicing your kunai and shuriken throwing, your ability to break genjutsu, a quick ninjutsu evaluation, followed by sparing and ending with a stealth course."

The class cheered.

Shin'en mentally groaned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demigod, because he had no last name and the order was alphabetized, went last for every category. Not that he really cared, because it gave him ample opportunity to survey the enemy. Predictably, he was decades beyond any of these scrubs. Unfortunately, Tetsuo was the person that went before Shin'en, and made it his personal mission to outdo the one who couldn't be outdone.

Tetsuo did have some skill though, for a child. The boy was able to hit all of the targets in the center circle, but Shin'en was able to hit every target dead-center.

The genjutsu placed on the class was a weak one, designed only to disorient their senses and alter a room's structure. The idea was to make it from point A to point B within twenty seconds by breaking the genjutsu and making your way out. Tetsuo did it in a record time of 6.42 seconds. Shin'en wasn't even affected by the D-rank jutsu, and calmly strolled through the room.

When it came to ninjutsu, Yurui led them into a clear part of the surrounding forest. Tetsuo performed a Water Trumpet that probably would've filled a kiddy-pool, which was beyond anything that the other kids could do. Most of them did Clone or Transformation jutsu. Shin'en performed a Pressure Damage that had Yurui throwing up an Earth Wall to protect the other students from the backlash of the B-rank jutsu. When the wall came down and the dust cleared, everyone was shocked to see that enough trees had been shredded to build a housing district.

That brought us to the sparing matches for the day. They were alphabetical in the way that A-names picked their opponents first, and when it came to the opponent's name, they didn't have to fight because they already had. Shin'en was frankly appalled by the level of taijutsu he was witnessing. Tetsuo Yuma, the top taijutsu fighter in the class, was the last to step onto the sparing mat. There was only one other kid for the bully to fight.

Shin'en stood adjacent to the whelp, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed slightly, making his bangs obscure his eyes. Tetsuo was in a fighting stance, right leg in front, weight on his back left, and his arms were raised like he just made a free-throw.

"You may be able to spit out jutsu, but that doesn't mean you can beat me in taijutsu. I'm the top of my year, and I can fight with upperclassmen just as well," Tetsuo sounded proud. Shin'en cocked his head to the side, "Am I supposed to be intimidated by the squeaks of a puppy?"

Luckily, the class wasn't a bunch of fanboys/girls, so they didn't warship the ground upon which Tetsuo walked. In fact, most of them seemed quiet and serious now that the day had started and the sugar-rush of breakfast had worn off. Still though, there was a round of gasps at the ballsy exchange between the new kid and the strongest guy in class.

"I'm gonna beat you so bad, your pathetic little family won't want you anymore."

Noticing the sudden shift in Shin'en's demeanor, and the sudden plummet of temperature, Yurui started the fight…and pressed a button that alerted the Academy Medic to report to his room ASAP. Tetsuo just screwed himself in the ass with his own fist.

The heavy-set boy charged forward at a rather impressive speed for one so young and fat. He got within five feet of the demigod, before Daddy went to work.

Shin'en beat Fatbody into an unrecognizable bloody pulp. Rapid punches that connected with every square inch of Yuma's face, neck, torso, and abdomen. Tetsuo's body was being jerked back and forth like that of a punching bag, indentions appearing all over his form.

Shin'en stopped with his near-lethal barrage of punches, grabbed Tetsuo's right arm with his own right hand, and broke the boy's limb with a left uppercut, the bone ripping through Yuma's flesh. He didn't have to scream though, because the demigod grabbed his other arm, spun around him, slammed his foot into Tetsuo's left knee, blowing it out and making it poke through the skin, bringing the idiot boy down to his good knee. Shin'en did a 180, holding Tetsuo's arm taught over his (Shin'en) shoulder…then he pulled down.

Before Yuma could fall to the ground, Shin'en stuck his hand on the boy's head and lifted him up with chakra gluing them together. Tetsuo groaned, which sounded more like a wheeze. He was completely unrecognizable now, looking more like a human-shaped lump of meat. Blood poured from his disgusting face, his eyes swollen shut, massive bruises covering his head, multiple missing teeth; blood also streamed down from his elbows and knees, pooling on the mat, staining the surface red. That's also not accounting the heavy internal hemorrhaging and multiple broken bones.

Shin'en brought his free hand back to deliver a spine-shattering punch that would render this cockroach wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life, when Yurui blurred into existence and grabbed the smaller boy's arm before it could go forward. The Jonin was blasted back by the sudden charge of lightning chakra…and the arm of the demigod came forward with force equal to that of a freight train.

The Academy Medic came through the door just in time to hear the sickening crack of breaking bone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What in Kami's name were you thinking!? It was a spar, not a fight to the death! That brat will be lucky to live through the night, never mind his shinobi career! His parents are calling for your damn head, and that's not something I can give them, now can I?" The Raikage finished his tirade by throwing his desk through the window behind him.

After the Medic took the shattered Tetsuo Yuma to a hospital, the bastard was immediately put on life-support and a medically induced coma, so the Medic-nin could take x-rays and try to prepare a surgery. Shin'en was sent to the dean's office, and the dean tried to corporally punish the boy…which went over about as well as you could imagine.

The stupid man had just energy left in his body to call the Raikage before he passed out from pain.

Tetsuo's _civilian_ parents had predictably had a meltdown over their baby boy being hurt so much. They had tried to press charges, sue, start a political campaign, but in a shinobi village that was more of a military dictatorship than a democracy where the soldiers had absolute loyalty to their leader, civilians were only there to make the Village a happier place.

They brought in money, plain and simple.

"The fool thought it wise to insult my family." Ay froze. "I will admit that my actions were…extreme, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I didn't want to be a part of this Academy, and I've given you ample reason to take me out. If the boy dies…then that's too bad. Bastard should've thought twice about his taunts."

The Raikage internally growled. Shin'en and his family of orphans was still a very delicate topic, even after two years. Considering what happened to the last person that had inadvertently insulted the boy's family, Tetsuo Yuma was lucky.

They were still looking for that man today.

"I enrolled you in the Academy because they will teach you skills that Yugito, Bee, Darui, and Cee couldn't teach you. They have been off the active-duty roster for two years now. People have begun to ask questions over where they've been and what they've been doing, and 'training a sentient WMD' is not a viable answer. The Academy will teach you the necessary skills to survive, skills that the latter shinobi don't have the time to do."

Shin'en opened his mouth to protest, but the Lightning Shadow cut him off, "It's already done. Bee, Cee, Yugito, and Darui have already left on missions of varying time, so you have the apartment all to yourself. I hope you know how to cook food without burning down your house."

The demigod scowled, "As if fire would have any remote effect on me."

That was an understatement. He had shrugged off an A-rank fire jutsu with only a light sheen of sweat. He had walked through another A-rank jutsu by coating his body in water-natured chakra, making steam erupt everywhere. Then a third A-rank jutsu had zero effect on his body when he coated himself in ice-natured chakra.

"Regardless," Ay growled, "you're on your own for the foreseeable future, and you _will_ be returning to the Academy. I've spent two years training you how to alter landscapes, now someone else is going to spend the final two years that you're with us learning how to silently kill."

Shin'en's face contorted into one of apocalyptic rage, before he dispersed into a violently swirling pillar of water, thunder shaking the Village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en returned to the Academy the next day, bags under his eyes and his shoulders slumped. Yurui was more cautious of him now, hoping to avoid another near-death situation in his classroom. The students were staying far away from him now, but a blind man could see the hate and fear in their eyes. Their feelings were irrelevant; the opinions of rats meant nothing to him.

The days passed slowly, each week filled with a different topic that slowly increased the demigod's ire…and made him scared.

Yurui taught them how to set all kinds of traps, lethal or otherwise, by using jutsu, ninja tools, and the environment. He taught them how to lie convincingly, steal inconspicuously, sneak around silently, and kill mercilessly. The Jonin taught his students about the human body, both male and female. How they worked, how they operated, how to disrupt its functions. Pressure points, nerve endings, muscle fibers, everything. Yurui taught them how to identify certain plants and nuts in a forest, which ones were poisonous and which ones were edible. Yurui taught them how to blend in to a crowd, to hide and evade pursuers without killing them. The Jonin taught them about sexuality, and how to use seduction tactics to finish the mission, for both male and female, to use on both male and female. The man was good at his job, and his students flourished under his tutelage and that of his fellow instructors.

The reason Shin'en was scared was because everything that was covered over the past eight months…came _so_ naturally to him. He aced every subject, every topic, and every test. He was born to be a shinobi, and he hated himself for it.

Not everything Yurui taught was about being a ninja, though. He still taught the class new taijutsu techniques, new ninjutsu, improved the accuracy of the kunai and shuriken throwing (hitting moving targets), and taught them all better chakra control exercises. During sparing matches, Yurui had to be paired with the demigod because no one else had near the amount of strength to give him a decent fight. The class still hated Shin'en for what he did to their friend, but none of them had the balls to say something, and their pathetic attempts to prank/trap him had all failed in abject misery.

It was hard to get the drop on someone that could read your movements from hundreds of meters away.

Tetsuo Yuma survived his surgery, and was expected to make a recovery in four months, but he would be disfigured and crippled for the rest of his life. His parents had tried even harder to levy some type of punishment against the demigod, but when they threatened the Raikage by taking this issue to the daimyo's court, all three of the Yuma family died the following night due to heart failure. Apparently, the blood had gotten clogged in the muscle, and the body couldn't take it.

See? Shin'en didn't need this assassination class bullshit. He was already equipped to be the perfect killer.

In the eight months that Yugito had been on-mission, she still hadn't returned or given any notification that she was still alive. Shin'en took this matter to the Raikage, and the giant of a man assured him that she was still alive. Shin'en took this with a grain of salt. It was with a strange feeling in his chest that the boy realized that he _cared_ for the Two-Tails Jinchuuriki.

He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Ay had brought the boy on more 'murder sprees,' slaughtering either undesirables, criminals, failed experiments, and even a group of shinobi women from some minor village that started with an N. Shin'en took them all down without batting an eyelash, each time with a different category of attacks. Ninjutsu only, taijutsu only, kenjutsu only (which was really messy); Ay even had the boy use only his hydrokinesis against his opponents.

Shin'en's progress with his vapor-illusions had bared fruit. He could, with some difficulty, create false images of people and things to confuse and distract opponents. A technique he frequently used against Ei whenever they fought. Watching the man barrel out of the way of stuff that wasn't even there was highly amusing.

The mass Shadow Clones he made every day to perfect his jutsu had mastered all that he knew. He could perform Water Styles: Water Dragon and Explosive Water Shockwave, Wind Styles: Pressure Damage and Great Breakthrough, Lightning Styles: False Darkness and Thunder Gate, Ice Style: Flash Freeze (a personal jutsu), and Gale Style: Laser Circus. Clone, Substitution, and Transformation could be done on a whim.

But that was enough exposition for the past eight months.

Shin'en and the Raikage were in the bowels of the Hidden Cloud's T&I Department. Their purpose here was to test the boy's skills at interrogation. The ANBU had captured a bandit skulking around the Village outskirts, and Ay had seen this as a perfect opportunity to see just how vicious Shin'en could be.

The interrogation room was as generic as you could imagine. Steel table and chairs, high sealing with single light, metal walls, one-way mirror, and a wall covered in cutting equipment and blunt force objects.

The bandit was also generic. Tan skin, bandana, beady black eyes, shorts and shirt that were faded in color and ripped at the openings. He was decently built, and had a confident smirk on his face. After all, he was chunin-level, and his interrogator was a brat that hadn't even graduated the Academy yet.

"I guess I can assume that you won't be telling me anything and that I'm wasting my time?" Shin'en asked rhetorically.

The bandit, whose name was Okajima, was sitting in his chair with his hands cuffed to the table, chakra suppressers covering his body. He laughed out loud, "Aren't you the clever little bastard. You can do whatever you want to me, I ain't talking. We got a code among thieves y'know?"

Shin'en hummed and walked over to the equipment wall, and picked out a scalpel. "What are you doing?" Okajima asked somewhat nervously. "I'm going to saw off your fingers and toes," the boy said conversationally. The bandit's jaw dropped, before he regained his composure, "Cute bluff, brat, but I don't scare that easy."

Shin'en kept a very neutral face, "What makes you think bluffing?" The demigod gripped the bandit's right wrist, and channeled a small, steady stream of lightning chakra into Okajima's body, making his fingers splay out wide. The boy placed the surgical knife against the man's pointer finger, ignoring his constant struggles and cries, and began to _slowly_ draw the blade through skin and bone.

Within seconds, the once arrogant man was reduced to a mumbling and softly babbling wreck. Shin'en was just barely able to make out where the bandit's base was.

The demigod met Ay and Ei outside the interrogation room. "Their base is at the edge of the Lightning Desert, but you two already knew that, didn't you?" They nodded. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

The muscle mountains said in unison: "Kill 'em all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Edge of the Lightning Desert_

 _2:00 A.M._

Shin'en and Ei, his handler for this 'mission,' were standing on top of one of the many towers of rock that littered the Desert. Below them was the bandit camp. A mass of tents and huts with dying fires here and there. There were exactly 75 men beneath them, most of them drunk or sleeping.

"Your mission is to kill all of them—"

Shin'en silently fired off a Laser Circus, the multiple beams of energy curving high into the air before zooming down and carpet-bombing the bandit camp, lighting up the night in a dazzling display of orange and bright-blue.

"Mission accomplished," Shin'en said dully. "Let's go. I'm tired, and the wilderness doesn't sound like fun to sleep in right now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **There we go, Shin'en's first day in the Academy, followed by eight months of glossed over stuff, a brief torture session, and finally a massacre in a desert.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and tell me how I did in the Review section!**_


	15. Cloud Arc: Episode Seven: Hell Month

_Hell Month_

 _ **Yeah, I got nothing to say. So, without further ado, the next chapter in the thrilling of odyssey of Backup Plan!**_

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 _Lightning Forest_

 _Fifteen miles from Hidden Cloud Academy_

 _July 16, 1009 A.S._

 _9 A.M._

"Listen up, maggots!" Shin'en thought this man was born to be a drill sergeant. Bald head, sunk-in beady eyes that were colored yellow, tan, leathery skin, looked to be in his fifties (which was rare for a shinobi), decked out in the Hidden Cloud's usual attire, and his hands clasped behind his back. "Lord Raikage has ordered all you to be sent on a special test, to see if any of you have the balls to still call yourselves ninja after this ordeal."

A girl, Akira Mabuchi, raised her hand and said, "I don't have balls."

Hideki Tojo was suddenly in her face, making the girl fall to her butt. "Then I hope you find a way to get some, bitch! You're going to need them!"

Then he was back in front of the assembled class of Academy students, "All of you will be spending exactly one month in the forest behind me. Your goal is to find one of 30 hidden objects within the allotted time. Once found, it is up to you to defend the object from attackers. Failure to end the month with an object will result in your expulsion from the Academy. All of you have been given a bag with enough supplies in it to last a week if you ration it properly. Any questions?"

Toma Ikari raised his hand, "If we only have enough stuff for a week, how are we supposed to make it through a month?"

"We're surrounded by people who also have week-long ration packs. Think," Shin'en said darkly.

"The emo is right." Tojo said loudly, making the demigod twitch. "I fully expect all of you to try and steal from the others. I fully expect some of you to die during this test, in all honesty." Instead of freaking out, the students all gained determined, shifty looks, their eyes roaming around.

Tojo smirked, "This is a test to introduce you to the harshness of the shinobi lifestyle. A hostile environment, enemies on all sides, searching for an unknown object, limited supplies, and no safe place to go to the bathroom. So be careful with what you wipe your asses with, there are many poisonous plants in this forest, and it won't be as amusing for you as it will be for me to watch you all constantly scratching.

"Ladies, because our Lord Raikage is a caring individual, he has asked me to inform you of a particular plant native to the Lightning Forest. Whenever you piss, make sure you don't clean yourself up with a plant that is green with a white stripe down the middle. The plant is used in aphrodisiacs, and direct contact with it and your vagina will make you hornier than a porcupine, even though none of you have started menstruating yet…I hope." The girls nodded in the affirmative with blushes on their faces.

"Your one month starts in ten…nine…eight…" the children took stances, "seven…six…five…" their eyes hardened with determination, "four…three…two…" this was it, their time to shine, "one…GO!"

Forty-nine Academy students bolted into the Lightning Forest in different directions, all of them with a burning desire to succeed and please their parents.

Shin'en calmly walked up to Tojo, the man looking at him with a neutral eye, "You and I both know this isn't fair for them, since that is a class of fifty, and Ay wouldn't cut down so many potential shinobi just to test a bunch of ten-year-olds. What's really going on?"

Tojo chuckled, "Lord Raikage told me about you and that intellect of yours. You're right, Ay wouldn't sacrifice so many ninja for a test like this so early in their lives. In reality, there is only one object in the Lightning Forest, and you have it. When they look in their bags, they'll find a note telling them that the only object is with you, and if they take it from you, you'll be executed."

"So their motivation for this test is revenge for their dead friend? I was wrong; Ay _is_ sacrificing future ninja." Shin'en said as he began to walk into the forest.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Lord Raikage said that you are prohibited from killing anybody."

The demigod scoffed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en could easily sense every boy and girl moving around him within a five-hundred-meter radius, all of them searching for any sign of the 'objects.' None of them had looked in their bags yet, so all of them were still in the dark about the test's true purpose.

Shin'en had looked in his own bag, taking note of the first-aid kit, some flint, cans of food, protein bars, and a scroll with the kanji for death emblazoned on its side. Poetic, a bunch of kids coming after him to retrieve a scroll that had death on it.

This was going to be the most boring month of his life. He had to spend 30 days in a forest with a bunch of ten-year-olds that were eventually going to start gunning for him and him only. And he couldn't just kill them all and make it easy on himself.

This was going to suck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 8_

Yep, it sucked. The first week had gone by without a hitch, which was terrible. Kids had finally read the note in their bags, but none of them were stupid enough to fight him outright. From what Shin'en had sensed, they were all trying to find each other and probably come up with a plan to take him down.

So far, the only noteworthy thing that had happened in the past seven days was that the demigod had watched a girl get cornered by a bear one day, and avoided getting eaten because in her terror, she ruined her panties. Then she got stupid and unwittingly used poison ivy as her toilet paper.

To this day, she was still fervently scratching her butt.

Shin'en had only exhausted half of his supplies. It was amazing what happened when you could sense the animals and vegetation that were native to the Lightning Forest. Hunting and foraging were something he excelled in, and it certainly paid off in here.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 15_

A group of five boys had (tried) to ambush Shin'en as he was enjoying relaxing bath in a waterfall-fueled pond. They struck fast enough, using kunai and shuriken as a distraction before using some explosive tags and a wind jutsu. The demigod played dead, easily luring the would-be murderers into the pond. He didn't know what their reason was for attacking him, whether it was for the scroll, his rations, or just because he looked vulnerable, but it didn't matter.

Shin'en used his hydrokinesis to pull them all under, and keep them under, just long enough so that they passed out. He then spat them all back onto the shore, but kept the water in their lungs. A small burst of lightning chakra, and the boys' rations were turned into ash. Then, just to pour salt in the wound, Shin'en diced up the boys' clothes, leaving them naked in the wild.

Ay may have said he couldn't kill them, but he never said anything about saving them either.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 21_

Shin'en used up all of his rations. He discarded the flint and first-aid kit because he didn't need them. Making a fire was unnecessary in this Forest, the humidity providing enough moisture to keep him warm, and he could use water from every part of this forest in order to heal any and all injury. He put the scroll in the shuriken pouch behind him, but kept the supply bag itself. He put an explosive tag inside the bag, for whenever he was 'ambushed' next, he could give them the bag and watch them go up in flames.

The students had all finally met up with each other, well the ones that were still alive anyway. Those five boys had become dinner for the same bear that was about to eat that girl. That left 44 boys and girls, not including Shin'en, still alive. And they were all gathered in one location.

Now, confront them all right now and wait ten more days to be allowed out? Pick them off group by group when they went out to search for him? Just lay-low and wait for the end of the test? No, he would enjoy their frustration, watch them panic and grow disorganized, and on the final day…shatter them all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 28_

Shin'en had a dream about multiple things. First, he dreamt of his sister. He watched as her power grew, attracting the monsters she had started to see in her own dreams. She didn't know of their lineage, but she would find out within the next few years, of that he was sure. Their mother had 'married' the personification of every human fault. Gabe Ugliano was fat, smelly, couldn't dress to save himself, couldn't hold a job, had almost no hair, frequently smoked and drank, and cared for nothing but Sally's body. When Shin'en went to that world, and Gabe wasn't already dead, the demigod would be sure to end that walrus's life slowly and painfully. It was strange how he felt protective of the one who he had no real attachment to.

The next thing he dreamt of was of Naruko and Sasuke, for some reason. The reincarnation of Ashura was eight, while the incarnation of Indra had just turned nine. The two children, along with several other kids that had specific traits reminisce of the Hidden Leaf's clans, were playing 'ninja.' It was clear though who the best ones were, mostly because they had the backing of the most powerful families in the Leaf, and they were ultra-competitive. It was pathetic that these children, who were the same age as Shin'en, thought that being a ninja was about saving princesses and defeating bad guys and being a superhero. When the reincarnations and the demigod clashed, he would be sure to destroy their fantasy.

The last thing he dreamt of was Yugito. In this dream, Shin'en had watched as two men, shrouded in shadow, threw the Jinchuuriki's near-lifeless body onto the floor of a dark cave. She was in bad shape, bleeding almost profusely from a wound on her stomach. Shin'en watched as Yugito was lifted into the air, and suspended in a bubble of blue chakra, red chakra being sucked out of her mouth and eyes into a demonic statue with multiple eyes. When Matatabi had been forcefully removed from Yugito, her now-dead body had fallen unceremoniously to the cave floor, her skin cracked in places. A man had said with a distorted yet deep voice, _"Do you feel anything for her?"_ Shin'en didn't know who the man was speaking to, but the boy's lips had moved on their own accord, _"No."_ It sounded like his own voice that had spoken.

The son of Poseidon didn't sleep anymore for the rest of the test.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Final Day_

Half-lidded, baggy-eyed, and severely irritated was how Shin'en looked as he stormed straight into the middle of Academy students' cute little camp. It was early morning, which meant all of them were up and about, but still not entirely awake yet. That was quickly fixed, however, when Susanoo's campion started to splinter bone like it was made of paper mache.

He walked right up behind a girl eating breakfast next to a pit-fire, looped one arm between her legs (making her squeal), and grabbed her hair, before hoisting her up and falling backwards, knocking her out instantly with a blow to her head.

Shin'en used his momentum to spring back up and blur in front of a boy who was reaching for a kunai, and slugged him right between the eyes, knocking him out cold and making him fly into a girl who was poking her head out of a tent, knocking her out too.

A boy dropped from the tree above in an attempt to assassinate the demigod with a kunai, but he leaned back to let the student stab dirt, before slamming his fist on top of the bastard's head.

Shin'en picked up the kunai and whirled around, slamming the ring into the next girl's temple, sending her into the land of dreams. Now the entire camp of brats was up and moving, one girl just pulling up her pants, flashing to the world her solid pink panties with the Cloud's symbol above her crotch.

The demigod entered the fray with a near-lethal fervor. He channeled enough chakra through his strikes to instantly concuss and break bone, but not to blow apart bodies like watermelons. He punched as he leaned back, kicked as he ducked, and jumped as he rendered people unconsciousness.

The student's superior numbers accounted for something, though. A stray kunai and shuriken managed to find their mark, but their mark simply liquefied and let the sharp projectiles fly right through…often into the poor child on the other side of Shin'en.

The students got smart and hopped away, but only twelve were left standing. The children drew many sharp objects and threw an iron curtain at the demigod. There were twin puffs of smoke and the Lightning Blades were shining through the air. Glowing bits of metal, red-hot from power of the Thunderswords. The students could only watch in mute horror as a single boy, two years their junior, was able to slice apart every kunai and shuriken they threw at him.

They ran out of things to through and shared a look with each other…before they smirked. One of them made a hand sign, "Boom!"

The explosive tags attached to the kunai thrown _outside_ of Shin'en's range detonated, engulfing twenty meters of forest in fire and concussive force. Smoke rose from the blast area, climbing high into the sky. There was no way anyone could've survived an explosion of that magnitude, not even that monster. Unfortunately, most of the unconscious bodies of their classmates were caught in the explosion, which had the lethal results one would expect.

The children all sighed in relief and fell to their butts. Seven girls and five boys managed to do what forty-four together couldn't do. They managed to defeat the unbeatable Shin'en, the one that was responsible for the death of Tetsuo Yuma, their friend.

Pain erupted throughout their bodies without warning. It felt like their blood was being jerked around as they were all lifted off the ground.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice the red-rimmed paper with all of the squiggly lines on it attached to the ends of flying metal knives? Your plan was easier to see through than glass." Shin'en walked out of the smoke completely unharmed. He wasn't even singed. The Lightning Blades were back in their seals, and the demigod's face was completely neutral. "Now what to do with you? If Tojo is the exactly on time type, we have thirty minutes before our one month is up." He released his hold on the water in their blood, watching as they fell twenty feet to the ground. They were all perfectly fine.

Same couldn't be said for the charred bodies surrounding the clearing.

Shin'en's breath hitched in his throat. His eyes darted around, the forest being replaced with scenes from _that_ night. It wasn't possible, he was beyond something like this! PTSD was not something he had, he was too strong to be brought down by the past!

Shin'en fell to a knee, his breathing ragged. His vision flashed in and out, the bright light of the forest being replaced by a dark and stormy night. What was going on here!? This wasn't natural, his body didn't function like this…

His body didn't function like _this_!

"What did you do to me?" he rasped out at the kids that were calmly walking their way over to him.

"We aren't as stupid as you think, freak. We knew that you'd be able to pick out the explosive tags attached to the kunai, and with the amount of chakra you have, that explosion wouldn't have been near-enough to kill you. That's why there was a special hallucinogen in the air that would take affect when exposed to extreme heat," said Akira Mabuchi. "We've taken the antidote, so we're unaffected."

"I still can't believe we outsmarted and beat Shin'en, the top of the class. Well guess what freak, you aren't so tough now, are you?" Toma Ikari gloated.

Shin'en wheezed and huffed, his body overcome with the power of the hallucinogen, making him go into shock. The students began laugh at him, making fun of him and how he was convulsing. They didn't seem to care that he was probably about to die, but the demigod couldn't believe how arrogant these brats were. The champion of Susanoo decided he had watched enough of the show, _and dispelled the Water Clone_.

The students gaped in shock as Shin'en suddenly burst into water…before that water suddenly turned into icicles that flew straight through all of their bodies.

Akira was the only one still alive, the others having died instantly from the icicles piercing their hearts, but she was bleeding out all over the forest floor. She watched with bleary eyes as Shin'en walked out of the forest that she just had her back to. "H-how…?"

The demigod looked down on her like she was an ant, and he was debating on whether or not to step on her. "When you detonated the tags, I immediately sensed the change in atmosphere. Something was interacting with the ambient water vapor, so I created a Water Clone and had it experience the effects while I safely watched from a distance," he said coldly.

Akira coughed blood, "I s-still w-win. You w-weren't supposed to k-kill u-us. Now you'll pay for i-it."

Shin'en still wasn't fazed. A host of predators came stalking out from behind him; bears, cougars, lynxes, and even a few foxes, all of them salivating at the mouth. "How do you expect me to get in trouble for your deaths…when the Medics will be hard-pressed to so much as identify your bodies?" The demigod turned his back and walked away, feeling nothing as Akira's heart stopped beating before she could be devoured alive.

These animals weren't normal beasts; they were trained predators. Well, 'trained' meaning that they knew what shinobi felt like, when it was safe to eat a corpse, and when to avoid something in their domain. Like right now.

Shin'en thought about the original plan. Go in, use extreme nonlethal prejudice, and be done in time for lunch. Well it was mostly successful until everything went to hell in a handbasket there at the end, but hey.

 _Always have a backup plan._

As he cleared the forest, about two miles from where the camp was, Shin'en took note that Tojo, Ay, Ei, and Bee were all standing there waiting for him. It was then that the demigod realized that today was August 16.

The children of Poseidon were now nine-years-old.

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 _ **So who else thought that those minor OCs actually got the drop on our demigod antihero?**_

 _ **Next chapter is honestly going to be short and mostly fluff and filler for the twins' birthdays, but after that…we get to the good stuff.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	16. Birthday Filler

_Birthday Filler_

 _ **It's safe to say that this is**_ _ **least**_ _ **liked of my trio of stories, because there was literally no feedback last chapter, or my email is all screwed up, but I'm going to keep writing it because I enjoy it.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson_

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 _August 18, 1009 A.S._

 _9 P.M._

Shin'en trudged up the stairs of his mountain apartment, after another day of personal training; he had a mass spar against his Shadow Clones. Up in his suite, Bee, Darui, Cee, Ay, Ei, and Yugito were waiting for him, probably to throw some type of party for him. If they were hoping for it to be a surprise, to they were going to be disappointed. It was impossible to surprise someone who could sense H2O molecules.

This day meant nothing to the demigod, other than it being a dark reminder of the day he lost his humanity. This day, three years ago, Shin'en had been helpless to stop the murder of his family. If he hadn't been swimming in a pond two miles from the orphanage, he might've been able to save them, or at the very least be there so Ameyuri didn't torch the entire place.

Shin'en knew of the Multiverse, knew he would eventually be dragged to some other dimension, but he always wondered if there were alternate dimensions of him. Meh, probably.

Climbing the steps, the demigod thought about the test in the Lightning Forest. The entire class had joined Tetsuo in the afterlife, either by animal or by his own hand. Of course, nobody could prove anything. The parents had predictably gone into an uproar/depression over their dead babies, and how could their Lord Raikage allow something like this. Notifications had been sent home about the event, and all of the parents had signed their agreement about their children participating, knowing full-well the risks involved.

Shin'en found it pathetic the assassination attempts made by the vengeful shinobi. He expected better from trained killers, but their ineffectiveness was his advantage. He never brought these issues to Ay. Oh no, it was much more amusing watching them all get frustrated. They would slip up eventually, and the proverbial hammer would fall with lethal intent.

Shin'en reached his door on the top floor, and calmly walked right in. Those inside all said with varying levels of enthusiasm, "Happy Birthday!" The demigod could've easily been an asshole and blew them all off, scoff, or all matter of negative things. Instead, he settled with "Um, thanks."

"Really? I haven't seen you in almost a year, and all I get is 'um thanks'? Little brat, I don't think you deserve your present," Yugito huffed in false annoyance. Shin'en rolled his eyes before he did something out of character: he flung himself at the Jinchuuriki and wrapped his arms and legs around her. He was actually really short (he was only nine after all) so Yugito was easily able to stay upright.

He dropped to the ground and said to her, "Is that better, Yugito?"

She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead, "Yes it is."

The party was rather enjoyable actually. Even Ei, the one that mistrusted and hated Shin'en the most, had a sincere smile of enjoyment. There was cake, ice cream, alcohol (that Shin'en drank with them), jokes, and laughs. One who didn't know who these people were would've smiled at the sight of what seemed to be a happy family celebrating the youngest one's birthday. Anyone who did know these people would have their jaws unhinged and their eyes falling out of their sockets and the sight of a bunch of murderers behaving like normal people.

After the eating and drinking was done, it came time for presents.

"First up from Uncle Bee! Some scrolls on kenjutsu, whee!" Everyone groaned and face palmed at the rapper's attempt to rhyme. Shin'en accepted the scrolls, "If you ever do that again, I'm going to cut off your tongue."

Darui was up next, "Even though it's dull, this is a scroll on more Gale Style techniques. I expect you to have those mastered in a year."

"I couldn't really think of anything that you might want, so I got you this," Cee through a small book at Shin'en. It was a brand-new Bingo Book.

"This a joint-gift from my dad and I, so be thankful, because I actually fought him over whether or not to give this to you, and I lost, which really hurt." Ei handed Shin'en a scroll that had a vertical line of kanji on it that read: Lightning Armor.

Emerald eyes widened marginally, "You're giving me the scroll to your Lightning Armor Jutsu?"

"I'll be the one teaching you how to use it, so don't get too excited, brat. I'll make sure you'll be regretting it."

Yugito was the last one to give him a gift. "I can't tell you what my mission was about, I can tell you that I found this," she held up a black cord with a beautiful pearl cut into the shape of a water droplet. In the right light, the pearl would shine with the colors of the rainbow. "They called it the Sea's Tear. It reminded me of you."

Shin'en put the necklace around his neck, a rare, small smile on his face.

The demigod was highly skilled at keeping his emotions concealed from others, but right now he was in the presence of men and woman who had spent years learning the art of reading emotions based on body language and expressions. Shin'en might have seemed stoic and unfazed to some, but to the people at his party, he was trying very hard to keep from breaking down.

With a motion of his head, Ay and the others said their goodbyes and left Yugito and Shin'en to their own devices.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _12:45 A.M._

Jinchuuriki and demigod sat on opposite ends of the couch in the living room of their suite. The light was off, but the TV illuminated the room perfectly. Yugito was casually flipping through channels, and Shin'en was absentmindedly playing with his new necklace.

Without warning, Yugito suddenly reached over and scooped the nine-year-old into her arms, making him yelp. He didn't fight her off or anything, just looked at the woman with a confused look.

"Ay told me about what's happened these last few months, and all of the people you've killed."

"If you're about to tell me that it's wrong to do that, don't waste your breath."

Yugito snorted, "In our lives, _not_ killing is what would be wrong. What's concerning me, is your lack of remorse for the lives you've taken. Even hardened killers, like me and the rest of the boys, feel guilty for about how many people we've killed. We can barely get any sleep without dreaming of their faces."

"I don't feel any remorse nor do I lose any sleep. They were nothing but faces and names I never bothered to learn. I don't feel guilty about dead people."

"I think you're lying," Yugito said after a moment. "I think you've just done a really good job of burying your emotions beneath a mask of indifference, and it's been tearing you up inside, trying to claw out of you up to the surface."

Shin'en silently scoffed into Yugito's bosom, "I'm not repressing anything. I'm perfectly fine."

"Then why have been trying not to cry for the past three hours?" she asked softly. "You're not a machine, Shin'en. You're a human being, one who feels emotions and internally screams in despair at the feeling of loss. I know what today is, and I know that you've been ignoring every instinct in your body telling you to mourn for your family. Bottling up your feelings is never good, because it will be very bad when your bottle won't be big enough to contain them all. Especially for you, little boy, because other children can't generate catastrophic storms when they get worked up."

Shin'en couldn't stop the few tears from falling, "Shut u-up. I'm not human, so I don't have to feel like one. M-my mother was human, and my f-father is a god. I can take a-anything."

Yugito hugged him close, and whispered softly in his ear, "Let it go, sweetheart."

For the second time in his life, the son of Poseidon cried himself to sleep. He cried not for the people he killed (he would never cry for them), but for the family that he watched die thousands of times over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Central Park, Manhattan_

 _August 18, 2002_

 _3:30 P.M._

Shin'en watched, from a dream, as his mother and sister enjoyed celebrating _her_ birthday. Sally didn't make much money, and Gabe the Walrus would die before giving up any money unless the law required it, so gifts and extravagance were not something to be looked forward to on this day for Persephone Jackson, but spending the entire day with her mother made up for it.

Shin'en didn't know why he was dreaming of his twin. He wasn't going to show himself, he couldn't interact with anything in this dimension, and he for damn sure wasn't going to watch someone participate in a happiness he never would or could, especially on this day.

Was he jealous of his sister? Apparently yes.

Shin'en looked around the place he had been pulled to. Lots of trees, skyscrapers in the distance, the smell of nature, people walking, jogging, hanging around, a bunch of girls in silver t-shirts and black shorts that were all looking at his incorporeal form-

Shin'en whipped around and locked eyes with a twelve-year-old that had auburn hair, silver eyes, and exuded an aura on par with his own, but it felt restricted and chained down, like she was consciously keeping her true power locked up. Oh, and she was staring at him with a mix of interest, shock, and disapproval.

They all started to walk towards him with the gait of a pack of wolves, and considering that he wasn't able to wake up for some reason, it was probably opportune to high-tail it the fuck away from this place.

Spinning on his heel, the tank-top clad demigod was speeding through the Shinobi Highway, aka the trees. The greenery blurred past him as he soared through it at speeds beyond what any chakra-less person could dream of. He wasn't worried about looking behind him, because that would just slow him down. Besides, how many times in movies and TV had the runner looked behind him just to see the chaser three feet from his butt?

No, Shin'en poured on the speed and broke a branch from the amount of force he used to push off of it. He exited the forest and barreled straight across the lanes of traffic, before streaking up the side of a skyscraper, reaching the top of the hundreds-of-feet building in 2.19 seconds. Looking down, channeling chakra into his eyes, he saw no signs of silver-clad females anywhere below.

"Going somewhere, _boy_?" said a distinctly irritated female voice behind the demigod. Now, instead of doing the _dumb_ thing and turning around to face the speaker, Shin'en did the _smart_ thing and…jumped off the ledge.

As he free-fell, he twisted in midair to see the silver-eyed girl staring down at him with shock and horror on her face, so he gave her the bird and smirked as her worried visage morphed into that of a scowl.

He flipped again to see the concrete two feet from his nose, before he bolted upright in his bed, staring at the inky-blackness of his room. That was certainly one of the strangest dreams he had to date, ranking right up there with the one about a woman giving birth to a horse with wings.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _One year later_

 _August 15, 1010 A.S._

 _Shores of Lightning Country_

The time had finally come. The time to return to the Land of Water. The time to begin his plans for vengeance. The time to begin the downfall of the Shinobi Way. The time to put his family's murderers six feet into the ground.

Shin'en, Ay, and Yugito stood at the end of a dock, waiting for the boat to arrive shortly. The demigod, dressed in his usual attire, but this time with an added cloak courtesy of the Hidden Cloud, would be returning alone, and wouldn't be back until the end of the war…or worse.

It was funny, really. He, a ten-year-old boy, was about to go to war, and wasn't even nervous, anxious, or apprehensive about it.

"Shin'en," Ay said gruffly, "take off your cloak." Raising an eyebrow but complying nonetheless, the boy unzipped his cloak and let it hang from his hand. "Now face me." Shin'en turned his body, wondering where this was going. The Raikage clapped his hand onto the boy's right shoulder, gripping it tightly, and Shin'en felt a surge of Lightning Chakra enter his body.

The Lightning Shadow removed his hand, and the demigod saw a tattoo on his shoulder. The tattoo was pitch-black, and styled into a specific kanji: kaminari, or _lightning_. "Black Lightning Tattoo," Shin'en whispered in awe.

Ay handed him a scroll, "You've Darui use the technique plenty of times, but this is a scroll that will help fill in any blanks or gaps you might have." The sound of an engine turned everyone's attention to the approaching aquatic vehicle. It was only fitting that the boat that took him away would be the boat to bring him back. "How ya doin,' boy?" Quint laughed as he pulled up in _The Orca_.

Yugito kneeled down and hugged Shin'en tightly, the boy returning the embrace, "You've trained for years to go back to the Mist, and I know you've become powerful, but I still can't help but be worried." The Sea's Tear was safely tucked beneath the boy's shirt. Yugito kissed his forehead for what might possibly be the last time.

"I promise I'll come back to you, to all of you."

The Jinchuuriki smiled and stood up, taking a few steps back. Shin'en donned his cloak, and was about to step aboard _The Orca_ , when Ay stopped him. The boy looked at the hulking figure of the Raikage.

"Hold out your arm, Shin'en."

Cautious to about what the man's intent was, and taking note of the sad look on Yugito's face, the boy slowly extended his left arm. Ay's giant palm clamped down on the demigod's forearm in a blur of speed. Shin'en hissed in pain as it felt like someone was pressing a brand to his skin.

The Raikage let go, and Shin'en looked at his wrist to see a burning number that faded into another tattoo. The number was 624.

"That is a special tattoo we use on the ANBU Black-ops. What that tattoo does is use a mix of your memories, and what you see and feel to keep track of how many people you kill. It's used to make sure that all assassination missions are complete, and mission reports are accurate. It's also a reminder to the one who has it," Ay said. "A reminder of what?" Shin'en asked through clenched teeth.

"A reminder that they're still human."

That was the last time Percy Jackson would see either Yugito or Ay for over two years.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's the boring chapter taken care of. Shin'en got some new toys to play with, learned that he doesn't have to be hard as nails all the time, had a brief run-in with a goddess because I thought it was funny, and is now off to the Blood War.**_

 _ **Now, I want some input. Do you want me to spend most likely three months covering the Blood War arc, or would you rather me cover it in flashbacks and skip to canon?**_

 _ **PLEASE Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	17. Road to Canon

_Road to Canon_

 _ **Due to an astounding amount of suggestions to skip to canon, that is exactly what I'll be doing…at the end of the chapter. Up first is probably something that will piss off the readers, but Shin'en will be fulfilling his unwanted duty as a 'divine repairman.' Then we'll be introducing and laying the groundwork for the skipped-over Blood War and its characters. Finally, we'll end the chapter with canon, which will be the end of the Wave Arc.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _Naruto and PJO are property of Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively_

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 _Ocean between Land of Lightning and Land of Water_

 _August 16, 1010 A.S._

 _10:29 P.M._

Travelling across the deep water with Quint was a rather _interesting_ experience. The old fisherman understood that Shin'en was not the talking type, but would often regale the boy with stories of his time sailing the seas. It was one thing to be a fisherman, it was another thing to be a fisherman that used chakra to fish for some of the biggest creatures in the ocean.

Shin'en's favorite story was about a 25' shark that Quint affectionately referred to as 'Bruce.'

The demigod felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, and excused himself to the hold below where his bed was. Shin'en had a feeling about what this was about, and he could honestly say he wasn't pleased. He had told this being he didn't want to this type of stuff four years ago, but it appeared that he didn't have a choice.

Shin'en was out as soon as his head slammed into his pillow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The son of Poseidon predictably woke up suspended in the pocket dimension of Blue Space. Looking around, he saw the imposing form of Susanoo. Unlike the last time he saw the god, he was staring at Shin'en with the upmost seriousness.

"You're different. You seem to be taking me seriously."

Susanoo nodded curtly, "After spending the last four years watching you, I feel that a humorous personality would be unfitting for this interaction." The dimension erupted into the endless void of Earths. Shin'en's vision was suddenly jerked through the Multiverse, blacks, blues, and greens, blurring through his sight. The barrage of colors soon turned into a field of white, before everything came to a stop.

Now the two were in a white, circular room with floors ascending as far as you could look up, with doors lining the curved walls. On each simple black door had a plaque on it that read a variety of different names. _Claymore, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, Mushi-Shi, Corpse Party,_ and _Shiki_ were just a few of the names on the plaques.

"This is the Dimensional Hall. The Multiverse is where you can _watch_ the different dimensions in real-time, but this is the place in which you can _enter_ them."

" _Fascinating_. Tell me what's broken so I can fix it, and get to the Mist."

Susanoo nodded, and the two were suddenly zooming upward. They came to a stop, and Shin'en successfully played off the wave a nausea that washed over him. The duo had stopped in front of a door that had a plaque on it that read _Sword Art Online._

The door opened to reveal a black room that Susanoo pulled Shin'en into. The door shut, and a bunch of white doors glowed. Looking up, the demigod noted that this room was the same as the Dimensional Hall, but the colors were inverted and the doors didn't have plaques. The duo was suddenly flying straight up once more, coming to a sudden stop in front of another door. Instead of being pure white like the other doors, this one was marred with cracks and splinters.

"I trust this is the malformed dimension?"

"Indeed." Susanoo placed his hand upon Shin'en's head, and showed him the specifics of the dimension known as 'SAO.' NerveGear, Kayaba Akihiko, death game, Kazuto, Asuna, Yui, Yuuki, sword-skills, Laughing Coffin, guilds, bosses, 100 floors, and a bunch of other unimportant details. Shin'en swayed a moment before righting himself, "And what's wrong with this one?"

"Laughing Coffin. In this dimension, their numbers are bigger than in the original, and when the Divine Dragon Alliance and significant others launched their crusade party against them, the murder guild wiped them all out."

"Or they would have had you not dropped me into the fray. So what, kill a few and get out, warn the people of the ambush, or are we talking about genocide?"

"Genocide. I want you to wipe out all Laughing Coffin members."

"And what do I get in return for slaughtering over seventy people?"

Susanoo eyed the boy with a tinge of hostility, "Careful boy. You may be my champion, but you are still a mortal talking to an _im_ mortal. Demanding something from a god when they ask you to do something is not a wise move to make."

Shin'en rolled his eyes at the thinly veiled threat. "Spar me the intimidation tactics, Oh Wise Patron. You won't destroy me just because I ask for something in return, you view me as too valuable." The demigod opened the door to the broken dimension, revealing a strange place that was primarily colored dark blue that had floating platforms of rock, and diagonal pillars holding up things. "After I do this, how do I get back?"

"I'll open a portal for you." Emerald eyes looked at the god with mistrust.

"I swear I'll open a portal. Like you said, you're too valuable. Leaving you in a separate dimension is actually against divine law, anyway."

Shin'en nodded and promptly hopped through the portal into another dimension, closing the door behind him. Susanoo shook his head, "That boy is destined for so much power, and so much pain. But why does he have to be so difficult to deal with!?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 2024_

 _Lower Floor Caves_

 _Suspected Laughing Coffin Base_

A party of 50 men and women, most of them from the guild known as the Divine Dragon's Alliance, were on their way vanquish the murder guild called Laughing Coffin, either by capture or by death. Hopefully the former.

Kirito himself was nervous about the upcoming confrontation. Laughing Coffin were nothing but a bunch of murderers, and they needed to be brought to justice. They killed for no other reason than because they could. Still, they were good at what they did, and that was what made this mission so dangerous. So many things could go wrong.

The sound of clinking metal rang loud in everyone's ears. Most of the Knights wore heavy armor for added defense, and it was their motif. Something sounded off about the ambient noises though. Kirito's highly trained ears (Skill Points had to be good for something) picked up slight abrasions in the sound frequency. In the cacophony of clinking armor, there was what sounded like the clanging of blades…

The party continued onward, but it became clear that Kirito wasn't the only one hearing things. Other people were beginning to cock their heads the side, their eyes swiveling around. The sounds grew louder, and Schmitt held his hand up, halting the party.

With the newfound silence, it was clear now to everyone that blades were clashing just up the incline, but there another sound that was made known: screaming men.

Kirito was the first to sprint forward, the other members of the crusade party trailing behind him. Clearing the incline, he and the others saw a sight that would forever be ingrained in their memory: a young boy duel-wielding identical swords, ripping through Laughing Coffin members with a _dull_ look on his face.

The boy had black hair that fell across his forehead, slightly covering his eyes, in thin spikes. His eyes were a dark emerald, and his skin was a healthy tan. He was clad in a black tank-top, dark grey, baggy pants, black, open-toed sandals, and he had bandages wrapped around his right thigh with some type of holster wrapped around said bandages, and a pouch above his right butt cheek. On top of his clothes he wore a zip-up black cloak that only covered his body down to just above his knees.

In a flurry of movement, Kirito was able to just barely see a necklace with a teardrop-shaped pendant on it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This was boring actually. Shin'en had more _fun_ during that test in the Lightning Forest. These people had no real idea how to use a blade, only relying on their Sword Skills and wild slashing in his general direction.

The demigod had dropped in right on top of their little get-together, counting an even 200 men (his hydro-sensing still worked, as did everything else), and went to work.

As he killed, he noticed that the tattoo on his forearm burned, the number climbing higher and higher with each person he cut down. It was rather interesting seeing these people disperse into a bunch brightly-colored triangles after their little Health Bars were instantly reduced to zero with one or two well-placed strikes.

Shin'en sidestepped and cut off the head of another Laughing Coffin member, idly noticing the arrival of the main characters. Meh, they could watch all they wanted to. He had exactly ninety-three more murder-men to kill before Susanoo opened that portal to get the hell out of here.

Four men leapt high above him, but Shin'en jumped right up to them and spun quickly, adding four more men to the kill count. He landed and was in front of another group of men in a heartbeat, and then eight more people dispersed into glowing triangles. A battle cry went up, and twenty-three men raced at him from just the front.

A quick burst of chakra and Shin'en was on the other side of all of them, red lines covering their bodies before they all exploded into lights. That left 58 Laughing Coffin members still alive. These ones seemed to be the smarter of the guild; they weren't just charging into the meat grinder. Unfortunately, Shin'en's fighting style wasn't just to wait and then dance through any and all opposition. He would initiate combat if he had to. Like right now.

A man had just enough reaction time to bring up his sword to block, but the Lightning Fangs cleaved straight through the data and his HP. Shin'en spun around and sliced two men across the throat, before jumping and front flipping, splitting the charging man in half straight down the middle.

He landed in a crouch, forward rolled, then backwards rolled and sprang up, easily avoiding the massive cleaver wielded by the Laughing Coffin member. Shin'en backflipped and detonated the explosive tag that he had planted mid-roll. There went another 14 people.

40 Laughing Coffin members left. The demigod's tattoo burned as it increased in quantity. It was really annoying to have a burning sensation stab your senses every time you murdered something.

Insane laughing and a disturbance in the ambient water vapor, alerted Shin'en to the approach of two more Laughing Coffin members. These two were different, however. They charged forth, zigzagging behind each other with their swords scraping the stone.

The champion of Susanoo narrowed his eyes. He knew who these two were now. Johnny Black and Red-Eyed XaXa, rather notorious actually, from what Susanoo had showed him. Shin'en weaved and evaded all of their attacks, easily dodging all of their techniques and coordinated strikes.

Both of them had grins on their faces as they dueled. It was clear that they were only trying to distract him, as neither one of them were being serious at the moment. Now, just what were they planning-

The demigod vanished in a burst of speed, the poison darts sailing harmlessly into the dungeon.

"Aww, man," Johnny whined. "We missed him."

XaXa smirked from under his hood, "No we didn't."

Shin'en wasn't even worried. He saw the near-invisible string attached to the projectiles, and could tell that the darts were being pulled backwards by the other members of Laughing Coffin. It was interesting that those other people just stood there.

From what he paid attention to in psychology class, people that were 'noble' would often rush in to save some body, especially children of young ages. Shin'en, despite his immense power, knew that he was ten and looked very young. One person had even mistaken him for a tomboyish girl when he was walking through the streets. Guess that meant that none of those people were noble then.

At least they wouldn't interfere with the rest of this mission then.

Shin'en liquefied his torso, the darts flying through him with a splash and impacted some of the Laughing Coffin members. The boy couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him from watching his targets paralyze themselves. It was almost comical how they all just collapsed to the ground as if they had just been killed.

Anyway, it just became easier to kill them now.

Johnny Black and XaXa both face palmed when they saw their subordinates accidentally stab themselves. Freaking noobs…where'd that brat go? He was literally standing on that platform just a second ago-

XaXa balked and reacted instantly when the boy appeared in between him and Johnny by wildly slashing upward with his sword while jumping away. Black reacted by throwing a bunch of knives. As it turned out, the boy wasn't there at all, and what happened next was an unfortunate case of friendly fire, err, blades, actually.

The knives flew through the false image straight into XaXa's vitals, and, due to their proximity and the length of his sword, the upward slash sliced right up Johnny Black's chin and out his skull, splitting his face in half.

The both exploded into glowing polygons.

Shin'en didn't know whether to celebrate the fact that his Vapor-Illusion Jutsu actually worked, to laugh at the what those two just did (that was like a circus stunt), or sigh sadly at their lack of discipline. Regardless, the tattoo on his forearm burned as it went up two numbers.

38 people left, and they were all conveniently standing in one location, with six of them laying paralyzed on the ground. It was as if the universe had set this event up perfectly for what Shin'en was about to do.

Black lightning surged around the boy. Ay was right, he _had_ seen Darui use this technique enough to know how it would work. The Black Lightning Tattoo was probably the Hidden Cloud's greatest work of Sealing Jutsu, right up there with the Jinchuuriki seals. The Tattoo was simple in that it could be used to amplify _any_ Lightning Style attack. It was also easy to use; to turn the technique into a Black Lightning Technique, all one had to do was draw upon the chakra inside the seal.

Kind of Orochimaru's Cursed Seals.

"Lightning Style: Black Panther!" Just like the name implies, a panther-like construct made entirely out of Black Lightning surged forward form Shin'en's body like it was on chasing down prey. Wasn't entirely inaccurate, it's just that the prey was too stunned to react to a _fucking lightning panther_.

The jutsu roared as it impacted the freaked-out Laughing Coffin members, lighting up the world in a dazzling display of black and white electricity. The men screamed in agony as the lightning surging around them chewed through their HP like a lawnmower. In seconds, all of them began to explode into glowing polygons. When the last member died, the Black Panther quickly dissipated into a few stray bolts before vanishing completely.

Shin'en grinned in triumph. That turned out to be rather enjoyable in the end. It was definitely a rush, though, using the power of the Black Lightning Tattoo. That technique was going to be very effective on the battlefield.

He hopped down form the platform he was standing on, wondering when Susanoo was going to open up that portal to get out of here (he had succeeded in killing all 200 members of Laughing Coffin), when he looked at the audience. He snorted in good nature at the expressions on their faces. "There are easier ways to catch flies, you know."

That broke them out of their stupor, but most of them stayed where they were, fear clearly evident in their stances, posture, and their eyes. It was the ones Shin'en knew to be Kirito, Asuna, and Klein that approached him, hands on their swords. "Can I help you?"

"Kid," Klein breathed. "You just killed, like, a hundred people, Laughing Coffin people even, doesn't that bother you?"

"No."

Kirito narrowed his black eyes. "What you said there at the end, Lightning Style: Black Panther, what was that?" he asked coldly.

"It was magic," Shin'en answered without missing a beat. "I have a Skill that allows me to boost my stats with spells and stuff."

"You're lying," Kirito accused. "I know this game inside and out, and there isn't any perk or Skill that let's anyone use spells. So what was it that you used against Laughing Coffin?" he ground out.

Asuna sighed, "Klein's worried about your mental state, and Kirito's worried about that lightning thing. Does anyone here besides me have any manners?" She shook her head, "I'm Asuna, and these two idiots are Kirito and Klein. What's your name?" she asked with a smile.

Shin'en internally smirked, someone that was raised to be polite. "My name is Shin'en."

"It's nice to meet you Shin'en. What were you doing out here?"

"Killing the two-hundred members of Laughing Coffin that were about to ambush your crusade party and kill every single one of you without remorse or hesitation because they were tipped off about your coming here and they felt threatened," Shin'en shrugged nonchalantly.

He was met with three slack-jawed looks.

A beam of light descended from the sealing, before it widened out by over 30 meters, becoming like a gateway. The light in the gateway faded, revealing SAO's Dimensional Hall, not that the denizens here could see that. Divine laws and all that jazz.

"Oh, that's what Susanoo meant by portal."

"Huh? Susanoo? The Shinto Storm god?"

Shin'en smirked at Klein. "Bye."

He vanished in a blur, and the gateway instantly closed up and the beam of light ascended back into the ceiling. Everyone present just stared at the spot in front of them for a moment…before they all turned around and began to slowly walk back the way they came. They didn't know what the hell just happened, but their brains felt fried enough already without having to make the effort to understand it.

This was a strange world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Other than fixing something that was broken, was there any particular reason you had me do that?"

"That was to give you a taste of what the next two years will be like. I'm sure you noticed that several members of the guild were quite unhinged; that is what you will find waiting for you in the Mist."

"Terrifying. I feel bored already."

"The trials you will face in the Blood Wars will change you, Shin'en. After you come out of the Mist, you will not be the same, and what you will see while there will haunt and torment you for years to come."

"Are you trying to talk me out of going?"

"Not at all, but because you are my champion, I felt it appropriate to give you ample warning."

"Consider me warned. Now, get me back to reality so I can get to the Mist."

"If that is what you want, then I shall grant your request, but I believe we made a deal. You would fix that dimension, and I would give you something in return. You've held your end of the bargain, now it is time to honor mine. What is it that you want, demigod? A weapon, a power, a jutsu, knowledge, a corpse?"

Shin'en thought about what he truly wanted. If Susanoo was offering him _anything_ , then all it would take to have Yagura's head, or unlimited chakra, or the Rinnegan, or an unstoppable weapon, or an impenetrable shield, or even his _family back_ , was just a few words.

But…he would take Yagura's head for himself; he would gain more chakra; he would unlock the secrets of the Rinnegan himself; the Lightning Fangs cut through everything; he didn't need a shield, he could liquefy; his family was dead and dust now, and seeing him now would make them all run away crying.

"I don't want Persephone to have any dreams of me until I return to the Cloud."

"So be it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 18, 1010 After Sage_

 _Southwestern Land of Water_

 _Exact same fishing village from Chapter 8_

 _9:03 P.M._

Shin'en emerged from the murky water completely dry. He had hopped off of _The Orca_ some time ago and swam his way here. He had bid Quint goodbye, the old fisherman wishing him good luck with whatever it was he was about to do. It was an amazing experience swimming all the way to the Mist.

Fish of all kinds swam up to him, speaking to him mind-to-mind, recognizing the sea within him, calling him lord of all things. The sharks were his favorite to interact with. The species was so curious and rambunctious, nudging him with their noses and asking that he fight with them. The Great Whites were especially touchy, something that entertained Shin'en greatly.

Funny, it was just before he went to war that he felt most like a child.

The shinobi waiting for him there all wore masks of varying design, and cloaks covering their bodies, but their genders were easy to identify to someone that could sense the cell arrangement of a body based on the water within those cells.

"The sea is at its calmest…" the leader trailed off.

Shin'en rolled his eyes, finding the need for secrecy here to be ridiculous, but he answered anyway, "…when its children are happiest. Which explains why it's rolling right now. Get going."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Rebel Camp_

 _Undisclosed Location_

 _9:18 P.M._

Shin'en and his escort stopped tree-hopping when they came upon a particularly dense area of forest. The genjutsu was powerful, but the demigod could sense the people moving around behind it. One of the shinobi whistled a certain tune, flared his chakra in a certain manner, and ran his hands through a specific sequence. When he was done with the charade, the forest rippled like water before disappearing, revealing the mass of tents with people running, walking, and strolling around among a massive clearing in the woods.

The tents were arranged in neat rows, with a single, massive tent right in the middle. Shin'en recognized the chakra that was in that tent. Mei Terumi was in there. It took only a few seconds of brisk walking through the camp to get to the main tent. During the walk, the group managed to attract the attention of every living thing here.

Shin'en entered the tent alone to see Mei and some guy in a bathrobe with blue hair and an eyepatch pouring over a bunch of maps. Shinobi stood guard along the sides of the mostly barren tent, and there were shinobi that were hidden in places.

"If we send these troops here…and move those troops there…" Mei muttered out loud, moving tiny toy soldiers across a rather detailed canvas of the surrounding area.

"Excuse me," Shin'en interrupted. Mei looked at him with an irritated look, before it morphed into of relief.

"Oh thank God you're here. I've already got your squad picked out and they're eagerly awaiting your arrival. This is their location; I trust you can find it by yourself. Now go, and welcome to the Rebellion, Shinobi." Shin'en's eye twitched at being called the very thing he swore to never become, but headed out to meet his new 'squad' regardless.

That was short, sweet, and to the point. Just the way he liked it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Undisclosed Location_

 _9:27 P.M._

Shin'en stood on the edge of a rounded cliff. Beneath him, nothing but forest stretched on for miles and miles. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Beneath him was four people, two females and two males. Without any more thinking about it, the demigod promptly hopped off the cliff edge.

He landed without a sound and turned around, whistling lowly at the fact that there was a building carved _from_ the very stone he just jumped off of. The people inside were moving around inside now, probably alerted by his presence.

The demigod calmly walked up the steps of the building, eyeing the impressive front door. There weren't any visible traps, but that didn't mean that there weren't any around. Doing the polite thing, and because all four people were at the door, Shin'en calmly knocked on the door.

The door was opened, and the boy was pulled in.

The entrance hall was just that, an entrance hall. Wide, open, and the ceiling supported by pillars with stone floors, walls, and roof, and chandeliers illuminating the hall. Multiple doors lined the walls, leading to other rooms and halls.

"You're the one Mei assigned to us? We don't need to run into town to buy some diapers do we?" said a scratchy female voice to Shin'en's left.

The person who spoken was probably in her early twenties, had a scary grin on her face, pale skin, yellow eyes and hair that was cut short, spikey in the back. Two bangs reached down to her breasts and the rest were swept to the her left. She was dressed rather provocatively, with a white scarf, black tube top, baggy pants that left her inner thighs open and were tucked into brown boots, white opera gloves that were baggy around her elbow but tight everywhere else, and would could've been a pair of black panties.

"Aw come one, Yūwaku. I think he looks cute." The other girl wrapped her arm around Shin'en's shoulder. She was wearing a white shirt with a black vest over it, a red skirt, black stockings that came up to her knees, and pink sandals. Her hair was orange and flowed down to just above her ass (Shin'en wondered how she managed going to the bathroom with hair that long). She was wearing headphones with a ribbon sticking up on the side, and a cigarette burned in her mouth. It was the glint in her orange eyes though that made the demigod internally cringe.

She was either an insane psychopath that got orgasmic joy from inflicting both mental, emotional, or physical pain on others, and probably had multiple torture devices in her quarters and was probably into femdom, or she had the complex of a big sister and saw him as her new little brother. Either way was creepy enough.

"Lay off the lad, ladies. If Mei assigned him to us, that means she believes she can contribute," the first man spoke. He was extremely muscular, broad, had the air of a leader, tan skin, black hair in an impressive pompadour, blue eyes, wore a black muscle shirt and white pants tucked into brown boots. "My name is Arashi, and the one hugging you is Sukina. The last member of our group is Bullock."

Bullock was an older teenager with green hair, his bangs swept down to his left chin, covering his green eye. A pair of red goggles on his head, red gloves on his hands, a green trench coat with a fur-lined hood, a white shirt, blue pants, and brown sandals. "Yo."

"My name is Shin'en, and I've been assigned to this squad by Mei Terumi." Arashi nodded and Sukina disengaged.

"Each of us has a specific skill set that helps us with our missions," he said. "I am the leader, in charge of planning and coordination. Yūwaku is in charge of information gathering, using her body to her advantage." The woman bounced her boobs with a teasing grin on her face. "Sukina is our infiltration specialist, using her skills with Transformation Jutsu to complete missions. Bullock is an expert with ninja wire, able to use it for things you wouldn't even think possible." The man put his fists together and pulled them apart, four thin lines shining in the light. "Mei didn't tell us much about you, other than you can fit any roll for what we do."

"And what is it that you do?"

"Why, assassination and espionage of course," Sukina said.

Shin'en felt his world shatter. Those two things were the primary uses of shinobi. Those were the two things that shinobi were bred for. Those were the two things that he swore he would never do. And now it looked like he had no choice.

"You okay kid?" Bullock asked with concern.

Shin'en closed his eyes to gather himself. "Yeah," he finally said, "just a little tired after travelling all the way here from the Land of Lightning." Not an entire lie, but he was far from telling the truth.

Arashi nodded in understanding, "That's alright. Yūwaku, show him to his room. I suggest we all turn in for the night; this might be one of the rare times we get a peaceful rest." The others nodded and dispersed, Bullock giving everyone a lazy goodnight, Arashi clapping Shin'en on the shoulder, and Sukina pecking him on the cheek before going to her room."

"Well kid," Yūwaku said cheerily, "let's go get you settled in."

The two walked through a door and down a dark hallway. They past many tapestries and paintings, and there were doors that looked ready to fall off.

"What is this place?" Shin'en asked quietly.

"This used to be one of the Water Daimyo's summer retreats, before the Blood War started. He stopped coming here and the place fell into disarray, so we moved in and converted it into our headquarters," Yūwaku said. "Ah! Here we are, your room."

She opened the door and flipped on the light. Shin'en looked around; it was a simple place, carpet, blue painted walls and ceiling, bed in one corner, dresser in another, shelf with multiple books, ceiling fan, a closet door, and a bathroom door.

"Breakfast is whatever you find, and wakeup time is whenever someone feels like it. You can explore this place all you want, but try not to get lost, because your mommy isn't here to find you," she batted her eyelashes suggestively, "unless you want me to be your mommy, baby boy~." Shin'en slammed the door in her face, muffling her laughter.

The idiosyncrasies were strong with these people, but he felt that they would all get along. The vibe he got from Arashi was that he could be laidback yet serious when he needed to be. Bullock seemed to be a go with the flow type of person, easily able to fit in with every crowd. Sukina was the one everyone connected to, and was probably the shoulder to cry on. Yūwaku was the tease, the spirit, and the humor of the group, and was open with her sexuality. Shin'en wondered how many fetishes she had forced herself to play along with in order to complete a mission.

They were an interesting bunch, that was for sure. But would you expect from an assassination squad called 'Yūrei'?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Over two years later_

 _June 8, 1013 A.S._

 _Wave Country_

The mansion was large, three stories actually. A grand front door with grand steps leading up to it. Windows lining the entire expanse of the walls, all of them closed of course. Balconies were at both ends of the mansion, the bricks colored rust-red. There was a grand total of 152 men and women inside the mansion, and 32 men patrolling around, with 5 more men in the wooden guard towers.

The mansion was outfitted with the latest in anti-shinobi technology. Chakra sensors, security cameras, motion detectors, chakra-suppression seals, the one who owned this place was both rich and paranoid…he was also the target for this mission, but he unfortunately wasn't here at the moment. Too bad, he only prolonged his life by about thirty minutes anyways.

Perhaps mission was too strong a word for what the assassin was doing here. This wasn't something on paper, with orders and objectives, this was merely a simple request for that red-haired bitch of a Mizukage, Mei. She would be in his debt after this, and the assassin was very keen on collecting what was owed to him.

As for the patrolmen, the assassin's Shadow Clones had already taken care of them. The tattoo burned as the number increased once more, but the pain was barely noticeable. Pulling back his sleeve, the assassin hummed at the new kill-count: 11, 343. It was about to get higher.

Infiltration was easy despite the security; the assassin had grown used to infiltrating places like this. Now it was only a matter of taking out those inside without being detected. It made it more challenging to commit genocide without raising the alarm.

The assassin moved quietly through the mansion, having infiltrated from the basement he had to work his way up to the designated room. There could be no survivors, or witnesses, something that the assassin had learned the hard way once upon a time. Keep everything in front of you, kill everything you come across. The assassin did just that; in the basement there was a collection of slave boys/girls, probably between the ages of eight and fifteen. Based on how their cells were arranged around their exit-orifices, each of them was frequently used as sexual relief.

They all thought he was there to rescue them, well, he rescued them from the hell that their lives were. Their deaths were instant and painless; a pressured blast of water to the brain did that to people.

Moving out of the basement and onto the first floor, the only thing the assassin had to worry about was the few maids that were still doing the early-morning cleaning, and the personnel in some of the rooms, gambling and drinking. The maids were easy enough to kill, they were just untrained civilians after all.

Even with the anti-chakra field inside the mansion, it was easy to make Shadow Clones. Having multiple people doing the same thing in a coordinated manner made things much easier. Strolling through the mansion, the assassin was pleased to sense that his Clones were easily taking care of the thugs behind closed doors. It was remarkably easy now, getting the drop on large groups of people and taking them all out before they could breath.

The assassin was on the second floor now, and calmly strolled down the hallway. A door opened up along one of the walls, and the assassin darted behind it. A young woman, probably late teens or early twenties, came out of the bathroom that was behind the door. She turned left and closed the door behind her, but the assassin raised his kunai and stabbed her in the back of the head, before dragging her dead body back into the bathroom.

Nice ring on that left ring finger, though. The assassin took it from the still-warm corpse, probably get a few thousand ryo for it. Another thing the assassin had learned was that anything on a dead body was right for the taking, for any purpose.

Continuing down the hallway, a group of three thugs came clambering down the stair at the other end, clearly drunk. They looked down the hallway, saw nothing, and made to continue on doing whatever it was they were doing, but the groaning of wood drew their attention to behind them. Nothing was there, so they all turned around and got shuriken right in their foreheads.

The assassin didn't break stride and walked right over the bodies, up the stairs to the third floor. His Shadow Clones were scaling the outside of the mansion, and climbing through the vents and such. The security room had been taken care of long ago, and every security measure disposed of. This floor was mostly empty, except for the master's chambers, where ten thugs stood guard inside.

The assassin turned the door knob and entered the chambers, the thugs all scrambling to draw their weapons upon realizing that the one entering was not one their comrades. They all instantly died when their hearts exploded.

The master's chambers were as extravagant as you would expect. A king-sized bed occupying the right wall, windows on either side of the bed. The left wall had a gigantic bookcase that was filled with books, tiny heads, trinkets, and jars of stuff. The wall directly in front of the assassin had a large desk, and behind it was a massive portrait of the target depicting him as a revered warlord on an armored horse with multiple women on their knees, worshipping him.

Reminded the assassin of the Water Daimyo's bedroom.

He walked across the room, ignoring the dead bodies, threw the desk out the window, and _opened_ the portrait. Behind it was a safe, and behind the safe was what the assassin was after. Unfortunately, this safe was about as anti-shinobi as you could possibly imagine.

It had an eight-digit analogue combination that required you to spin the dials to the proper numbers. Failure to do so on the first try would result in the safe exploding. Ripping the door off would make it explode, coming at from any direction besides the front would make it explode, trying to cut into it would make it explode, gripping the handles without the correct combination would shock you with 20,000 volts, channeling charka into the gears would make it explode.

Basically, anything besides the combination would make it explode.

Luckily, this was the eighth safe the assassin had dealt with in his twelve-and-a-half-years of life that was like that, so you could say he was experienced with these safes. It also that helped that the assassin had this unique ability to turn any part of his body into water and have enter even the tightest spaces.

The assassin pointed his fingers at the combination gears, and the digits turned blue and formless. The liquid entered the gears, spinning and turning them, inaudible clicks (at least to normal ears) resounding from inside the safe. Finally, the last number was set and the assassin reformed his hand.

He gripped the safe handle and spun it, and the door swung open without a problem. Naïve businessman, believing that no one but him could open his safe, he had no extra countermeasures inside his safe. The assassin pulled out some of the scrolls and documents within, scanning them over.

Bingo.

Deeds, deals, contracts, letters, everything was here. Gato was a fool to keep everything that gave him power in one single location. With these papers, every establishment in Wave Country was literally in the palm of his hand. There was even blackmail against the Wave Daimyo in here as well.

That was the first part of the mission completed, now to get the Demon of the Mist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Incomplete Bridge_

 _Minutes later_

Interesting, Indra's reincarnation was passed out with senbon skewering his body. Judging by the chakra that was present in his eyes, he had just awakened his Sharingan. Ashura's reincarnation was in a deadlock with the most androgynous member of the Yuki clan the assassin had ever seen. Zabuza was being held down by Kakashi of the Sharingan's ninja hounds. The Leaf shinobi himself was preparing his signature move as well. None of them realized that Gato and the rest of his mercenaries, the ones that weren't at his mansion, were hiding in the mist on the opposite end of the bridge.

Time to go to work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko was angry and confused right now. Haku was a good person, she could feel it, so was he being such an idiot!? Why would he so blindly follow a person who clearly didn't care for him, seeing the Kekkei Genkai bearer as nothing more than a tool. She was going to beat Haku, and bring him back with her to Leaf, she swore it, and that was her ninja way! To never go back on her word, and never give up!

Haku had taught her that.

The sound of a thousand chirping birds made both combatants look over at Kakashi and Zabuza, their eyes widening at what they were seeing. The Scarecrow about run the Demon through.

"I'm sorry, Naruko."

The girl blinked as the boy in front of started doing one-handed seals, before vanishing in a blur. Naruko's blue eyes widened in horror as Haku appeared in front of the restrained Zabuza, right in front of her sensei's Lighting Blade…there was no way Kakashi could stop.

Then a person in black clothes and a white mask was in front of Kakashi, making everyone's eyes widened at the new arrival. Naruko heard the Nine-Tails growling within his seal, clearly agitated by the boy.

' _I can't stop!'_ Kakashi thought desperately. _'I'm to go right through them both!'_ His lone Sharingan spun wildly, its precognitive vision activating, but the Copy-Ninja couldn't believe it until it was actually happening.

The boy's arms snapped out, grabbing Kakashi's wrist and diverting the Lightning Blade, while his other arm stopped his momentum dead on. He spoke, but his voice dead and distorted by the white mask he wore, "They are not yours to take." Then he reversed his grip on the Jonin's flak-jacket, and launched Kakashi up and over Zabuza, making him land hard on his back. The ninja hounds dispelled.

The boy turned around to look at the two shinobi. Zabuza's eyes widened in recognition of the mask. There was a line curving around the bottom of the mask, with lines coming off the curve to the bottom of the mask, giving it the appearance of a deranged grin. Painted over his left eye was a crescent opening up, with a line splitting it down the middle. Over his right eye were three diagonal lines pointing down toward his nose. The boy was wearing black pants tucked into black boots, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a sleeveless black zip-up vest with a high collar.

The Demon of the Hidden Mist knew who this was, hell, everyone in the Rebellion knew who this was. This boy was the only surviving member of Yūrei…but why was he here?

"The turtle has been pulled out of its shell and thrown into the lava," Shin'en said cryptically. Only Zabuza got the message, but everyone that was conscious looked at him strangely. Even Kakashi was highly confused. "Volcano wanted me to tell you to return to the Mist."

Zabuza almost cried tears of joy. The war was over; he and Haku no longer needed to do these mission, they could go back home now. He tried to stand up, but his body was more damaged than the thought, and he almost fell on his face. Haku caught him before that could happen, and Shin'en pointed his hand at the Swordsman.

The ambient mist swirled around Zabuza, obscuring him from view. Kakashi and Naruko stood at the ready, and Sakura was doing a good job of healing Sasuke. Those lessons with Tsunade were paying off it seemed.

The mist around Zabuza cleared out, at the Demon Swordsman was revealed to be perfectly fine. His injuries had healed, his chakra had regenerated, even his clothes were no longer ripped. The Leaf Shinobi tensed up, ready for the coming fight, but clapping from the other side of the bridge drew attention to the small army lead by a midget.

"You aren't in his employ anymore…what are you going to do about him betraying you?" Shin'en asked in a dead tone.

Zabuza stood up, a glint in his eye, "I'm to teach that bastard a lesson in what happens when you cross a shinobi." He made to retrieve his Executioner's Blade, but an arc of electricity danced from Shin'en's body over to the massive blade, latching on to it, and reeling it back to Zabuza's hand. "I've heard stories about your Lightning manipulation, but I've never actually seen it done."

"There are a lot of stories about me," there was a puff of smoke, and the Lightning Blades were brought into the world, "most of them are true."

"Even that one where you dressed up as a girl to assassinate that guy?"

"…yes."

Kakashi, Naruko, Sasuke, and Sakura, overhearing the conversation, dropped their jaws. What was going on here? Who was that boy? How did he know Zabuza? Why did Zabuza seem to respect the boy? What guy? What did he look like dressed up as a girl?

"Do you want all of them?"

"Naw, I've heard too many stories about what you can do with those swords, I want to see it for myself. But Gato is mine."

Shin'en walked past the tense Leaf shinobi, past the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha. Gato and his thugs burst out laughing when they saw some snot-nosed punk coming out to face them. There laughter was cut abruptly cut off when an explosion shook the bridge. Smoke began to rise in the distance.

"My mansion…" Gato mumbled as his glasses almost fell off. He turned to Shin'en with a look of murderous rage, "You! What did you _do_!?"

"I blew up your mansion."

"Gahhhhhhhh! Someone kill that bitch!"

The mercenaries screamed and raised their weapons charging head on at what they assumed was just some kid with a pair of swords. Zabuza approached the stunned Leaf ninja, "How accustomed are your brats to seeing death, Kakashi?"

"They haven't killed anyone yet."

"That's too bad." Boy and cannon fodder met in a flurry of swords, limbs, and blood. "What I know of that boy is only rumor and stories told to me by contacts."

"What have you been told about him?" The boy spun around, bisecting several people. He stopped and crouched low, then he sprang forward and drove his swords into a man's gut.

"That he's an absolute demon with a blade."

The boy jumped back, planting his feet on someone's face, using them as a push-off, before rocketing forward and decapitated a man. He rolled as he landed, before he cut down the men who charged at him from all sides, in a simple display of sidestepping.

"That he once faced 1000 shinobi at once and came out on top."

He jumped high into the air, and brought the Lightning Fangs down, splitting some poor soul into three pieces. Another charged at the boy from behind, but he was decapitated in a motion that Kakashi and Sasuke's Sharingan saw clearly.

"That he was able to assassinate any target, regardless of security, location, or status."

Only 12 men, besides, Gato were left standing, and all of them could barely hold on to their weapons. Shin'en looked at them with his grinning mask, and they turned tail and ran for the hills. "No survivors…" the boy whispered. He threw the Lightning Blades to the sides, and used _chakra threads_ to guide them. They spun through the air in wide arcs, and then all of the mercenaries were decapitated. The swords spun back to their master, and poofed back into their seals.

"That he slaughtered anyone between him and whoever his target was."

Shin'en flicked his wrist, and Gato was ensnared in ninja wire. The boy jerked his arm back, the businessman flying with it. Shin'en caught him, and the midget immediately started blubbering, "P-please d-d-don't k-k-k-kill me! I-I-I-I can make you r-r-r-rich, g-give yo-u-u power, and women! I c-can—!"

"You're begging the wrong person."

Shin'en threw Gato down at Zabuza's feet. The Demon of the Mist glared down at the midget, his giant sword gleaming in the light that was starting to break through the clouds. Gato was paralyzed with fear, and unable to say anything. Zabuza growled and spun the Executioner's Blade above him in an arc of death. His Killing Intent mixed with chakra, creating the illusion of the demon he was named for.

Gato screamed when the blade came down, Haku and Kakashi standing silently, Sakura and Sasuke staring with wide eyes, Naruko screaming out stop.

CRINKSH!

Gato trembled and opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in the highly polished cleaver that came down _millimeters_ from his shoulder. "Leave," Zabuza growled, "you aren't worth getting my sword dirty." Gato scrambled to his feet and began to run for the forest, charging right past Shin'en…who cut off the midget's head with a kunai.

Sakura and Naruko were sick, Sasuke looked green, Haku and Kakashi had seen and done worse, and Zabuza didn't care either way.

Shin'en handed Zabuza a scroll, and the Demon of the Mist knew that it contained the documents from Gato's safe. His work done, the boy spun on his heel and walked back across the bridge, ignoring Gato's corpse.

"Yūrei." The boy stopped, and Zabuza took that as a sign to continue, "I know about what happened to you and the rest…and I'm sorry. They were all good friends of mine when we were in the Academy."

Shin'en dispersed into water vapor.

"Wait!" Naruko called, but it was too late; the boy was gone. She looked at Zabuza, "Who was he?"

Zabuza was silent for a moment as he contemplated the answer. "I don't know," he said truthfully. At their disbelieving gazes, he elaborated. "You all know of the war that's been going on the Mist, correct?" they nodded, "A little over two years ago, a boy without a name joined the Rebels, and the leader assigned that boy to the most ruthless, brutal, and secretive squad in the Rebellion. Most of what's known about him is rumors and legends, but I can tell you this…" he paused, taking a breath. The Leaf shinobi were paying rapt attention.

"That boy is the one who killed the Fourth Mizukage, Three-Tailed Yagura."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Yay! Finally, to canon! I hope it was to everyone's satisfaction as much as it was mine. Sorry for those of you who wanted the Blood War now.**_

' _ **Yūrei' loosely means 'ghost' in Japanese, and for what they all did in the Mist, I felt it was appropriate. Those of you who have seen Akame ga Kill! will probably recognize the character influence in this chapter. Yūrei is Inspired by Night Raid, after all.**_

 _ **What all happened in Blood War, what tragedies befell Shin'en, what did he do there? Questions to be answered later in life, I'm afraid.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	18. Prelude to the Chunin Exams

_Prelude the Chunin Exams_

 _ **We've finally made it to canon. That makes two out of three stories. In this chapter, Shin'en is back in the Cloud, integrating, and I'm setting up my version of the Konoha Crush. We'll also be starting the beloved Chunin Exams!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 11, 1013 A.S._

 _10:10 A.M._

 _Raikage's Office_

Ay was going over the mission reports that Mei had regularly sent to him over the course of the past two and a half years. It was shocking to say the least, the things that Shin'en did, the things that he had endured during the Blood War. It was all going according to plan.

Now the boy was emotionally fragile and mentally disturbed. All that was left to do now was help him 'heal' and push him in the right direction. The right direction being a walking murder-tank that blew up whatever was in front of him without hesitation, remorse, guilt, or abandon. With the Leaf hosting the Chunin Exams this year, the perfect opportunity to finish up Operation: Demigod had presented it.

A being with more power than the Jinchuuriki…the balance of the world would soon be tipped in the Cloud's favor.

Ay had already sent in the response to Minato's invitation, and the Raikage was already prepping the troops for a shock-and-awe campaign against the Leaf. Shin'en would be the spearhead, causing the most destruction and confusion while the shinobi took out the key targets.

The problem would be the Jinchuuriki. Rasa's son Gaara, Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail, and Minato's daughter Naruko, Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, were both participating. Well, Ay was having Bee and Yugito going too, and Shin'en had killed Yagura, so maybe those two brats weren't much of a problem after all.

Minato, Hiruzen, and Rasa themselves, however, would definitely be a problem. Ay, Ei, and Bee were all exceptionally powerful, but Minato had a track record of beating Ei, Hiruzen was just as ancient and wise as Ay, and the Raikage didn't know how Gold Dust would affect a Jinchuuriki.

That was why the Lightning Shadow was writing out a deal in the scroll to be delivered to a specific organization that specialized in high-risk missions for a low price.

Ay's hand moved across the scroll, ironing the details, requests, deals, stipulations, doing his best to make a convincing bargain, when decades of highly experienced warning bells went off simultaneously.

The Raikage leapt back from his desk, landed crouched on the wall, prepared his One-Fingered Hell Stab, and stopped everything he was doing when he saw who had snuck into his office…somehow.

Shin'en was dressed in an all-black ensemble, with a very creepy mask.

Ay dropped back down to the ground, a miffed look on his face. "Please, in the future, refrain from just popping into my office. There is a door for a reason." Shin'en said nothing. "I trust your trip back here was smooth and without issue?" Silence. "Fine then, don't answer me. Your re-arrival is actually most opportune. Here, take this scroll to this location, and come back alive." Shin'en accepted the offered scroll, and just stared at it for a while. "I know you're probably tired, so you don't have to do this." Shin'en shook his head and vanished.

Ay sat back down in his chair, "No arguments, comebacks, or conversation of any kind…that boy is truly screwed up now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown Location_

Shin'en approached the designated area. He sensed two people ahead of him, both of them male, and both of them felt very wrong. For starters, one of the men only had water present where is heart was supposed to be, and the other man…there was no describing just how screwed up the other man's body was.

It was night, the full moon glowing above. He was in a grassy plain, hills decorating the landscape, obscuring the surrounding trees. It was cool out here, a soft breeze blowing the grass blades around.

Shin'en reached the top of the hill, coming face-to-face with the people he was meeting. The one on his right was a massive, hunched over man, but it was just a shell hiding the smaller figure inside. The man on his left was tall, and had long black hair. Any other features these two had were shrouded by the straw hats and high-collared black cloaks with red clouds that they wore.

"The Raikage wanted us to meet a messenger here to discuss business. I didn't expect the legendary Yūrei to be in the employ of Ay," the left one drawled, his voice deep and gravelly. Shin'en threw the scroll at the taller one, the man catching it easily…exposing his pale skin, light-purple nail polish, and the ring on his left little finger.

The man opened the scroll, looking it over, humming to himself, before it holding it open to his partner. The hunched-over man hummed and nodded as well. The tall one rolled the scroll back up and threw it back to Shin'en. "Tell Lord Raikage that he has a deal."

The man's voice sounded like a more slithery version of Zabuza's.

Shin'en said nothing as he turned around and began to walk back down the hill, the two shinobi doing the same. Those two…they were Sasori of the Red Sands and Orochimaru of the Sannin, two S-ranked missing-nin with reputations of mass-murder and body modification. Why those two were together, and wearing the same uniform was quite interesting.

Especially interesting considering that Ay wanted to hire them for something.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Back in the Raikage's office_

 _Sunrise_

Ay was doing some light bench-press (meaning he was trying not to throw several thousand pounds of metal into his ceiling), casually bringing it up and down. The old man didn't really sleep much in his advanced age, and spent his sleepless moments keeping his sculpted body in great shape.

"They accepted your proposal."

Ay was so surprised that he reacted on reflex by throwing the bar through his roof, and almost stabbed Shin'en through the heart, but the Raikage managed to stop himself. "I thought I asked you to knock?"

"Are you going to tell me about what that meeting was for, or do I have to guess?"

Ay grumbled and looked out the massive window that spanned his office, noticing how the sun was beginning to rise. "I'll tell you later; you're one of the main components of the plan. For now, though, return to your apartment that you shared with Yugito. She'll be happy to see you after these two years."

Shin'en said nothing as he walked out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was back in the Cloud now, his deal with Susanoo now over. Shin'en idly wondered if Persephone was now going to start dreaming of everything he did in the Mist, or was going to ring his neck because she was completely in the dark about the past two and a half years? It didn't matter though, her opinion of anything had as much worth as the dirt.

The boy silently opened the door to his shared apartment. Yugito was asleep, but a trained Jonin such as her could be easily woken up by a change in the air currents. But Shin'en had learned how to conceal his presence and hide from even the most seasoned trackers.

Sneaking in on Ay _twice_ was proof of that.

Shin'en walked across the apartment to his room. The door was shut, but that was easily fixed. Shutting it behind him so the light wouldn't disturb Yugito, he noted that absolutely nothing had been disturbed. Everything was exactly where it had been, not even dust had marred the surfaces.

Shin'en removed his mask and placed it on his dresser. He unzipped his vest, removed his shirt, took off his sandals, and pulled down his pants, leaving him in only his underwear. The boy glanced down at the necklace that had been given to him by the woman in the other room. The Sea's Tear…it had seen better days. Once the pearl was white and pristine, now it was dull and had cracks running across its surface; there was even a small chunk missing at the bottom.

He sighed and moved the sheets back and climbed in to his old bed. It was still big enough to accommodate him. Well he had only grown a few inches since he was last in the Cloud.

Minutes later of doing nothing but tossing and turning, and Shin'en had enough of this soft surface. He rolled out of his bed and landed on the floor without a sound. He hated beds, months of sleeping on wherever he could find, sometimes not sleeping at all, had completely ruined his sense of comfort.

Besides, he wasn't even tired, and it was six in the morning.

Might as well get the day started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito snapped awake when her nose picked up the scent of cooking eggs and her ears the sound sizzling bacon. Who was in her apartment? Why were they making breakfast? How did they get in without alerting her or the Two-Tails?

The Jinchuuriki grabbed the kunai she kept under her pillow, slowly crawled out of bed, and carefully snuck over to the kitchen. Whoever was in there seemed busy trying to flip the bacon over, judging by sudden increase in hissing bubbles. With their back turned, Yugito silently leapt over the countertop, kunai raised to strike lethally, and stared into a pair of dark emerald eyes.

"I made breakfast…and you're not wearing any clothes."

Several things ran through Yugito's mind in that instant. A) those were Shin'en's eyes. B) that was Shin'en's voice, only a bit deeper. C) Shin'en was back home! D) Shin'en had somehow gotten inside the apartment without key or waking her up. E) She slept in the nude. F) She was naked in front of a twelve-year-old. And finally G) The boy wasn't freaking out over seeing exposed tits and vagina.

Yugito turned redder than a fireball, from a combination of embarrassment (for obvious reasons), and anger (from the strange way a female's mind worked). The Two-Tails was being extremely unhelpful by laughing its fiery-blue ass off. Damn, perverted, cat-demon creatures.

The Jonin streaked back to her room and slammed the door with enough force to crack the walls.

Shin'en merely turned around and finished flipping the bacon. He had been on missions that involved harlots, hoes, whores, prostitutes, and slaves. While highly disturbing most of those missions were, especially _that_ one, there wasn't much Shin'en had in the way of sexual innocence. He had seen many naked female bodies before, Yugito's was nothing to blush over.

Yugito's door slammed open, and the boy was suddenly lifted off the ground in a hug that almost threatened to crack his ribs. Cats and their maternal instincts, go figure. Yugito was just holding him tight to her body, a few tears landing in his hair. She pulled back, and smiled sadly at the dead look in her charge's eyes.

War was never good for anybody, especially not children, even those that were born from gods. Maybe that was the reason Shin'en wasn't completely insane.

"Breakfast in finished."

Yugito ruffled his hair slightly and kissed his forehead, "Then let's eat."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 12, 1013 A.S._

 _11:18 A.M._

 _Raikage's office_

"You want me to do _what?_ "

Ay was prepared for a little bit of opposition, sixty plus years had taught him patience and tolerance. So, he wasn't even mad when repeated his orders to Shin'en.

"I want you to participate in this year's Chunin Exams at the Leaf. I know you're far beyond any chunin, but your purpose isn't to win the Exams, it's to make it to the final round where the Hidden Cloud will launch a surprise attack against the Leaf Village, and destroy it once and for all with you, Bee, and Yugito leading the assault.

"Since you're an unregistered shinobi, you'll have to take the Genin Exams which take place at the academy in 30 minutes. From there, you'll be assigned a team with this year's top kunoichi and shinobi, Karui and Omoi. Your Jonin-sensei will be Darui.

"We'll also use the Chunin Exam to eliminate several targets key to the Leaf's future. I.e. the Clan heirs of the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Uchiha, and the Hokage's daughter. Also, the Kazekage Rasa is enrolling his own children as well, and since they are allies of the Leaf, it will be all the more devastating if they were to meet with untimely end as well."

"And how does Orochimaru and Sasori fit into this plan of yours?"

"I'm not arrogant to believe that we can destroy the Leaf with only a handful of undercover agents and a few powerhouses. The Akatsuki Organization will serve as extra muscle in this endeavor."

"Akatsuki?"

"An organization of ninja that have no allegiance no any village beyond employment for money. They specialize in high-risk missions for a low price, making them ideal for this plan."

"What exactly are you having them do?"

The Raikage grinned, "Patience boy, you'll find out in due time. I can't tell you everything about the plan." Shin'en said nothing, instead opting to blur out of existence. There was no point in arguing with the man, there was no way to get out of this mission short of mutiny, but Shin'en didn't feel like trying to fight an entire village…again.

So he went to the Hidden Cloud Academy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 12, 1013 A.S._

 _12:00 P.M._

 _Hidden Cloud Academy_

Shin'en stared up at the lone mountain with a dead gaze. He wondered if the people here still remembered him. Meh, probably, but it wasn't like they could anything to him. This scroll from the Raikage gave him unrestricted access to this building, and would let him waltz right into the middle of the Genin Exam.

How pathetic that someone like him was having to take a test to be eligible for the lowest ninja rank. He could destroy this entire complex with a single jutsu…but this mission did present the demigod with several opportunities, so he would allow the Raikage to order him around, at least for the time being.

Shin'en was dressed in different clothes than his pre-war outfit. Now he wore the split-open, high collared, dark blue, sleeveless shirt that most Cloud-nin wore, loose-fitting navy pants, blue ninja sandals, white legwarmers with red stripes on the front, and a white sash around his waist to keep his two shuriken pouches in place. His necklace was hidden beneath his shirt, and the wide, split collar covered his lower face from the sides. His Black Lightning Tattoo was on proud display due to his lack of sleeves, and the Lightning Fangs were inside of the storage seals on his palms.

Shin'en sighed as he pulled a cigarette out from his pouch, and lit it with a miniscule pulse of lightning chakra. He took a drag, making it burn, and exhaled out of his nose, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Smoking was something that Sukina had introduced him to, and the habit had stuck with him ever since.

Heh, he turned thirteen in two months and was already into cancer sticks.

Not like cigarettes actually had any effect on a shinobi. Any damage the tar did to their lungs or mouth was easily fixed with a quick burst of chakra, their natural healing ability, and/or certain pills that could be picked up in just about every shinobi store on the continent.

Burning cigarette in mouth, BLT displayed on his harm, and naturally exuding Jonin-level chakra without conscious effort, the son of Poseidon entered the Academy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Upper classroom_

 _12:04 P.M._

Yurui was getting his new class prepared to become active duty ninja, when a boy he hadn't seen since his other class was massacred calmly walked in through the door, smoking, of all things. Shin'en threw a scroll at the Jonin, the dark-skinned man snagging out of the air and unrolling it one fluid motion, his eyes roaming over the lines of kanji.

When he was done, Yurui sighed and rubbed his temple, "Please refrain from killing anybody today."

Shin'en took another drag from his cigarette, before taking a seat on the front row. He put out the cancer stick by digging it into his skin.

The students stared at him with narrowed eyes and mistrustful gazes. Who was this kid to just prance into their class on Exam Day, without being here _all year_ , and then Yurui-sensei just lets him in to take the exam? What kind of bullshit was this?

"All right class," Yurui said loudly. "We'll begin with your Genin Exam. First is a written test covering survival classes and battle strategies, then an interrogation test, followed by a jutsu exam, and ending with a spar against me."

The test was pathetically easy for Shin'en, questions like what to do in this scenario, which plants were native to where and which were poisonous/edible, you were in this combat situation, so what do you do? What made it so easy, was that Shin'en had experienced far worse battle conditions that what was written.

The interrogation test was even easier. Each genin-hopeful was assigned a chunin that had the answer to a specific question, that the genin had to get out of their chunin. You couldn't do anything to permanently maim the shinobi, or do anything debilitating, but other than that, every technique was fair game. Shin'en's question was: how many cockroaches does it take to unscrew a lightbulb? Apparently, they all scattered when you flipped the switch.

The demigod set a new record for quickest interrogation time. The chunin would also be assigned to therapy classes.

For the jutsu exam, it seemed that the genin-hopefuls had to have picked a jutsu prior to the class, and be able to perform it without hand seals. The genin-hopefuls showed that they had some power, displaying adept skill at various elemental jutsu. Omoi and Karui though, they proved that they were this year's top ninja. They specialized in kenjutsu, and both of them used a B-rank Wind Cutter in conjunction with their katanas. Since they were outside doing this, Shin'en shattered all notions of being weak with a Great Breakthrough fired from his palm.

Many trees were uprooted that day.

The spar was probably the easiest thing on the menu. It wasn't a test to see if you could actually beat Yurui, it was to see if you had the brains to be able last against him for a grand total of 120 seconds. Most genin-hopefuls were actually able to put up a decent fight, lasting well over a minute, but only Karui and Omoi were able to do it for the full 120 seconds.

Yurui was not dumb enough to fight Shin'en in taijutsu, and gave the boy a perfect score, much to the ire of the class.

Now that the test was over, Yurui threw headbands at _all_ of the students, because all of them had passed, most of them with flying colors. The headbands were white or black, depending on preference, with a metal plate on the front with the Hidden Cloud's symbol engraved on it.

Shin'en that his white headband would look dumb to matter where he put it on his body, but he tied it around his forehead anyway.

"Each of you had earned that headband," Yurui said proudly. "But I want each and every one of you to realize what it means to wear that. It means that none of you are children anymore; you are all legal adults now, and you will be able to enjoy the privileges of ones as well, but you will also be held accountable as one. To wear that headband is to show the other ninja in the world that you are not a child, and you will fight and die for your village. To wear that headband in to show the world that you are a proud shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Clouds!"

The students roared their approval, but Shin'en mentally snorted. None of these brats had any idea what it meant to be a shinobi, and he hated himself because that was what he was now.

Yurui calmed them all down with a wave of his hand, "Lord Raikage wanted me to tell you all something about how the Hidden Leaf has structured their Genin Exam." The Genin all made faces of disgust at the mention of their enemies. "Hidden Leaf genin, their exam is paltry compared to ours. All they have to do is take a written test, and perform the three basic jutsu."

Cue juvenile laughter.

"I want all of you to know that you are superior and stronger than any other genin in the world. Other villages have grown softer in this time of peace, taking it easy on their genin, but not the Cloud! We have structured your training regimes as if we were at war, and your powers will prove to be as such. Karui, Omoi, Shin'en; you three have been chosen personally by Lord Raikage to represent the Cloud Village in the Chunin Exams in just a few weeks' time. Lord Raikage believes you are ready, and so do I."

The Genin nodded with confidence, Shin'en just blinked owlishly.

"Now then. I used to call you my students, but now that is no longer appropriate. Now I must call you something different. I must now call you all…comrades. You are all now official shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. Report back here tomorrow to be assigned to your Jonin-sensei's. You three," Yurui pointed at Karui, Omoi, and Shin'en, "the Lord Ay has requested your presence immediately. Dismissed."

Shin'en was impressed when the two Genin used the Teleportation Jutsu.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile, in the Raikage's office_

"You can't be serious!" Yugito exclaimed after hearing her superior's plan to attack the leaf. "I know that you'll pull rank and force Bee and I to do this, but Shin'en too? He's just a child!"

"A child that's already been to war," Ay pointed out. "And killed one of the most powerful people on the planet."

"All the more reason for him _not_ to do this. He just got back from the war, not even 24 hours ago. He needs time to settle back down, reintegrate, become a kid again," Yugito argued.

"Yugito, everyone in here knows that Shin'en was never a kid," Ei said sternly.

"You've always hated him from the start, you're probably besides yourself with joy over all the pain he's suffered, so I don't want to hear anything out of _you_!" Yugito rounded on the man.

Ei was going to retort, but Ay slammed his palm down on his desk, "Enough out of both of you. Any argument you have Yugito is pointless. Shin'en has already agreed to the mission, and there is nothing you can do to stop him. Besides, he and his 'genin squad' are already on their way here."

Yugito grit her teeth before addressing Darui, Bee, and Cee, "Surely all of you aren't on board with this?"

Cee stood tall, "I will follow Lord Raikage's orders, as should all of you."

"It's dull, but I've got a bone to pick with the Leaf, so I'm more for this plan than you really want to know." Fucking Namikaze had killed his parents.

"I agree with Yugito on this. The plan to invade the Leaf reeks like piss. But once Dad makes up his mind, all we can do is hope he doesn't lead us blind," Bee rapped out his opinion.

Yugito hung her shoulders, and Bee brought her into his chest. The two Jinchuuriki held tight to one another. Despite their happy lives, their duty was to their Kage, and right now, they weren't Yugito Nii or Killer Bee, they Jinchuuriki Nii and Jinchuuriki Bee. Weapons to serve as their Village's war deterrent, and, when necessary, as WMDs. That was the price of their power, and the burden of their existence.

There was knock at the door, before Shin'en, Karui, and Omoi entered the spacious office of the Raikage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 28, 1013 A.S._

 _8:36 P.M._

 _Gates of the Hidden Leaf_

Getting the team to know each other was simple enough. Karui was short-tempered, hot-headed, flat-chested (for now), and impulsive. Omoi was calm, collected, but a tendency to comically overthink the tiniest detail, which led to Karui whacking him over the head, or throttling him.

Both had been mistrustful of Shin'en, which was to be understood. But Darui thought that nothing promoted unity better than sparring with each other. Sparring being read as _complete beat-down_. Shin'en barely pulled his punches, but the two genin eventually adapted and began reading the demigod. A few days ago, the three had settled their differences and agreed to cooperate, at least for the duration of the mission.

On the bright side, sparring with Shin'en had made the other two very durable and light on their feet.

But now here they all were, at the gates of their enemy…literally. The walls of the Hidden Leaf towered high above them, making for quite the imposing sight, at least for Karui and Omoi. Shin'en had seen sights more impressive, and Darui had been here before.

Check-in at the gate was smooth and easy. Why wouldn't it be though? They were only genin here to take the Chunin Exam and represent their village, after all. The gate guards, two chunin by the names of Izumo and Kotetsu, had welcomed them in with a smile, despite the late hour of the evening.

The two had wished the Cloud-nin a happy visit and good luck in the exams.

The village was alive with people and noise. Men and women on dates, late dinners, children playing around before being called in by their mothers. The Cloud-nin had drawn some looks because of their headbands and attire, but then the people remembered that the Chunin Exams were in a few days and ninja with different headbands had also been seen walking the streets, and payed the ninja no more mind.

Darui was here for the shot to avenge his parents, Omoi and Karui were lucky enough that their families hadn't faced the Yellow Flash or the Red Death, but they were here to make Lord Ay proud. Shin'en…Shin'en was here for a different reason entirely.

When he was in the Mizukage Tower, he had come across some letters of correspondence between Yagura and one Danzo Shimura. The letters spoke about a deal between the two, one supplying soldiers from the 'Foundation,' the other providing information about current events, and the search for a demigod.

That night six years ago…the ANBU that were with Ameyuri Ringo…they were ninja loyal to Danzo Shimura.

That man would die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Uh-oh. The Raikage's being sneaky, Shin'en isn't quite the same anymore, and Danzo's on the hit-list.**_

 _ **We've arrived back in the Leaf from chapter two, and next chapter will be the official start of the Chunin Exams. We'll also be seeing some Council Meetings between Minato and certain old people regarding a certain son of a certain sea god.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	19. Exam Start!

_Exam Start_

 _ **Whew, getting some reviews for this story is like trying to pull teeth out of a wide-awake lion that isn't strapped down. Thank you though to those that actually hit the review button.**_

 _ **Anyway, personal issues aside, we're going to explore the reactions of Minato and co. concerning news of the demigod. Oh, we're also going to be starting the Chunin Exams.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 20, 1006 A.S._

 _Hokage's Office_

"Are you sure about this, Jiraiya?" Minato asked seriously.

"Those are the words of the Great Elder himself, Minato."

The Hokage looked around his office. The Council of Elders, meaning Danzo, Homura, Koharu, and Hiruzen, along with Jiraiya, and Kushina were all present for this conversation.

"What are you going to do, Minato?" the Third Hokage.

Minato was silent, before he sighed. "I'm going to do nothing. If the Elder Toad said to not interfere, then that is what I'm going to do. And I expect all of you in here to do the same," he finished with narrowed eyes.

"Surely you cannot be serious, Lord Hokage? Ignoring a threat this large to yourself and your child is unwise," Danzo said. "Something must be done about this situation. Letting someone with that kind of power roam free is not ideal."

"That kind of power?" Jiraiya exclaimed. He stomped over to the window, and pointed outside. The sky was an erie green, rain slammed down upon the Village like Tsunade's fists, and with the frequency of the lightning flashing across the sky, it was a wonder that windows weren't exploding due to the thunder's soundwaves. "This is the _outer edge_ of the storm! You want to bring the center of it right on top of us? Do you have any idea what's happened to Land of Water?"

"Enlighten us, please."

"Cataclysmic events! My resources in the Mist caught wind of a secret operation being led by Ameyuri Ringo to retrieve an unknown target from an orphanage on the outskirts of the Village. Hours later, a storm that has yet to dissipate originated from the Land of Water and spread all over the Elemental Nations. You want to tell me that the demigod isn't responsible for this?"

"All the more reason to bring him here," Koharu persisted. "If we can harness that power, and teach him how to use it correctly, he will only be a threat to our enemies."

"It sounds like you're going to make him into a Jinchuuriki." Everyone turned to look at Kushina. "That's exactly what you are thinking, isn't it? You see the demigod as another weapon to be used, just like you did me-just like you do my daughter!" The Namikaze was right of course, the old people besides Hiruzen saw a power to be used against their enemies…for the betterment of the Leaf.

"Mrs. Namikaze," Danzo started. "Think of it this way: when we bring in the demigod, young Naruko will be able to live the happy life you want for her. She won't have to undergo the burden or trials placed upon her by the Nine-Tails, instead, the demigod will. With him in our village, he will be our sword and shield," the man finished almost reverently.

Kushina would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted by the offer. On one hand, bringing in the demigod would eliminate the need for little Naruko to learn how to use the Nine-Tails chakra. On the other though, it would mean robbing a child of their free will, and turning them into an emotionless killing machine.

It was something the Red Death couldn't condone.

"No. My daughter is now the Jinchuuriki of the Yang half of the Nine-Tails, and she will learn like I did how to use its power. This demigod will be left alone to live his or her life, but if they do end up threatening my baby…then I'll destroy them before they get the chance. I don't trust the Elder Frog-" Jiraiya grumbled out 'frog'- "but I trust Minato's judgement."

The Yellow Flash smiled, "Then it's settled. The demigod will be left alone, and on the odd chance they do threaten my Naruko, then we'll show the child the full might of the Hidden Leaf."

Thunder shook the Hokage Tower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 15, 1013 A.S._

 _3:36 P.M._

 _Hokage's Office_

"So that's your field report?" Minato asked dully.

"Yep," Kakashi answered shortly, nose buried in an orange book.

"You went to Wave Country, where you found that Tazuna had lied about the mission details, and that he was the target of Zabuza Momochi, because he was building a bridge that would destroy the tyrant's, Gato, monopoly over the country, completely ignoring mission protocol because your students convinced you otherwise, and during the final confrontation, a boy by the name of 'Yūrei' halted your Lightning Blade, healed Zabuza with mist, then proceeded to butcher over a hundred armed mercenaries, after he blew up Gato's mansion, then he killed Gato himself?"

Kakashi turned the page, "Uh-huh."

"And you suspect that this 'Yūrei' kid is the demigod, based on his name, his chakra, the Lightning Fangs, and what Zabuza said about him being the one to kill Yagura?"

A page was turned, "Yep."

Minato sighed, "Kushina is going to rip off your balls and scoop out your eyes and replace them with your testicles."

"Mm-hm." He turned another page.

A blonde eyebrow twitched, "She's going to burn all of your _Make-Out Paradise_ books."

Kakashi shrieked like a little girl, clutching his porn close to his chest, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Minato smirked before seemingly speaking to the air, "Jiraiya."

The Toad Sage appeared in front of his student. "It all checks out, honestly. A few days after that freak storm six years ago, my contact in the Cloud told me about a black-haired boy with emerald eyes walking around the village with the Raikage and his entourage of all people. Then I kept getting reports about how that same boy would sometimes be seen with Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuuriki," Jiraiya giggled perversely, "the curves that woman has."

Minato sighed, "Back to this mystery boy…"

"Right. The boy would sometimes be seen with Yugito. A few years back, that boy appeared in the Hidden Cloud Academy. A few days before that happened though, a prominent civilian family tragically died of heart-failure after they tried to press charges against someone, because their trainee-son was crippled for life during a spar that went lopsided. The rumor going around was that it was our mystery that did it.

"About two years later, my contact stopped seeing or hearing anything about that kid, but around that same time, my contact in the Rebellion reported seeing a boy with the exact same features march into the camp, go straight into Terumi's command tent, come out, and then the Black-Ops squad Yūrei was rumored to have a new, fifth member, a rumor that was later confirmed to be truth.

"About two and a half years later, my contact reported that Yūrei squad had been wiped out, with only one surviving member. The funny thing is, just a few days before that report, another freak storm tore across the Countries, originating from the Mist."

"So it's safe to assume that Mystery Boy, this last Yūrei member, and the demigod are all the same person?"

"Yes." Jiraiya said evenly.

"Very well then. On an unrelated topic, the Chunin Exams are coming up. I extended invitation to all villages; Rasa is sending his own children, Onoki sent the invitation back with an explosive tag in it, the Mist…well, they probably won't be participating in any Exams for a while. Some genin from the Rain, Grass, and this new Sound Village are also showing up. The most interesting thing however, is that Ay is actually sending his own team this year."

"Really?" Jiraiya said surprised.

"Yes. Led by Jonin-sensei Darui, the team consists of one girl, Karui, and two boys, Omoi and Shin'en. I know that Omoi and Karui are the rookies of their year, but this Shin'en character…we don't know anything about him."

Jiraiya nodded, "I'll have my spies look into it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 29, 1013 A.S._

 _8:00 A.M._

Shin'en, Darui, Karui, and Omoi all snapped awake as if they were programmed. Their hotel room was about a few steps short of being luxurious enough for the Daimyo himself. I.e. two king size beds, fully functional kitchen area, and a bathroom with a shower big and comfortable enough to sleep in.

Omoi and Karui shared a single bed; they had lived with each other long enough to be comfortable sleeping in the same bed. Their parents were close friends, so the genins' relationship was more sibling-oriented. Darui had the other bed all to himself, because Shin'en occupied the floor.

Karui bolted into the bathroom first, and Shin'en hated his hydro-sensing. Feeling bowels moving and bladder releasing wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. Darui and Omoi scrounged up something for breakfast, and Shin'en sniffed the air.

"Smell something," asked the Jonin-sensei. "Other than Karui and pancakes?"

"It smells like confrontation."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Hokage's office_

 _Minutes later_

Team 7, consisting of one Kakashi Hatake, Naruko Namikaze, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno were being congratulated by their Hokage on their stellar performance during the Wave Mission. Sasuke and Naruko were feeling especially proud, one had finally awakened the coveted Sharingan, finally getting his father to smile at him, and the other because her father was smiling bigger than usual at her.

Then there was knock on the door, and three teenagers entered. The first was a girl of about sixteen with her blonde hair in four ponytails and a massive fan on her back. The next was a boy of about fourteen that either used his sister's makeup, or had her do it for him, and should be congratulated on his survival skills because he was wearing a black body-suit in the middle of the summer. The next was a boy of about twelve that had red-

"GAARA!"

"Oh shi-"

The red head's curse was cut off as his sand was feeling lazy and let the orange and blonde missile slam into him. Naruko wrapped her arms around the Jinchuuriki's neck, and her legs around the massive sand gourd, her cheek nuzzling against Gaara's. The others in the room chuckled at the affection display.

"Wow, Gaara," Kankuro said as he rubbed his chin. "I didn't know you had such skill when it came to picking up girls."

Temari laughed conspiratorially, "This is one is cute, too." She walked around and pinched Naruko's butt. The blonde yelped and leapt off of her living plushy. Temari smirked, "Nice reflexes. I approve, little brother."

Naruko glared heatedly at the elder blonde as she rubbed her sore butt. Temari had some sharp nails!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A little bit later_

The group of six was calmly walking down a nondescript street somewhere in the middle of the Leaf. Naruko had introduced her teammates to her friends from the Sand. During the trips Minato or Rasa took to the opposite village, the Kages always brought their children with them. The four kids had hit it off nicely, although, due to unknown circumstances, Naruko had developed an ungodly amount clinginess concerning the redhead.

Probably had something to do with their Tailed Beasts.

Sasuke and Sakura got along well enough with the Sand Siblings, but it was clear that their friendship would always be limited to good acquaintances. They just couldn't find that same connection that Naruko had. Didn't matter though; Naruko was going to be like living glue until they parted ways.

Now about that box with eye holes.

"Konohamaru," Naruko sighed. "What are you doing?"

The box was thrown away, and three kids that probably still wore pull-ups to bed stood up with dramatic flair. The first was a boy with brown hair that stood straight up, some kind of helmet, and a really long scarf. The second was a boy with brown hair in a bowl cut, large glasses, and a runny nose. The last was a girl with a permanent blush, and orange hair tied into outrageous pigtails.

"Ah hah!" the boy exclaimed. "You saw through my ultimate disguise, just as I would expect from the Boss!"

"Fan club?" Temari asked from the side.

"More like the annoying siblings I never had. What are you three doing? It's class time isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," Udon muttered. "But Konohamaru wanted us to follow him, s-so we did." The shy boy wiped his nose, before wiping it on his shirt. That made everyone cringe.

"And Iruka-sensei is giving a lecture over the impact of the Battle of the Bulge... _so boring_ ," the girl, Moegi, complained.

"The Battle of the What?" Kankuro asked.

"It's the battle in which the Yellow Flash engaged Hidden Stone forces, and forced them to 'bulge' due to the intensity of his offensive, and the frequency in which the Stone forces were depleted," Sakura said academically, with her eyes closed, and finger pointed up.

"Ah."

"Hey!" Konohamaru shouted. "Quit making the Boss unhappy!"

Naruko had a cloud over her head, and her shoulders were slumped. She loved her daddy, she really did, but it was still heart-wrenching when the subject of her father's war history was brought up. Over twenty-thousand confirmed kills, and many that he didn't even remember. It was so difficult to wrap her mind around the fact that her sweet, cheerful, bright, and happy daddy was a cold-blooded killer that had destroyed countless relationships, and turned who-knows-how-much land into graveyards.

"Oh, Naruko, I'm sorry," Sakura reached to comfort her depressed friend, but Naruko suddenly popped up with a wide grin stretching her features.

"Alright guys! I'm going to treat you all to my favorite ramen stand." The group shook their heads at the girl's sudden mood swing. Sakura and Temari theorized she was on her period. Sasuke, Kankuro, and Gaara just thought girls were weird. Udon and Moegi were excited about the prospect of free food, and Konohamaru…he said words that furthered the plot.

"Ramen!? That's just a bunch of disgusting, salty noodles."

Silence hung over the group like a death shroud. The temperature began to steadily drop as clouds began to gather overhead. The air around Naruko turned dangerous, her head bowed so that her bangs covered her upper face. Her fingernails began to lengthen, and the cute whisker marks on her face began to thicken into intimidating scars. Her lips turned black, and her canines turned into fangs. She raised her head up, but kept her eyes closed, revealing the black rings around her optical organs. Her shoulder-length pigtails raised up and out, like the ears of a demonic rabbit. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, her slitted, ruby orbs perfectly reflecting the terrified form of Konohamaru.

" **You will pay for your blasphemous comments with your little ass. Run, boy."**

The youngest Sarutobi didn't know what 'blasphemous' meant, but he did know that it was smart to run away from angry females.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Elsewhere in the Village_

 _Nearby_

Omoi and Karui were on their way to the closest ninja store to see about getting supplies for their stay here, such as kunai, shuriken, senbon, cleaning agents, and clothes. They may have been taught to hate the Leaf, but they were also taught to use their surroundings to their advantage, and the Hidden Leaf had a lot of kindness to take advantage of.

Hell, if they talked sweet, smiled brightly, and shuffled their feet enough, they could probably get a free deal.

Then something rammed into the back of Karui's leg. Looking down, the girl saw a boy that was probably seven or eight, with a stupid helmet and an even dumber blue scarf. "Watch where you're going next time, kid." Karui wasn't particularly nice, but tearing into a brat for playing tag or something wasn't worth her time.

"Me? Why don't you watch where you're standing, flat-chest!"

Konohamaru was lifted into the air by his own scarf before his brain could register what was happening. That was when an entourage of twelve-ish year olds came barreling around the corner. Karui's golden eyes widened upon recognizing every single one of them…except for the kids.

The one with pink hair, green eyes, and the pink dress was Sakura Haruno, daughter of prominent civilians in the Hidden Leaf. The one with white shorts, blue shirt with high collar, black hair and eyes, and pale skin was undoubtedly Sasuke Uchiha. The girl with blonde hair and pigtails, wearing orange shorts, blue sandals, and an orange jumpsuit jacket with a wide, white collar, and blue around her shoulders. Based on that color scheme, Karui suspected that Naruko Namikaze was probably wearing orange and blue panties as well.

She knew that the other three were the children of the Kazekage, but that was all she remembered.

"Hey, put me down, flat-chest!"

Karui's head snapped back to the brat, and the audience now realized why Konohamaru was being throttled. Never call a girl flat-chested, even if she has J-sized cups, because they take it _very_ seriously.

"Shut up you! First you have the lack of brains to pay attention to where you're running, then you have the tiny balls to blame me for it, and say I don't have any boobs! I'll have you know that I wear a B-cup. I just have a sports bra on."

Temari felt the need to throw in her own cup size, "High C-cup."

Karui glared at the Sand-nin, but Omoi finally spoke up, "Uh, Karui…you should probably put that kid down. If Shin'en shows up and he sees you doing this, he'll get mad, and when he gets mad, he'll beat us into the ground, and if he beats us into the ground, we'll be unable to participate in the Chunin Exams, and if we're unable to participate in the Chunin Exams, Lord Raikage will get really mad at us-"

"Shut up, Omoi!" Karui screamed as she dropped Konohamaru.

"Uh, Chunin Exams?" Sakura asked. "What are those?"

"They're a village-hosted exam for genin from all over the continent to get the chance to become chunin," a bone-chilling voice said from above.

Shin'en dropped down from the roof he was standing on, and fixed Karui with a dark glare, completely ignoring the other genin who were staring at him with wide eyes. Naruko and Gaara could hear their Beasts growling in anger at the new arrival.

"You're lucky I got here when I did, the ANBU surrounding us were about cut both of you down, probably on the grounds of threatening the _Third Hokage's grandson_."

Karui and Omoi paled considerably when they realized just how close to death they were. Konohamaru looked smug, "See, just my name alone is enough to make-"

"Save it for someone who gives a fuck," Shin'en cut in sharply. Konohamaru gulped, and bolted behind Naruko's leg. "If we're done here, my team and I will be leaving." The demigod began to walk away, followed closely by his teammates, when Sasuke called, "What's your name?"

The son of Poseidon turned his head, the frozen inferno in his emerald eye making those behind unconsciously reach for their weapons. "My name is Shin'en." Before he could turn back around, Naruko stopped him, making the KI he was radiating increase ever so slightly.

"You're that boy from the bridge," she said hesitantly, "Yūrei…"

Shin'en's form suddenly rippled, like a heatwave passing over his body. Briefly, the masked, black-clad form of the assassin was visible to all besides Omoi and Karui. Gasps of shock rang out, and faces paled in fear. Then the illusion was gone in the blink of an eye.

The three Cloud ninja vanished in bursts of speed.

Sakura fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Team Konohamaru was unable to handle the KI, and all of them had wet pants. Sasuke was breathing like he had just spared with Itachi. Kankuro and Temari, used to the feeling of KI from their lessons with their father, were only sweating like they had just sprinted through their desert. Naruko and Gaara were fine, if a little shaken up.

" **If it all possible, avoid** **ever** **fighting with that boy, Naruko,"** the rumbling voice of the Nine-Tails spoke.

" **Gaara, if you only listened to me once in your life, do it now. Never fight that boy; you would most certainly be killed, and you have no idea how boring it is waiting to reform!"** Shukaku screamed in Gaara's subconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Back at the Cloud's hotel_

Shin'en, Omoi and Karui reappeared in their hotel room. Omoi breathed a sigh of relief, Karui didn't know what to feel, and Shin'en was about to vent some rage at the girl's stupidity.

Karui was slammed into the wall, and pinned in place by her throat. Her golden eyes widened in shock, pain, and terror. The emerald orbs of her superior glared at her with the intensity of a glacier.

"If you ever lose control like that again and let your emotions compromise the mission, putting us all risk, I will personally gut you like a fish and use your intestines as garrote wire, and have a Water Clone fill your position. Do I make myself clear?"

Karui barely managed to choke out 'yes sir' before she was dropped on her ass like a sack of potatoes.

"I'm glad we could come to an understanding. Both of you are not to leave this room until the first exam begins, which is July 1. Two days from now. If you need anything, call room service or ask me and I'll send a Clone to go get it. You've both made fools of yourself and our village; both of you almost got killed today as well. If you think I'm being harsh, pray that Lord Raikage doesn't find out about this," Shin'en ended his chilling monologue by slamming the bathroom door shut. The sound of the shower running was heard moments later.

Omoi and Karui had one shared thought: that kid was scary.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _July 1, 1013 A.S._

 _Hidden Leaf Academy_

Team Darui stood outside the Academy doors. Inside, the Chunin Exams were about to be begin. Shin'en could sense the amount of people inside, the amount of chunin-hopefuls. It was sad really; all of that chakra in there, and it only equaled about 32% of his full reserves. Let it not be said that Shin'en was ever low on chakra.

"Remember," Darui said, "make it to the final round, and use every opportunity you can to eliminate the targets. Shin'en, you're in charge, so I expect you two to listen to his every command." Omoi and Karui nodded. The Jonin smirked, "Good luck," then he was gone.

Shin'en strolled forward, his teammates on his heels.

"Follow my lead, and don't say anything unless I tell you to. We are not here for the opportunity to become chunin, we are here on an S-rank mission given to us by Lord Raikage, so any insubordination will be dealt with extreme force. Are we clear?" Shin'en said all of this without moving his lips, well aware of the hidden eyes all around.

Karui and Omoi nodded soundlessly.

The trio entered the Academy with the air of those that meant business. They thundered past any other genin in their way, any outcries of opposition were silenced with a simple glare from any of the Cloud-nin. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, all taking note of the weak genjutsu above a door, the crowd of clueless idiots, and the green-clad monstrosity getting knocked into the arms of a Hyuuga and a girl in a pink shirt.

"Pay them no heed. This is merely a distraction." Team Darui tried to quietly slip past the assembled children to the stairs at the other end of the hallway, but the Transformed ninja at the doors to the fake room asked loudly where they were going, which drew the attention of all those present. The Hyuuga's blank eyes flashed with rage upon recognizing their headbands.

Team Darui paused only for an instant before resuming their powerful pace. The chunin called out to them again, and Shin'en responded swiftly and savagely, "To fuck your bitch." That shut everyone up, and Team Darui went up the stair to third floor of the Academy.

They entered another part of the building and walked down the stairs to a wide-open area. Shin'en growled lowly when those Leaf-genin started to follow them. Team Darui was about to walk into the final stretch, when the Green One said, "Hey you, with the foul language."

Shin'en stopped and turned around. The trio of genin was on the floor just above them, before they all hopped over the railing and landing easily enough. The Hyuuga looked like he was trying not to bust a vein, the girl had smile on her face, like she thought this was fun, and the Green One was looking at Shin'en with the fires of challenge in his eyes.

Oh, and Team 7 had just arrived as well.

"I am Rock Lee, and I wish to challenge you to a fight!"

Shin'en's face went flat, "This is the Chunin Exam, can't you wait until we're actually supposed to fight each other? We all have somewhere to be, and it isn't with you."

"Your words back there were unnecessary and harsh. I wish to see if you have the skills to back up your bravado, or if you're all talk!"

The demigod did not have the patience for this, but decided that if he finished this quickly, they could get to the examination room faster. Besides, this insect bore a striking resemblance to Might Guy, the Hidden Leaf's resident taijutsu master. That, and five of his Inner Gates were loose.

"I'll indulge you for now, Rock Lee. But I'll end this quickly, too."

"Yosh! Let our Flames of Youth burn brightly in this epic confrontation!"

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Lee vanished in a burst of speed, shocking Team 7, and making Omoi and Karui's eyes narrow. That was some impressive movement, but they could move that fast as well, easily. Lee appeared in the air just in front of Shin'en, his leg cocked back.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Lee's leg snapped out as he went into a spinning motion, but the demigod grabbed the approaching leg, and used the genin's own momentum to fling back to his teammates. Lee planted his hands and pivoted…just in time to see a fist slam right into his face.

He impacted the wall and left an indent in the shape of his body. He fell to the ground and landed on a knee, blood dripping from his broken nose. _'Such power…he not only followed my movements, but he was able to counter my_ _Leaf Hurricane_ _without blinking, and land such a hard blow without me even hearing him move. This Cloud ninja is not what he seems to be, and his teammates have the aura of trained soldiers as well. That team is more powerful than any other here.'_ Lee thought quickly.

Shin'en turned his back and approached his team, "Let's go. We're done here."

Lee stood up and began to unravel his bandages, "No, we are not!"

"Yes, we are." The voice came from behind him, and the next thing Lee knew was that he was face-first in the wall, and that everything in his body hurt. Hell out, falling a good twenty feet before slamming into the floor with a groan. That had felt like one Guy-sensei's punches!

Team Darui exited the premises, and Team 7 and 9 ran over to check on Rock Lee.

The Cloud-nin walked through the hall, before approaching the doors to the exam area. "Prepare yourselves," Shin'en said. "There are many hostiles behind that door, and all of them will try to intimidate you. I also feel it is necessary to point out that it is illegal to kill anyone before the exam officially starts. So keep a level head, and remember your training."

Omoi smirked, and Karui barked out a short laugh, "Hah! After being around you for three weeks, I doubt anything a bunch of genin can throw at us would be even remotely scary."

Shin'en said nothing as he pushed open the doors, and the pathetic Killing Intent of a room full of children and teenagers washed over him and his team. Karui and Omoi seemed to manage fine enough, but when you stand in the presence of a Tailed Beast, anything a human can do barely registers on the radar.

Granted, the demigod had been in a blinding rage when he fought Yagura, but that wasn't the point.

Shin'en grew annoyed with the nagging feeling of a fly buzzing around his head, and subjected these insects to what _real_ Killing Intent felt like. Long story short, more than a few people needed new pants, and the temperature was steadily beginning to rise again, the layers of frost beginning to melt.

"Let's go stand over there."

Minutes later, Team 7 and 9 entered the room, and were sufficiently confused over why everyone in the room was quivering like a bunch of abused puppies. Team Darui watched with blank expression as _all_ of the Clan Heirs gathered in one spot, and were extremely loud. Karui was disgusted at the display by Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. Freaking fan girls.

Shin'en's eyes narrowed when Akatsuki's spy, Kabuto Yakushi, approached the Heirs. With information cards. That were supposed to be classified. What was he up to?

"What information can you give us on that Cloud team," Sasuke asked.

Kabuto smirked, "Oh so you don't know their names? That makes it fun." He began to speedily rifle through his deck of information cards that would've made the King of Games green with envy. "Ah! Here they are."

Kabuto held up three cards. "The black ones are called Karui and Omoi. They haven't been on any missions yet, being fresh out of the Academy, but those two are the top shinobi and kunoichi of their year, so underestimating them wouldn't be a smart move."

The heir to the Inuzuka Clan, Kiba Inuzuka, busted out laughing, "Ha ha ha ha ha! They just got out of the Academy, and they're taking the Chunin Exam! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Well," Kabuto said as he adjusted his glasses, "you could look at it that way, or you could look at it as that the Raikage believes that those three are powerful enough to participate. It should be known that the Cloud hasn't participated in a Leaf-hosted Exam in the past 17 years."

"That's the information on those two, what about Shin'en?" Sasuke cut back in.

Kabuto held up the card with Shin'en's information on it and was about to read it off, but an icicle dropped from above and impaled the card, destroying any legible part. The genin jumped in shock, and Kabuto smirked, the light hiding his eyes. _'Heh. The legendary Shin'en. A ghost on mission, and a demon in battle. Personally responsible for the deaths of five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Water Daimyo, Three-Tailed Yagura, and the Aristocratic Massacre. A monster among men if there ever was one.'_

The Heirs looked at the Cloud ninja with narrowed eyes, correctly assuming that they were the reason for the icicle. Karui and Omoi were sitting on the ground cleaning their swords. Shin'en was leaning against the wall, one leg propped up on the vertical surface, arms crossed, eyes closed, and a burning cigarette in his mouth.

"Eww, he's smoking?" Ino exclaimed. She hated when Asuma-sensei smoked. It smelled bad and it destroyed the lungs.

"Yeah. More shinobi do that than you think. In the Hidden Cloud, you become a legal adult when you get your headband, so those kids can drink, smoke, and go to every bar, brothel, and club in their village," Kabuto informed.

"Whoa," Kiba said slowly.

"While my information card may have been destroyed by some unknown means, I _can_ tell you about that tattoo on his shoulder though." That's when the genin just now noticed the black tattoo for the kanji of lightning. "That's the Raikage's Black Lightning Tattoo. He only gives that to those he thinks are worthy and powerful enough to use it. And no, it's not just some tattoo for lightning. It's illegal in the Land of Lightning to make forgeries of that tattoo. Currently, the only ones in the world that have that tattoo are the Third Raikage himself, and Darui of the Gale Style."

"So for this guy to have that tattoo…means that he's a real bigshot in the Hidden Cloud. Man, this is such a drag."

Any further conversation came to an abrupt end when a massive poof of smoke at the front of the Exam room. When the smoke cleared, several ninja in grey uniforms appeared, led by a tall man in a black trench coat and bandana. Scars marred this man's face.

"Enough bitching. I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for the first Exam, and, from this moment on, your _god_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Kabuto didn't insult the Sound Village, so mummy boy didn't attack. I did promise that I would start the Chunin Exams, and so I did. I decided that this was an appropriate cut off point, because I was originally going to write twenty chapters, but leaving this story in the middle of one of the best Naruto arcs didn't seem right.**_

 _ **Good news! I've been having some dreams lately where Subject 3 has been begging me to let her out to play. Bad news (for some people)! This story is back on the shelf for a while.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Originally, Percy was going to be the reincarnation of Indra.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	20. Exams of Boredom

_Exams of Boredom_

 _ **I return once more with the Backup Plan, against many people wishes, probably. Fear not, with all of my stories at 19 chapters, I am simply going to bring them all up to 20 without my usual 24-hour haste.**_

 _ **For those of you who don't know, there is a poll on my profile about three new stories. When Thursday of next week comes around, I will close the poll, and the story with the most votes will begin production. The story descriptions can be found on the last chapter of**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **, but I'm a nice guy, so here:**_

 _Son of Jashin_ _\- Percy Jackson is unusual demigod. Mostly because he is neither Greek, Roman, Norse, or Egyptian. He's Shinto, and when the Titans try forcing him into their service, he goes into hiding, but then he's found by a bunch of kids in orange that turn his entire life into one big pile of shit._

 _Green-Eyed Ghoul_ _\- Sally Jackson is a Ghoul. Poseidon is a god. That makes for one powerful being of half divine entity, and half meat-eater. Zeus' bolt is stolen, and imagine Anteiku's surprise when a bunch of girls in silver come asking for a boy with green eyes…_

 _Roanapur's Sea-Devil_ _\- A drunken Gabe just murdered Sally. An angry Percy just murdered Gabe. On the run, the eight-year-old finds that world is a harsh place, and only the strong can survive, but he never thought that a black man, a computer nerd, and a foul-mouthed woman could be the greatest family ever. (Black Lagoon crossover)_

 _ **Those are the stories. Poll on profile. Go vote. You have until next Thursday. Have fun. Green-Eyed Ghoul is winning.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Hidden Leaf Academy_

 _First Exam Testing Room_

 _July 1, 1013 A.S._

The amount of bullshit that was going on right now was staggering. Shin'en hadn't had to deal with this much bullshit since he had to infiltrate a trap house…by dressing appropriately.

The First Exam was a written test, asking question way too difficult for any normal genin to answer. The rules were that they all had one hour to complete the test, before they would be asked a tenth and final question. Each question was worth points and every question not answered would result in points lost. The idea behind having points in the first place was that you needed a certain amount in order to pass the exam. Also, if you got caught cheating three times, you and your team would fail.

This was the most obvious espionage test ever conceived.

There were so many loopholes to be exploited it was almost as if the Leaf was babying their genin. Ibiki said 'answer,' not 'solve.' You had three attempts at cheating before the hammer fell, so that means you could just knock someone out and steal their test on the first go, and, by the rules, you would be just fine.

Besides, there were Hidden Leaf ninja in the crowd of chunin-hopefuls, all of them with the correct answers. The point was to cheat and not get caught, and the amount of _obvious_ cheating going on was insane. Hyuuga's with their Byakugan active. Uchihas with Sharingan blazing. The Sand Jinchuuriki had a damn eye hovering in the air, the bun-haired girl that was with the Green Monstrosity was using fucking mirrors. The Aburame was using his bugs. And the Yamanaka was _blatantly_ using her Mind Transfer Jutsu on the Haruno girl.

It was a good thing Shin'en wasn't proctor. Most of these kids would be tossed out by now.

Of course, not everyone was cheating. There were a small number of genin here and there that were smart enough to figure out the answers. Shin'en thought it was child's play, because he had been the subject of most of these questions, and had _expert_ knowledge about battle tactics and assassination techniques. Omoi and Karui were having a bit of a difficult time, but they would catch on eventually.

With nothing better to do than wait for the next 40 minutes, the demigod began to think about things.

His and his team's purpose here was to assassinate the Clan Heirs of the Leaf, who were all conveniently born around the same time, during the Chunin Exams. Shin'en had no intention of doing that. He had had a dream, and those Heirs were going to play a pivotal part in future battles…

Shin'en was only here for two reasons: kill Danzo Shimura, and raze this village to the ground, just like he did with most of the Mist.

He had not forgotten his purpose for living, and as long as the Shinobi Villages stood, he would continue to exist. The Raikage ordering him here was just a convenience, and gave him an excuse to destroy the Leaf. Hell, the old man had practically told him to do just that, the only problem was Shin'en's _specific_ task for being in the Leaf: destroy the Uchiha Clan.

Hm. Gladly. That was a clan of all-ninja, all ninja would die by the demigod's hand, regardless of whether or not they are innocent. Shinobi were a cancer that had plagued this world for far too long, and Shin'en had appointed himself as the surgeon to cut it out. What gives him the right to judge in such a way, you ask? Well that answer was simple: because he had _power_.

Those that had power were charged with a duty to change the world, and Shin'en would change it in a way that suited him.

Moving on from thoughts of revolution, the champion of Susano'o reviewed what he knew of the First Exam's proctor, Ibiki Morino. The man was a legendary interrogator, highly skilled in the more psychological aspects of torture, preferring to terrorize the mind instead of mutilating the body. However, the man was not shy about breaking out the knives and cutting off some flesh.

Ibiki had once been captured, and tortured extensively for information, but the man had refused to break. As such, that's why he had those scars on his face, and, judging by the cells on top of the man's head, scars underneath his bandana. That's probably why Ibiki wore his headband in such a way, so he didn't scare off the kids.

Knowing the man's penchant for psychology, this ominous tenth question was probably a farce of some kind designed to scare the genin.

You want scared? Have a staring contest with an angry Three-Tails, then come talk to Shin'en about fear.

Amazingly, four o'clock rolled around quickly, and many teams had already been disqualified from a combination of cheating and straight up fear. Weaklings. They didn't deserve to live if they couldn't such a mediocre amount of pressure such as this.

"All right, that's enough! Pencils down. It's time for the tenth question," Ibiki roared. Shin'en rolled his eyes, and began to twirl his pencil. The tension in the room began to mount as Ibiki paused for dramatic effect. Looking around the room, the torturer's tactic was working. Sweats were breaking out, heart-rates went up, nervous tapping began to sound off, and people began to grip their pencil's tighter.

"But first, let me add some rules to this question. First, you will have to _choose_ whether or not you will take it." Mutterings broke out. "If you choose not to take it, then you, and your entire team, FAILS!" Cries of shock and outrage. How predictable. Shin'en stared at Karui and Omoi, and was pleased to note that neither were nervous in the least. "However, if you choose to take the question, and answer it incorrectly… _you will be forced to be genin for the rest of your lives!"_

Horror and fear rippled through the genin, and Shin'en rolled his eyes. As if a Leaf Shinobi would have the power to make foreign genin remain genin. Shit, if Hidden Stone ninja were, Onoki would automatically promote them when they got back just to say 'fuck you' to the Leaf. Of course, not every other genin in the room knew that type of stuff, and many quit right then and there, and Shin'en realized that this _was_ the tenth question.

It was a test of willpower. How well can you handle being pumped for information?

Ibiki surveyed the room, taking note that over half of the initial teams had already left, but there was still a decent number of brats left, and genin were still raising their hands. Interestingly enough, the Hokage's daughter was beginning to raise her hand as well.

That was strange. Every report about Naruko stated that she was headstrong, and as fiery-tempered as her mother. And she had regular sparing sessions with Might Guy. Why on earth would she be scared of something like this?

Shin'en was curious as well. This girl was the reincarnation of two of the most powerful men that had ever lived, as well as the Jinchuuriki of one half of the most powerful Tailed-Beast alive. Was she truly so weak as to be intimidated by this man? Looking over at the reincarnation of Indra, he too looked to be apprehensive. Clearly, the backbones of the children of the Sage of Six Paths hadn't been passed on.

Naruko slammed her hand down on the desk, and surprised everyone with a motivational speech about never giving up, always giving it her all, and something about her ninja way. Shin'en would've been just fine with her staying quiet as opposed to the mountain of horseshit she just spewed from her mouth.

Ibiki, noting how everyone now had a fire in their eyes, smirked. "Well then, I have no choice but to say…you all pass the First Exam!" Shin'en's annoyed groan was drowned out by the sound of confused children vocalizing their confusion.

"What!?" Temari exclaimed. "Then what was the purpose of the other nine questions?"

This time, Shin'en annoyance was known by all in the examination room. "I'm surrounded by idiots," he grumbled as he rubbed his temple. "The purpose was espionage. Information gathering. Cheating without getting caught. You know, things that ninja are supposed to do. If you can't find a way to steal knowledge, then you might as well head for the door right now."

Ibiki smirked, "Applicant #666 is correct. The purpose of the other nine questions was information gathering. I had two chunin hidden among you who had all of the correct answers. As chunin, there will be missions where you will not have all of the details, and it will be up to you and your team to gather the necessary information. The purpose of the tenth question was different, however.

"The tenth question was designed to see how all of you would react to the unimaginable pressure of being the cause of your teammate's failure. In other words, the tenth question was a form of torture known as psychology. Using the prisoners mind against them, making them think the walls are closing in. If you can break an opponent's mind, you can win every battle before it even begins."

Ibiki and Shin'en's eyes turned to the window, and a ball of cloth broke through the glass. Kunai's were thrown, pinning the banner's top corners to the ceiling, revealing that the banner said 'The Sexy and Single Anko Mitarashi Has Arrived!' Shin'en was ready to blow the village up right now.

This woman was the former apprentice of Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin. She held the Snake Summoning Contract, was a Special Jonin, frequently helped out with T&I, and had a pathological drive to kill her former master. She was also reported to have more than a few screws loose in various areas.

She also had no problem showing off her body, considering she was only clad in a fishnet bodysuit, an orange skirt, some sandals and shin guards, and a tan-colored trench coat.

Every Chunin Exam on record followed the same basic layout. A written/information test, a survival test, and then the main event that everyone came to see, the tournament at the very end. Considering the Leaf's history, and its geography, the Second Exam was most likely being held at the Forest of Death.

How adorable.

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Let it not be said that Shin'en was as dumb as his big sister.

Team Darui was standing among the other teams outside of massive fenced off forest. Inside the forest, Shin'en could sense the water inside of hundreds of animals several times bigger than what they should've been.

The rules for the Second Exam were remarkably simpler. You get either a Heaven or an Earth scroll, and you have five days to get to the tower in the middle of the forest with both scrolls. Anything goes after the Exam begins.

Team Darui was more than ready.

"I have an idea on how to determine who has what scroll. Follow my lead, and keep your eyes peeled for lips and reaction," Shin'en ventriloquized. The two genin nodded imperceptibly.

The demigod walked into the tent, walked out, and raised his scroll high into the air so that the kanji for Heaven was clearly visible, "Hey everyone! I have a Heaven scroll!" He waved it around a little, drawing everyone's attention. He put the scroll in his right pouch, and lit a cigarette.

He looked at his team expectantly.

"Nine Leaf teams and two Rain teams are discussing how to get our scroll," Karui said without moving her lips.

"All of the Grass Teams are saying that they don't have to worry about us," Omoi relayed.

Shin'en nodded, "Then we have all we need to know. Come on, let's get into position."

The demigod did have to wonder though: why was Orochimaru disguised as a Grass kunoichi?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You two ever kill before?"

Two shaking heads.

"Are you mentally prepared to kill?"

Two nodding heads.

"Good. Because a team with an Earth scroll is headed this way, and I intend to take them down."

The Forest of Death was jam-packed with massive trees, dense foliage, and large bushes covering the forest floor. There thousands of different places to set up an ambush, hundreds of different ways to create a trap, and millions of different ways to kill somebody.

It was almost nostalgic for Shin'en.

Team Darui hid themselves well, the demigod bending light around his body by using the water vapor in the air, with Karui and Omoi hiding in the foliage.

A team of Leaf-nobodies blasted through the trees, kunai out and ready to fight…only to find nothing. The three boys, probably all 16 or so, looked around cautiously, getting back-to-back in a triangle-esque formation. They were sure that the Cloud team with the Heaven scroll was here, but where did they go?

Surely they didn't just vanish- "Ack!"

The first boy went down with a kunai in his forehead. The other two were too stunned to react for less than two seconds, but that was enough time for Karui and Omoi to appear behind them, katanas drawn, and give the genin a quick, painless death.

Shin'en easily found the Earth scroll, pulled out his Heaven scroll, and sealed both of them into his palm seals.

"What now?" Karui asked. "We're going after the Clan Heirs, right?"

Shin'en looked at her, "That's inane. This forest is huge, and since you weren't paying attention, the Heirs' entrance gates were on the opposite side of ours. The Leaf did that on purpose because they know that it's a possibility that our purpose here is for assassination, so they're taking precautions without making it obvious that they don't trust us.

"No. What we're going to do now is head for the tower…while eliminating all competition from here to there. I'll keep the scrolls safe with me, but we'll all carry fake copies filled with explosive tags, in case we need them for something."

Shin'en pulled four scrolls that looked exactly like the Heaven and Earth scrolls, giving both sets to Karui and Omoi, who put them in the shuriken pouches on their waists.

"You two did remarkably well for your first kills."

Omoi shrugged, "It was a them or us situation, and we don't know those kids. They had what we needed, and that was it. Nothing personal, just the mission."

Shin'en nodded, but his eye had a faraway look in it. _'Nothing personal…just the mission…'_

Those words had been his creed for the past two years.

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Team Darui blazed a silent, bloody trail through the Forest of Death, the trio of children effortlessly murdering any and all genin teams they came across. The efficiency with which they carried out their self-appointed task was ruthless, and well-oiled.

Looking down on them, you wouldn't expect these young ones to be able to coordinate shock-and-awe attacks that were able to take many a team in literal seconds. Hell, there were some teams that didn't have to ambushed.

This one girl had gone behind a tree to relieve herself, only for Karui to snap her neck from above by sticking to a tree.

Every team they killed, they burned the scrolls that they had, and looted the bodies for anything useful. By doing this, Team Darui was effectively controlling the distribution of Heaven and Earth scrolls among the genin, by severely limiting the supply. By the time they would make it to the tower, only a handful of genin will have managed to slip into the Final Exam.

Team Darui had just finished off another genin team, this one coming from the Leaf village, when Shin'en exhaled darkly, drawing the attention of the other two.

"Something wrong?" Karui asked.

"Nothing that you two need to worry about," Shin'en said, before he faced them. "Head to the tower. Ignore any obstacles. Kill anyone that attacks you. Wait for me there. There's something that I have to attend to." The demigod vanished in a blur, leaving Karui and Omoi to share a glance, shrug to each other, light the dead bodies on fire (two girls and boy; Karui had found some panties that she liked among one of the girl's things), and take off into the trees.

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Orochimaru had just sealed off the Jinchuuriki's chakra, knocked the Haruno girl unconscious, and branded Sasuke with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Now the hidden Akatsuki member was on his way to the tower to get in character for his 'Sound-Jonin' persona…when the demigod himself blurred onto a branch, with a displeased look on his face.

The almost-13-year-old stared at the almost 60-year-old with like a parent that just caught their child about to do something really stupid.

"What are you playing at, Orochimaru? Playing with the children was not a part of your contract," Shin'en said seriously.

Orochimaru chuckled, a deep, sly sound, "My, my. Such bravado you have, talking to one such as I in such a crass manner, as if you control my services. Careful boy, or I'll show just who is in command here."

Shin'en was unfazed by the threat. "Again. Your actions will draw unwanted attention to us, and anonymity is crucial during this stage of the plan. Please, refrain from making anymore scenes, or I'll bring you back in line."

Orochimaru's golden eyes twitched. Demigod or not, this brat thought he could speak to him, the great Snake Sage, the one who would unlock the secrets of immortality, the one who would master all jutsu, as if he was _superior!?_

Blasphemy!

Shin'en's emerald eyes widened when the Snake Sannin was suddenly in front of him, kunai ready to pierce his heart. The boy liquefied his body, making Orochimaru fly right through him. He solidified, spun around, grabbed his opponent's tunic, and flung the old man into the side of a tree.

Shin'en blurred forward, holding Orochimaru in place by the neck. The Sannin thrust his arm up, breaking the one-handed chokehold, and kicked the boy in the chest. Shin'en skidded back across the large branch, before back bending and planting his arms on the branch, then he twisted and kicked Orochimaru down to the ground below.

The Sannin landed on all fours, then vanished in a blur as kunai landed where he once was. The explosive tags detonated, but the shockwave only helped Orochimaru ascend higher. The man grinned as he pulled out a kunai, and engaged the demigod in midair combat.

The two powerful ninja clashed blades in a rapid, gravity-defying dance of sparks and limbs. Orochimaru gained the advantage when a hole in Shin'en's guard opened up, and the boy was kicked hard enough to the ground to send dust and chunks of rock flying.

Shin'en rolled out of the dust cloud, just as Orochimaru came barreling out form the other side, dispersing the cloud with a swipe of his kunai. The demigod whipped around, his own kunai carving through the air.

In a moment of slow motion action, Shin'en's kunai sliced through Orochimaru's throat, just as the Sannin's kunai pierced the demigod's heart and beyond. Time resumed its normal pace, and the two combatants stared at each other with their fatal wounds, looks of shock plastered on both of their faces.

Then Orochimaru turned into mud and Shin'en collapsed into a puddle of water.

"Remember, Sannin. You're under the employ of the Hidden Cloud Village. Right now, that makes me your superior until this mission is completed. Do your job, and no sidetracks, or I'll come after you with a more serious approach."

"Hahahaha! Whatever you say, _boy_."

The two never saw where the real one really was, but they didn't need eyes. They knew where the other was, but they both realized that a full-scale confrontation between them would be unbeneficial to both parties. Even so, the battle between their elemental clones was enough of an example of the other's power.

Shin'en realized that Orochimaru's strength was not exaggerated, and victory would not come easy, not without making the man's heart explode.

Orochimaru realized that the demigod was indeed as strong as the rumors and stories portrayed him to be, but the Sannin also realized something from watching that fight: Shin'en offered a better body than any other person on the planet.

An Uchiha with the Sharingan?

Or the son of a god?

The Snake Sannin began to make plan after plan regarding the boy. He would unlock the secrets of a demigod's body, and he would have that power all to himself. With Shin'en in his possession, not Jiraiya, not Sarutobi-sensei, not Minato, and not even Pain would be able to stop him from completing his research.

Oh yes. Orochimaru would have Shin'en's body…one way or another.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The champion of Susano'o shivered. He knew that feeling, he had felt it many times while in a trap house surrounded by lecherous, homosexual pedophiles. Shin'en now understood why people called him Pedomaru. That Snake Sannin had some serious sexual issues to be going after little boys in such a way.

The demigod was currently soaring through the trees at speeds beyond what any genin could hope to achieve. There was a rain team that tried ensnaring him in a genjutsu, but that was laughable in and of itself. Although, it did make Shin'en wonder if Hanzo the Salamander was still in charge, or if the man with the piercings had taken over yet…

Meh. Food for thought later.

Shin'en arrived at where he sensed Naruko and Sasuke were, just in time to see Lee spiral into the ground with a fur-covered mummy, straight into a mound of dirt. So, the reincarnations were out of it, Haruno was about as useful as dead leaves, Lee was fatigued, and the Sound ninja were able to use their chakra in conjunction with sound waves to form disorienting attacks.

Oh, and the heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were hiding in the bushes, with Lee's teammates quickly approaching.

Shin'en paused and asked himself a very important question: why was he helping? Oh right, he was eliminating the competition, and Naruko and Sasuke were _really_ important to the world. Without a second thought, the demigod fell into the fray with the enthusiasm of a bear awakening from hibernation.

"Face it little man, you're up against the jutsu of the future!" Zaku Abumi smirked. Then a Hidden Cloud genin popped up behind Dosu. Kin, Sakura, Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji all gasped. Then Dosu was flying past his teammates.

"I'll make this quick," Shin'en said lowly.

Zaku growled, "Why you-!" The demigod was in front of him. "Silence," he intoned. Then the Sound genin was scraping the topsoil away with his face. Kin leapt away, and hurled bell-equipped senbon needles past Shin'en's head, the bells making a beautiful ringing.

A brow was raised, _'Sound-induced genjutsu? Pathetic.'_

Kin smirked as multiple versions of herself began popping up all over the place, seriously confusing all those watching. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruko were beginning to stir…

"Now that you're caught in my genjutsu, good luck trying to find the real me, kid!"

"Found you."

Then Kin felt a mountain collide with the back of her skull, and she knew no more. Zaku and Dosu's eyes widened in horror at seeing their teammate have her skull cracked open like a grapefruit. "Kin!" they both screamed. The boys growled, both of them throwing their arms forward, letting loose blasts of soundwaves that tore a massive gash through the earth as it sped towards Shin'en…who disappeared.

Eyes widened in disbelief. If the Sound genin's jutsu travelled at the speed of sound, did that mean that the Cloud genin was faster than sound? No, it meant that Shin'en was faster than their chakra, which was what carried the debilitating effects of the sound jutsu, not the sound itself.

Avoid the chakra, avoid the effects.

Sasuke and Naruko went wide awake. Foul, purple chakra surrounded Sasuke in a sickening aura, while Naruko groaned and held her head, noticing that her stomach was really sore, like she had done more sit-ups than Bushier-Brow Sensei.

Sasuke's two-tomoed Sharingan blazed angrily as he looked at the frightened forms of Zaku and Dosu, but he noticed that their fear was not directed at him, but at something else. His Sharingan spun when the Cloud ninja from earlier appeared behind both Sound ninja, putting his fingers in their backs, with his thumbs pointed up.

The Cloud ninja's thumbs came down, and a highly pressurized blast of water erupted from Dosu's and Zaku's hearts. They collapsed in lifeless heaps upon the forest floor.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and a serpentine voice whispered in his mind, _'Fight him. He isss sssstrong, sssstrong enough to be consssidered a worthy opponent. Prove yourssself to your father, mother, and brother. Prove you have the power to be equal to Itachi…'_

Equal to Itachi…now that was something Sasuke was more than happy to prove.

Shin'en felt nothing as his tattoo burned with three more numbers, making it 11,730. He cocked a brow when he felt the chakra of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal erupt around Sasuke, causing black, flame-like marking to spread over the boy's body. Itachi probably wouldn't be happy about that…

The demigod sighed when Sasuke suddenly charged at him, the Uchiha probably being influenced by the shard of Orochimaru's soul inside the Seal. The present ninja that were still alive watched as Sasuke suddenly vanished, Shin'en watched as the deranged idiot moved like he was swimming through syrup.

Then he punched him the face.

Points for durability, because Sasuke didn't immediately go down. The Uchiha spiraled through the air, weaving hand signs. He landed on the side of a tree, took a deep breath-!

"Fire Style-Fireball Jutsu!"

Shin'en scoffed. He had shrugged off _much_ hotter, and more powerful jutsu than that when he was training in the Cloud Village. He allowed the ball of heated chakra to slam into him, exploding and cratering the ground. Smoke billowed up from the impact zone.

Shin'en walked out of the crater perfectly unscathed, much to everyone's shock, and Sasuke's extreme ire. He became covered in purple chakra as more flame-markings burned across his skin, covering his entire body now. The genin screamed, and rocketed off the tree trunk with enough force to crack the bark. He soared downward, his fist cocked back to punch the demigod in the face.

Sasuke was _inches_ away…when his body suddenly froze in midair.

His body disobeyed him, and gravity had lost its hold. It felt like worms were ripping through his veins, holding him into place. It was uncomfortable as it was extremely painful. Especially when he tried moving his limbs. Now that hurt. His brain was working just fine, but limbs were being held against his will by some otherworldly force.

"And this, Uchiha, is why you'll never be a threat to me."

Then the reincarnation of Indra was back in the land of dreams.

Shin'en looked at the shell-shocked gazes of the rest of Teams 7, 9, and 10. Naruko was the only exception; she looked at him with a gaze similar to how Persephone looked at him. Pity, sadness, and a burning desire to 'help' him. It was a gaze _far too similar_ to Persephone's.

The demigod shivered slightly. One person who thought she was his big sister was enough. He did not need _two_ girls with the same complex trying to worm their way into his life.

Without any parting words or gestures, Shin'en was gone in a swirl of water, and a swirl of water right in front of the tower doors revealed Shin'en to the deadpan faces of Omoi and Karui.

"Anything _fun_ happen while you were away?"

"No." Shine's opened the doors and led his team into a large room. There was some kind of poem on a plaque above them. The demigod pulled the scrolls out of his shuriken pouch, and unfurled them by throwing them on the ground and holding the tips of the openings. In a puff of smoke, Darui appeared.

"Yoooo," he drawled lazily. "Even though it was probably dull, I trust you three had a _fun time_ in the Forest of Death?"

Omoi shrugged, Karui snorted, and Shin'en didn't react at all. "No. We were lucky just to find a team with an Earth scroll. Now that we're here, what are we supposed to do for the next 3 ½ days?" the demigod asked. The first day, and the first half of the day was all it took for Team Darui to get to the tower, and that was only because they had made several stops along the way to kill nameless genin.

The Jonin got the message. They couldn't find any of the clan heirs. He shrugged, "Well, the Second Exam isn't scheduled to end until that time, so I guess you three get to relax and enjoy the facilities. Here are your card keys for your rooms." His message delivered, Darui vanished in a puff of smoke.

Shin'en glanced over his shoulder at his teammates, who became rooted in place under his stare. "Don't go anywhere. Don't talk to anyone. Don't look at anyone. And most importantly, don't even leave the room. These next few days will be the toughest challenge yet, and we will not be responsible for any scene. Am I clear?"

There was a dual squeak of 'yes sir's, and Shin'en nodded before disappearing in a burst of speed.

Three days to plan things and out and survey the enemy? Sounded just like old times.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And there we go, the first two exams are in the books, both with my own little twists, and the preliminaries will be set to finish next chapter, with Team Darui basically replacing Team Dosu, but the fights will be different.**_

 _ **The polls are open on my profile, so go vote on the story you want to be released.**_

 _ **Now, Fav, Follow, and Review would'ya kindly, friends?**_


	21. Preliminaries

_Preliminaries_

 _ **Chapter 21 is up and running. Shouldn't be hard to figure what we're about this chapter, considering it's in the title. Of course, with the Sound Team gone, you might be wondering who's going to fight Choji, Shino, and Shikamaru. Spoiler warning, expect things to be mix and matched.**_

 _ **We'll also be seeing more of Persephone this chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

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Team Darui entered their room for the next three days. Spacious, three beds, fully-stocked kitchen, bathroom, TV, table, and a window to survey the Forest of Death. Karui sighed groaned heavily, flopping down on the bed closest to the door. Omoi smiled tiredly, before taking up residence on the middle bed. Shin'en went to work on destroying all of the listening devices planted in the room. Was it supposed to be coincidence that there were _twelve_ bugs in here?

"If you to go anywhere outside of this room, I will murder you," Shin'en said dully. Omoi and Karui just nodded, both just glad to be in air conditioning again. The demigod wasted no time in taking up the remaining bed, and promptly fell asleep.

It was time to start searching for Danzo.

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Shin'en separated his essence from his body, a skill that he had perfected during his time in the Mist. Being in this incorporeal state gave him the power of flight and intangibility, as well as the added benefit of being undetectable by _everything_ short of Sage Mode. But since there were only two Sages in this village, both of them unaware of his identity, expectations of Minato or Jiraiya sensing him were nonexistent.

Shin'en sent himself forward to the Hokage Tower, the gigantic red building in the middle of the village. What the demigod knew of Danzo was limited, so the best place to start searching for the Shinobi of Darkness was the place where all Hidden Leaf officials hung out. Of course, with it still being daytime, Danzo may be taking a nap or something.

Shin'en fazed through the Tower walls, traversing the building, poking his head through every wall. Bathrooms, conference rooms, offices, people screwing. Nothing that the demigod hadn't seen before. He came to stand outside the doors to the Hokage's office, and fazed through without an issue.

Minato and Jiraiya were in there, talking about him. You know what the downside of projecting his essence was? He lost all of his powers. Chakra and hydrokinesis both left him, in exchange for limited omnipresence. Killing both of these men here and now would undoubtedly relieve a lot of future stress, but such an accomplishment was beyond the incorporeal demigod.

"Are you sure about this, sensei?"

"A hundred percent, Minato. Everything fits. The description, the accounts, the time frame. Shin'en is the demigod, no question."

Well that wasn't good.

"What are you going to do about this, Minato? It's no coincidence that Ay is sending _this_ boy here, only a few weeks after Yagura was killed, and most of the Hidden Mist was razed. Something's coming, Minato, and Shin'en's at the heart of it."

"I know, sensei," the Yellow Flash sighed. "But I'm not about to pull some boy that may or may not be the son of a god in for questioning by Ibiki. Look at these!" Minato held up photographs of what was left of the Hidden Mist.

The Mizukage's Tower was nothing but broken pillars of stone. Houses had been reduced to piles of wood and destroyed furniture. Craters were absolutely everywhere. Then the photos of the body bags came up. Row upon row upon row upon row upon row of body-bags filled up the frames of six pictures. Shin'en cringed slightly. This is what happened when he let his emotions overcome him-this is what happens when he gets attached to people.

Unneeded death and destruction.

"What could've happened to make him cause such destruction?" Minato asked sadly.

Jiraiya looked grim. "Well, after Yagura killed the members of Yurei, he apparently had the bright idea to mount all of their heads on pikes, displaying them to his people. I suspect that it was an attempt to draw the remaining fifth member. I think Yagura got exactly what he wanted."

Minato looked at the pictures some more, morbidly marveling at the power. And now the cause of all of that what right there in his village. Shin'en wondered what the man would do.

The Fourth Hokage put the photos down, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "We'll let events play out. As it stands, we have no valid reason for detaining any of the Cloud ninja, and the political nightmare that would ensure would probably result in a war. Almost thirteen years later, and we're still recovering from the Nine-Tails' attack. Make sure Danzo gets the message to do absolutely nothing in regards to Shin'en. The last thing I want is for an angry half-divinity going on a rampage through my village."

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll go inform the buzzard myself."

Shin'en's eyes widened. Was it really going to be that easy? Apparently it was, because Minato gave the nod, and Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke. The demigod latched his essence onto the Sannin just before he Teleported away.

They both reappeared outside a traditional-looking hut. Shin'en promptly ignored Jiraiya, and fazed straight through the walls.

There he was, the man himself. Bandages, robe, X-shaped scar and all. Danzo Shimura was sitting on his knees, writing something down on an opened scroll. Forcing his mind to cooperate, Shin'en read the words…and frowned. It didn't make any sense, so it had to be some sort of code.

"Jiraiya, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Danzo asked when the Sannin entered his hut.

"I trust you know about the Cloud team?"

"Karui, and Omoi, the rookies of their year, and Shin'en, the demigod."

"Uh-huh. And Minato is _ordering_ you to not do anything in regards to Shin'en, under pain of death."

Danzo remained unfazed. "Of course. If that is what Lord Hokage wishes, then who am I to disobey him? However, I still stand by decision that we should've captured the boy long ago, and made him _our_ asset, before Ay got his hands all over him."

"Regardless," Jiraiya growled. "Shin'en is off-limits. Don't try anything, or else."

"I thought it was Orochimaru's shtick to lay claim to young boys."

Jiraiya scowled, but left the hut without another word.

And now it was a waiting game. Shin'en would wait here for days if necessary, he could do it, he would do it. He doubted this was Danzo's true base, hell he doubted this was the real Danzo. So he would watch this man, follow him, observe him.

If Shimura needed to shit, Shin'en would mark down the brand of toilet paper. If Danzo sneezed, the sound would be remembered. If this old bastard fell and couldn't get up, the person who came to help him on his feet would be tracked down and thoroughly investigated, interrogated, before their body was thrown to the wolves. Literally.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _July 6, 1013 A.S._

 _Saturday_

 _Chunin Exam Preliminary Arena_

Humongous room. Stairs that led up to catwalks on either side of the room. A gigantic statue of hands carved into the Ram seal. A large screen up on the wall above the statue, to the left. One Hokage, two proctors, six Chunin, seven Jonin, 21 Genin, and most importantly, one pissed off demigod.

There was supposed to be a lot _less_ of these idiots left in the exam.

The Hidden Leaf's Teams 7, 8, 9, 10, along with Orochimaru's Team Kabuto, the Sand Team, and Team Darui. Now there was going to be a preliminary tournament to cut the numbers down in half so the Third Exam wouldn't take so long get through. Damn it all to Hell!

Danzo wasn't here, so Shin'en couldn't justifiably slaughter everyone in here, and there was a certain number of people present that would be important later on…granted the demigod didn't decide to screw over the future.

Also, he was hoping to keep a certain level of discretion during this thing, but with Minato already in the know about the whole demigod thing, and this tournament involving having to fight someone, things may get… _dicey_.

The last thing Shin'en wanted was an audience with the Hidden Leaf Council.

He had no doubt that he would kill them all, and that would lead to the premature destruction of this village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile, at Camp-Half Blood_

 _Nighttime_

Persephone Jackson sat alone on her bed in Cabin 3. It was past curfew, but because she was technically a counselor, she could stay up as long as she wanted. She was reflecting on things, primarily the quest that she had finished a few weeks ago.

It had been quite the shock, learning about Mrs. Dodds being a Fury, Mr. Brunner being Chiron, Grover being a satyr, her dad being Poseidon, and every Greek myth being true.

Camp Half-Blood was an awesome place in her opinion. Blowing the toilets up in Clarisse's face had been funny, Andrew Chase was probably the most insufferable boy on the planet, Luke Castellan was really cute, but a little too old for Seph's tastes. The activities were always new, and CTF (baring the Hellhound) was never boring.

The quest had been hectic…yet fun. The bus exploding, Medusa, the train, the Arch, Waterland (she was _not_ blushing when Andrew held her!), the zoo truck where she and Andrew officially became friends, the Lotus Hotel, Santa Monica, Procrustes, the Underworld, fighting with Ares on the beach, and then meeting her father in person!

It was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to Persephone Jackson (besides learning that Gabe was now a statue). There was only one thing missing from her near-perfect life right now: her brother, Percy.

It had been almost _three years_ since she last had a dream of her younger twin, and she feared the worst. With the way he lived, it was a very real possibility. She hadn't told anyone about her brother, and Poseidon didn't seem to realize that he had a missing son, either, so Seph kept it to herself.

Besides, with the way everyone reacted to _her_ debut as the first demigod daughter of Poseidon, she couldn't imagine the uproar over there being _twins_. And Persephone didn't exactly have the power to defend herself from a god, not without the ocean right behind. Percy was a different matter altogether.

As much as she loved her twin, and wanted so desperately to meet him in person, she knew very well that Perseus Jackson was a cold-blooded murderer, and would only think twice about killing his sister (maybe), everyone else was expendable.

With a sigh, Persephone shut out her light, and crawled underneath her covers. "Goodnight, Percy," she whispered to herself.

That night, she dreamt of her brother, however, due to the power needed by the Fates and Susano'o to bring the girl's essence over to the Shinto realm, the four deities unwittingly sucked in all of the weaker essences that belonged to the _rest_ of Camp Half-Blood. Even Chiron was pulled into the dream.

Persephone blinked at the new sight. Some kind of arena, maybe? With a bunch of kids up on the catwalks—Percy! He was older, his arms bigger, new clothes, longer hair, and his eyes even darker than they were three years ago, and he had tattoos, but by gods that was him.

"Um…Seph, where are we?"

The daughter of Poseidon whirled around, and felt her face go slack at seeing the ghostly forms of _the rest_ of Camp Half-Blood behind her. Andrew, Luke, Grover, Clarisse, Beckendorf, the Stolls, Chiron, everyone. All looking around in confusion and wonder.

"Honestly? Not a clue."

Andrew's grey eyes darkened in the way that said he was thinking about something. He looked about, and gasped, pointing up at something above. "Who the Hades is that? He looks just like you!"

Persephone followed the finger, as did everyone else, and saw Percy leaning on the railing. The girl couldn't blame them for their surprise; she and Percy, despite being fraternal twins, were almost mirror images of each other. The main difference was their hair, and eye color.

"Oh, that?" Well, no point in trying to hide it now. "That's my brother, Percy."

Gasps rang out, and Chiron, even as a ghost-looking thing, managed to pale. "Twins?" he wheezed. "This is not good."

Persephone wondered why it was 'not good,' but she wanted to go say hi to her brother, rail him for getting tattoos without asking her permission, and yell in his ear about why she hadn't been able to have any dreams of him for the past three years.

"Great, so there's _two_ Sea Princesses?" Clarisse snarked. "Can't wait to see how good Prissy is in a fight. Doubt he's any better than you are."

"He'd vertically bisect you and sell your internal organs on the black market."

Clarisse blinked at that response, before she snorted. "Cute scare tactic, Princess, but there ain't no way anyone in your family is that messed up."

Seph looked sad for a moment, disheartened by how wrong the war god's daughter was, before she quickly masked her dismay so that no-one could question her on it. She promptly bounded up the stairs, and saw her brother putting something to his lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kabuto had walked out, claiming fatigue and what-not. The Leaf bought it easily, Shin'en knew otherwise. Right now, the teams had split up and had gone to the catwalks…in the most biased display ever. All of the Leaf teams, along with the Sand team, due to Naruko, had taken residence on the right catwalk, so the Cloud Team had the left all to themselves, not counting all of the Hidden Leaf higher-ups down the way.

Down in the arena, Sasuke Uchiha was about to do battle with Akado Yoroi, another of Orochimaru's spies, with the mediator of the fight being a pale, sickly Jonin by the name of Hayate Gekko…who was also a kenjutsu master and the consort of Yugao Uzuki, a respectable ANBU operative.

Shin'en reached into his pouch, and pulled out a cigarette. He put in his mouth, lamenting on how this was going to be one long day…

" _Are you smoking!?"_

"Ack!"

Shin'en was so surprised by the sudden distorted female voice, that he accidentally inhaled the cancer stick in his mouth, choking on it. He slammed his hand upon his chest, and spat it back out. People were looking at him funny, but he didn't care.

The demigod slowly turned his head, ignoring the fight going on beneath him. His eyebrows rose a fraction of a millimeter at seeing not just Persephone, but an old man in a wheelchair and a battalion of other kids dressed in orange. All transparent, and looking at him with wide eyes.

Did she just bring the entire fucking camp with her!? And why now!? Why not sometime peaceful-ish, when he wasn't about to kick someone's ass?

On a side note, all of those demigods were about to get really jealous of a bunch of 13-year-olds.

"You okay, Shin'en?" Karui asked.

The demigod was silent for all but a second, just staring at his sister. "I'm fine. Now shut up," his eyes slid over to the incorporeal forms of the half-bloods, "and watch the fights."

Persephone got the message, and huffed, but she did turn her attention down to the arena, just in time to see a boy about her age kick a full-grown man in the chin with enough strength to launch said man into the air.

The boy leapt up after his opponent, causing multiple sets of eyes to widen at the power that was just displayed by a kid. Even worse, all of the other people in the arena were watching with neutral faces, as if children with enough strength to leap fifty feet in the air was a normal occurrence.

Even more shocking after that, the boy swung his leg up, only for it to be blocked, then twisted, batting down the man in purple with his forearm. As they fell back to the ground, the boy further accelerated their decent by punching the man. Then, using his momentum, the boy spun around, landing on axe kick on the man's stomach with enough force to _crack the ground_.

"Lion's Barrage!"

The man coughed up a copious amount of blood, and the boy went skidding across the floor. The man with the bandana walked over to downed man, put his fingers to his neck, and shook his head.

"Winner of the first match! Sasuke Uchiha!" then he coughed a few times.

" _My word…I've only ever seen Heracles pull off such a feat of strength. And for this child to_ _kill_ _another man-a man many times his size…Persephone, who are these people?"_ the old man in the wheelchair asked, awe-filled and terrified. Most of the campers looked green, or pale, and looks of confusion and revulsion appeared when the people started _cheering._

What kind of messed up place was this, that children cheered on other children for _killing_ people?

"I'll be damned. These Leaf brats actually have the balls to take a life," Karui said.

"Not so. Sasuke miscalculated the amount of strength he put into that kick. He only meant to incapacitate, not kill. Regardless, there is no regret in his eyes for what he did, and I doubt there ever will be," Shin'en mused.

"Medic!" Minato called. Immediately, ninja wearing white uniforms and white doctor's masks blurred into existence on the battlefield. Two of them pulled the dead man's body onto a stretcher, blood spilling out from his bandana/mask, and two more appeared by the side of Sasuke, then all six ninja vanished in puffs of smoke

There was a whirring sound, and everyone looked up at the screen on the wall. It ran through name after name at a blinding pace, before finally coming to a stop.

Omoi vs. Shino Aburame

The Cloud ninja in question's eyes narrowed. _'Aburame…the bug clan. They let hives of chakra-eating insects live inside of their bodies. They live in harmony with those bugs, using them for combat, recon, and everyday life. They're master tacticians, almost on par with the Nara clan. This will not be easy.'_

Omoi was broken out of his thoughts when Karui suddenly grabbed him by the hood, and threw him over the railing. "Stop thinking and start fighting!"

Omoi landed on his feet, his eye twitching. Damn, crazy woman. Why were they friends again? Right, because their parents were friends, and he and she were literally potty trained together. The Cloud ninja stopped in front of the Leaf ninja, both of them staring each other down.

"You may begin when you are ready," the Jonin coughed.

' _The Aburame love their insects almost like family, so the best strategy is to draw them out, and threaten to destroy them unless he surrenders. Or to continuously hack away at them until he has none left. Either way, can't give him to think!'_ Omoi ripped his katana out of its sheath in a blinding slash.

Shino leapt back to avoid the sword, and hurled a handful of shuriken. Omoi deflected them all without issue. He blurred forward, overhead slashing at the Aburame, which was avoided with a sidestep. Omoi seemed to descend in slow motion, so he was able to hear Shino's words as their heads passed each other.

"Got you."

Shino kicked Omoi in the side, sending the boy skidding across the ground. Omoi grit his teeth, and infused his katana with wind-natured chakra, before slashing. A crescent of wind shot out from the sword, the bottom of it carving up the ground.

Shino was caught off-guard by the jutsu's speed, and instinctively reacted by thrusting his arms out, his insects swarming from his sleeves to meet the incoming Blade of Wind. The black cloud easily ingested the wind chakra, and Omoi couldn't believe his luck.

He reached into his pouch, and hurled a kunai with a special kind of tag attached to the ring. Just before the kunai reached the cloud, before the insects could eat the chakra in the tag, Omoi made half-Ram seal. "Boom."

The tag glowed brightly, but it didn't explode…it erupted into a large ball of searing hot fire.

The arena was illuminated in red and yellow, and almost everyone winced at the heatwave that instantly slammed into them. Shin'en used the heat to light another cigarette, before putting it in his mouth.

When the fireball finally died out, Shino was revealed to be relatively unharmed, aside from his scorched jacket, singed eyebrows, and smoking hair. It was almost comical, but another sight ruined the funny image. Dead insects. Everywhere. Charred, blackened, and extra crispy. They laid in a massive pile in between Shino and Omoi, sweet-smelling smoke rising from the corpse pile.

The Aburame fell to his knees, shock and despair at losing 85% of his hive overriding his mind.

Omoi's eyes widened with clear aggression. _'Now's my chance!'_

He gripped his katana and zoomed forward, blitzing across the arena with lethal intent. He sailed over the insects, and began to swing his sword in a horizontal arc that was going to cleave the Leaf ninja's dumbass head clean off.

CLING!

Only for the red-eyed woman dressed in bandages to suddenly appear, blocking his sword with a kunai, a deep glare on her face. Omoi scowled before leaping back, crushing a number of bugs beneath his feet. He held his sword out in front of him, ready to fight.

Hayateappeared then, coughing. "Due to the interference of Jonin-sensei Kurenai Yuhi, Shino Aburame is disqualified from the match."

Omoi scoffed, sheathed his katana, and made his way back up the stairs, making sure his displeasure was known by stepping on every insect he could. When he got back up, Shin'en kept leaning on the rail, smoking, while Karui was scowling herself, and Darui was eye-smiling.

"You did good, even if that dull woman jumped in like that."

The arena was silent as some of the Chunin swept up the insects, the other ninja disturbed by the willingness to kill, and the ruthlessness that was just displayed by Omoi. Looking to his right, Shin'en saw that the demigods had gobsmacked expressions on their faces, while some were downright scared. Persephone looked neutral, but she had seen her brother do worse, so that wasn't shocking.

The next three fights passed with most of the genin keeping neutral faces, while the demigods kept getting their egos destroyed by children several years their juniors. How humiliating was it to be the child of a god, yet be forced to watch a bunch of children pull off feats that you could never be able to do?

Tsurugi and his rubber limbs, getting pawned by Kankuro and his ingenious idea to switch places with his puppet. Speaking of the puppet, the children of Hephaestus were already brainstorming ideas for automatons complete with hidden traps.

To the demigods, it was one of the most awesome things to watch Sakura and Ino battle out with moves only found in the _Matrix_ , but for the rest of the ninja, it was shining example of how _not_ to be a kunoichi, and both Jonin-sensei were more than a little embarrassed at how their girls acted.

Of course, the match after that was a _shining_ example of how proper kunoichi acted. Temari and Tenten tore the battlefield a new asshole, slinging sharp objects everywhere, deflecting them with high-powered wind. Watching the Rising Twin Dragons, followed the wires and the Wind Scythe Jutsu had heads spinning everywhere.

Just who were these people!? Throwing around knives, throwing stars, scythes, nunchucks, giant throwing stars, with practiced ease, and a girl with four ponytails swinging a massive fan that should be impossible to carry much less use one-handed, to bend the element of wind to her whim. It was just insane to watch children do these things…and more than a few half-bloods were jealous. They were the children of _gods_. Why couldn't they do this stuff!?

The screen ran through names once more, stopping on Karui vs. Shikamaru Nara.

The girl grinned, and leapt over the railing, landing in crouch. The Nara might have been really smart, but he was really lazy. Put him through his paces and he'll eventually forfeit. Problem was the shadows. Those had to be watched at all costs, and every single move had to be double analyzed.

The Nara might be lazy, but he was a master strategist.

Shin'en was curious as to how this match would end. Would Karui's unending assault make it impossible for Shikamaru to think properly, or would the clan heir be able to make a plan on his feet?

"I forfeit."

…

"What!?" Karui screamed. Others were confused as well.

"Are you kidding me? That light in your eye, what Omoi almost did to Shino…you Cloud ninja are out for blood. I'm not going to unnecessarily put my neck on the line, just to get a fancy vest. They say pick your battles? Well I'm picking not to fight in a battle against an opponent I know nothing about, while she's obviously been informed about my powers. So yeah, I forfeit."

Hayate coughed. "Winner by default! Karui!"

The Cloud kunoichi _seethed_ at having her opportunity for battle get robbed from her. "Bastard…" she growled lividly. She leapt back up, easily clearing the railing, and punched the wall with a chakra-enforced fist.

Her hand got buried in the concrete, with spider-web cracks running up to the ceiling and down to the floor. The ninja didn't look surprised by this, but the demigods' jaws dropped. Luke paled at the thought of these people entering the coming war on the gods' side.

" _And the scary part?"_ Persephone said. _"These guys are the weakest. Just pray you aren't ever in a fight with one of the adults, or you're dead."_

Even Clarisse nodded her head at the warning.

The screen ran through names, stopping on Naruko Namikaze vs. Kiba Inuzuka.

The girl cheered, and jumped into the arena, while the boy grinned ferally, before doing the same. Hayate coughed, eager to see how these two would do against each other. "You can begin when ready."

Kiba wasted no time in throwing a food pill to Akamaru, causing the puppy's fur to stand on end, and become blood-red. Kiba popped a pill of his own in his mouth, and what appeared to be blue fire began to pour from him. Akamaru jumped on his back, and the genin clasped his hands together, steepling his middle and pointer fingers.

"Beast Mimicry: Four Legs Jutsu!"

Kiba became feral. His fingernails lengthened into claws, his canines became fangs, and his already slit pupils became even thinner. His bones and joints cracked as they slightly rearranged themselves to better accommodate his four-legged stance.

"Beast Mimicry: Man-Beast Clones!"

The red-furred Akamaru was engulfed in smoke, and when it cleared, a second, equally feral Kiba was now present.

The demigods once again found themselves gaping in shock. Cloning!? What else could they do!? Walk on water!? Breath fire!? Bring back the dead!?

"Wooah," Naruko swooned. "Going for that technique right out the gate?"

The Kibas grinned, and spoke at the same time which created an interesting effect on their voice. "Our opponent's the kunoichi of the year, and the Hokage's daughter. We can't afford to hold back if we want a chance to win this!"

The top Kiba jumped back, while the bottom darted forward. Naruko leapt over him, and then twisted in midair to avoid the spinning torpedo that rose up to meet her. She barely had time to breath when she landed, before she was on the defensive against a swarm of claws and kicks.

Naruko nimbly dodged the ferocious swipes of Kiba, and when she saw the second approaching quickly, she grabbed the outstretched claw of the one attacking her, and spun him away. She rolled under the second Kiba that had leapt at her, popped back up, and spin-kicked. Kiba caught her leg, making her eyes widen, before she was about to kiss the ceiling.

Naruko righted herself, and impacted with a crash, a cloud of dust enveloping her. Then she went on the offensive. Naruko, and a swarm of Shadow Clones came blasting out of the dust cloud like bullets. The Kibas freaked out, and now they were on the defensive.

It became a four-on-one beat down, Naruko's clones providing a coordinated assault seen only in groups of ANBU. The Kibas, despite their taijutsu prowess and increased chakra, found themselves slammed into each other's backs.

"Give up!" Eight voices chorused at once.

Kiba, panting, grinned in defiance. "No way…not yet…I still got one more trick up my sleeve…ready, Akamaru?"

The second Kiba puffed away, revealing the puppy, who quickly jumped on his master's back. The clones surged forward but they were too late. Chakra swirled around Kiba as he said, "Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Transformation Combo!"

Smoke engulfed the entire arena, blinding all. Shin'en was impressed, slightly, but when one's measuring stick is a Tailed-Beast, a giant dog was hardly something to be worried about.

The smoke cleared, and everyone gasped, none more so than the demigods. _"Orthrus…"_ the blonde kid with grey eyes whispered in awe.

" **Two-Headed Wolf** **…"** Kiba snarled. His new form took up almost a fourth of the entire arena. His heads were filled with razor-sharp fangs that dripped with saliva. His eyes were now a disturbing shade of red, and the claws on his feet were the size of teenagers.

Kiba's heads roamed around, looking for Naruko, seeing as she had disappeared with in the smoke. "Up here, Fido!" an impish voice said from above. Kiba wasted no time in crouching down, and jumping, the force from his leap cracking the ground where his paws once were.

"RASENGAN!"

Kiba's eyes widened when the cry came not from above, but from in front. Naruko shot forward out of the remaining smoke, a blue, swirling orb of power held in her right hand. There was nothing the Inuzuka could do. His belly was exposed, his momentum carried him up, and his opponent was coming in at an angle that made his paws useless.

He could've just dispelled the jutsu, and split back up, but that would leave him exhausted. The food pills had worn off, and Naruko had easily overpowered their effects with superior numbers and taijutsu. Kiba had actually scraped up the last of reserves to pull this jutsu off, and the amount of chakra it was taking to keep it sustained was ungodly.

Well, it times like these, it was best to go for broke. His mom and big sister were probably going rip him a new one later on, for the amount of worry he put them through, but they would all hug it out later. Kiba was _not_ about to take a Rasengan to the stomach.

Draining the last of reserves, Kiba defied physics, altering his direction and simultaneously beginning to rapidly spin. Very, very, very fast.

" **Wolf Fang Over Fang** **!"**

The spinning vortex of fur and chakra collided destructively with the swirling orb of millions of condensed spirals. It was the first time the demigods got a taste of what it was like to see two strong shinobi go head-to-head.

A massive crater appeared, created by the energies of the ninja. Wind roared and howled against the walls, making everyone cover their ears. Except for Shin'en. He just looked on impassively, already knowing what the outcome of this deadlock was. Because everyone but him was covering their faces, none of them saw the orange glow that appeared briefly, before the explosion blinded and deafened everyone for a few seconds.

When the smoke and dust cleared, jaws dropped at seeing what was left of the arena. Where the floor once was, was a crater several feet deep. Cracks had marred the walls and ceiling, and most of the catwalk rails had been warped, pressed up against the wall due to the outward force. Luckily, no one was hurt except for Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruko.

The genin's jacket had been shredded, and his body was covered scrapes and bruises. Akamaru's fur had become dirty, matted, ruffled, and singed in just about every visible area. Naruko was breathing heavy, her pigtails undone, her right arm was covered in burn marks, and her jacket was littered with cuts.

Minato was at his daughter's side in an _instant_ , and his haori didn't have time to settle before its wearer was back in the air. Medics did not need to be told, and they were putting Kiba on a stretcher and carrying Akamaru almost as fast as their Kage was carrying his child.

When Naruko's brain returned to her, she flailed wildly in her dad's arms, whining. Minato got the message and set her down. Immediately, Daddy-Mode was activated. "Are you alright? Does it hurt? Where does it hurt? I'll make it better, I promise-"

"Daaaaaaad! I'm fiiiiiine!" Naruko whined loudly. She held up her burned arm, which was steaming. "See? The fur-ball is already doing his job."

Fur-ball? The demigods wondered. What did that mean? Regardless of what it meant, the burn wounds on the girl's arm were fading away, leaving behind unblemished, peach-colored skin.

Persephone, and many other demigoddesses, would be lying if they said they weren't a little jealous of this Naruko girl. Why couldn't their fathers dote on them like that?

Minato smiled, before he pulled his daughter in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you. That was an amazing Rasengan. Although I think your Aunt Tsume is going to beat me up for what happened to her son," Minato chuckled.

Naruko giggled. "It wouldn't be any worse than the time Mom caught you helping Pervy-Sage with his research."

"R-right."

"Ahem. Winner! Naruko Namikaze! Now—cough—what are your orders, Lord—cough—Hokage?"

Minato pulled away from his daughter, surveying the damage with a critical eye. Change venues, or take a quick break so that the Chunin could repair the arena? Or, how about the Chunin repair the arena right now and we get the next three fights over and done with?

Minato snapped his fingers, fluctuating his chakra in a specific pattern. The Chunin in the grey uniforms leapt down, their hands held in the Ram seal.

"Earth Style: Landscape Repair Jutsu!"

They molded their chakra appropriately, and sent it out of their bodies into the ground. There was a brief rumbling, and then a slab of stone shot up and filled the crater, the cracks in the wall glowed with dark-yellow light; when the glow faded, the cracks were gone. And just like that, aside from rubble here and there, the arena was back in tip-top shape.

Minato flashed his daughter up to her friends, while he flashed back to his underlings on the other catwalk. The Hokage stole a quick glance at Shin'en and saw the boy was still leaning on the railing, the cigarette he was smoking almost burned down to a nub. He apparently realized this, because he spat that one out, pulled another from his pouch, and lit it with a controlled burst of lightning chakra.

The screen went through names again, and stopped on an interesting combination.

Hinata Hyuuga vs. Choji Akimichi

The big-boned boy paled and whimpered. He had to fight… _Hinata_? His friend? The second most powerful kunoichi in his class? That girl was Gentle Fist nightmare, undefeated against all but one opponent: Naruko.

In an alternate universe, the Hyuuga heiress would've been shy, timid, and introverted. However, with the soft, yet firm, guiding hand of her mother, Hitomi, the fiery encouragement of Kushina, the firm resolve of Mikoto, and the friendship of Naruko, Hinata Hyuuga was loud, proud, dignified, and the second most sought-after girl behind Naruko.

Hinata walked down the steps to the arena, smiling confidently. Choji threw some chips in his mouth, and followed after his friend. He wasn't going to roll over and give up, but he had zero confidence that he would win.

The two genin stood across from each other. Hinata was smiling, and Choji was shoving an entire bag of chips down his throat. Hayate coughed. "Begin when ready!"

Choji swallowed what was in his mouth, and put the bag away. His heart was not in this fight, and he knew he was going to lose anyway, so best to make it quick, and try again next time. Then Hinata said the magic words.

"Choji…you look really fat in that shirt."

Now, in the very back of the Akimichi's mind, he knew she was only playing with him, getting him riled up for the battle, but that didn't matter right now. This little shit had just called him _fat._

Fires like that of the sun erupted where Choji's eyes were supposed to be, and he clenched his fists super tight. "I'M NOT FAT! I'M BIG-BONED!"

Hinata grinned as her tactic worked like a charm. Now that Choji was head-first into the fight, she wouldn't feel so bad about mopping the floor with him. It wasn't anything personal, it was just that she wanted to make it to the finals, and to do that, she had to defeat Choji. Afterward, she would take him out for barbeque. Her treat, and her apology.

"Expansion Jutsu!" Choji's body erupted into a massive ball with limbs.

"Human Boulder Jutsu!" Then his limbs disappeared, and he began rolling forward like a giant bowling ball.

Unfortunately, Hinata fully expected this, and easily dodged the rampant fat-ball. Poor Choji, she thought genuinely, all that power and no way to control it. Hinata leapt into the air, landing by the wall beneath the Cloud ninja—on purpose—and vanished in a burst of speed just as Choji came barreling into the wall, where got stuck.

Hinata reappeared in midair, Byakugan active. _'Sorry about this, Choji.'_ The Akimichi felt several hard taps around his body, before he deflated with swirls in his eyes. He was knocked out.

"Winner! Hinata!"

Most of the Leaf ninja cheered, with the adults clapping. Hinata blushed faintly, but smiled and ran back up the stairs as the medics carried Choji away. Reaching the top, she just barely had time to react to the orange and blonde missile that slammed into her.

Naruko hugged her friend tightly, and Hinata hugged back just a strong. Gods, she loved these moments, when she and Naruko were together like this. The way the slightly younger girl smelled, the softness of her hair, their chests touching-

"You can…let me go now, Hinata," Naruko blushed at how her friend was hugging her for so long.

"Oh, yeah, r-right." Hinata broke away, and hurried past to her teammates. Naruko did the same. Kurenai shared a look with her Hokage, and the man's face was unreadable. Shin'en knew exactly what had just happened, and he took a drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke out of his nose. _'Lesbian…'_

The screen did its thing, landing on two more names. Gaara vs. Rock Lee.

The redhead appeared on the arena floor in a flurry of sand, while the bowl-cut leapt down with a drawn out cry of 'Youth!' Shin'en didn't even bother to pay attention to that fight. A Jinchuuriki going up against someone who didn't even have a properly functioning chakra network…laughable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well it took longer than what Shin'en had expected, but once Gaara was able to properly adjust his sand to accommodate for Lee's admittedly impressive speed, the fight was all downhill from there. Even with his weights off, Lee couldn't get past Gaara's sand. Not even opening up his Inner Gates, could the taijutsu expert land a blow, not against the Tailed-Beast chakra that the redhead called upon.

The demigods had quite the shock when they saw Gaara's eyes change. White sclera became pitch-black, and the boy's greenish eyes turned yellow with a four-pointed star as a pupil, with four little dots in between the star's branches.

When the power of Lee's Gates faded, the genin was swiftly knocked out by a blow to the head, courtesy of condensed sand. Then Lee surprised everyone—Shin'en just raised a brow—when he stood up _while unconscious_. A sign of the genin's intense willpower. But that was all about 30 seconds in the past. Now it was the present.

"I hope you're ready to die, _Cloud ninja_ ," Neji Hyuuga spat venomously. Shin'en said nothing. His cigarette burned idly at the corner of his mouth, his hands tucked into the sash around his waist, and his head was angled in a way that caused his needle-like bangs to cover his eyes.

Minato was nervous as hell. He didn't know who was running that computer, if anyone really, but this was not a good matchup. Neji's hatred for the Cloud was well-known, and if he said something to set the demigod off…Minato did not want to clean up the smear on the wall that would become of the Hyuuga.

Persephone was just as nervous as Minato, albeit for a slightly different reason. It was Percy's turn to fight. Percy did not hold back. Percy was about to kill somebody in front of Camp Half-Blood, and Persephone would be stuck having to explain to her friends why her twin had no regard for human life.

" _Will you stop worrying? I'm sure your brother is going to fine," Andrew said._

 _Persephone rounded on the son of Athena, her hair billowing behind her. "I'm not worried about Percy, Wise Boy. I'm worried about how much of a mess he's about to make."_

" _Oh, come on Seaweed Brain. He's not that bad is he?"_

Hayate coughed, fully aware of the blood feud before him. He felt sorry for the Cloud-nin. Poor boy may look cool, but Neji was on a whole other level. This was going to be quick, brutal, and bloody.

"Begin!"

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 _ **So there's chapter 21, and 95% of the preliminary rounds. Hoped you liked them, and my added twist of having all of Camp Half-Blood present with Persephone. I thought about bringing the Hunters along for the ride, but I thought that would've been overkill on the reactions.**_

 _ **Now that every story had been brought up to 21 chapters, expect Green-Eyed Ghoul to be 'binged' once again. Chapter 11 should be out this time-ish tomorrow.**_

 _ **Tell me how much you liked this chapter by Reviewing, Following, and Favoriting please!**_


	22. Fatal Flaw: Bloodlust

_Fatal Flaw: Bloodlust_

 _ **Now I bet you're all surprised to see this updated before Ghoul was, but I'm sure there are many who won't complain. Thing is, I just wasn't feeling the Green-Eyed today, can't explain it, maybe I was bored of it? Writer's block, perhaps? Either way, this fight's been running through my head for a while, and every song I listened to in the past 24 hours just had me seeing Shin'en whipping ass…so here you go.**_

 _ **I'm glad I decided to bring in Camp Half-Blood for this, since multiple people told me it would've been boring without them. Now I can't help but imagine the things that would've been different if I**_ _ **did**_ _ **bring in the Hunters. Whew, I can see them having their egos flamed just by watching Naruko. But anyway.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Persephone was visibly trembling at the thought of her brother fighting, with the entirety of camp here to watch. How exactly do you explain to people how your younger sibling can casually snap someone else's neck like it's as common as breathing?

" _Oh, chill out, Princess,"_ Clarisse groaned. _"If any of these other kids are anything to go by, the worst we'll see is some broken bones and a crater or two."_

Seph slowly turned her head to face the daughter of Ares. _"You have_ _no_ _idea just how brutal Percy can be."_

" _What's he gonna do? Stomp on Pale-Eyes' face?"_

" _If you're lucky, that's all we'll see him do. Granted, Percy stomping on Neji's face will probably make his entire explode like an overripe strawberry, but that's not the point. The point is, Percy doesn't take it easy on anybody that he fights."_

" _You make it sound like you've seen him do this before,"_ Andrew observed. Luke was paying subtle, yet rapt, attention. Everyone else was visibly leaning in to listen.

" _I have,"_ Seph answered, _"and it's not pretty."_

" _Child, what has he done?"_ Chiron asked shakily. This was not good, this was not good, _this was not good!_ Twins! Of Poseidon! And Persephone was making it sound like her brother was some kind of near-invincible murder machine. Oh, if the boy was the Prophecy Child, the centaur _feared_ for both Olympus's sake, Persephone's sake, and Percy's sake. Olympus for obvious reasons, the girl because when Zeus got wind of _this_ , he would no doubt destroy young Percy, which was why Chiron worried for him, too.

It was clear that Persephone loved her brother, so watching him die would be heart wrenching and—oh my gods if Zeus killed Percy Persephone would be out for vengeance and Olympus would be razed. Once more, _this was not good!_

The daughter of Poseidon turned her attention back to the arena. _"Just watch, and try not to lose your dinner."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Begin!" Hayate jumped away before the fists could fly.

Neji took a stance, Byakugan active. "It's your fate to die here today, Cloud ninja. Some clan-less nobody from a backstabbing village stands no chance against a member of the mighty Hyuuga Clan."

"Sixty seconds."

Neji blinked. "What are you talking about."

"You have sixty seconds to pull every technique you have out of your ass, before I end this farce."

Neji growled in anger. "Big talk coming from a dead man. Hah!"

His fingers became wreathed in chakra, and he jumped forward, putting his training with the Gentle Fist to good use. He met only air, as Shin'en began to literally dodge circles around the long-haired boy. Neji stabbed, Shin'en side-stepped. Neji swiped, Shin'en leaned back. Neji spun, Shin'en spun in the opposite direction. It was almost like watching a dance.

" _Puh, all that hype about your brother being some ruthless badass, and all he can do is dance around?"_

" _Clarisse, you really need to be quiet right now."_

" _Whatever, Princess."_

Neji, however, had a completely different thought process. _'This idiot was all talk; all he can do is dodge me!'_

Shin'en, while easily dodging the haphazard Gentle Fist strikes, was also thinking about different things. _'God, Yagura's dead, most of the Seven Swordsmen are dead, Mei should be dead but I let her become Mizukage, and Persephone somehow brought the entire retard camp with her. I shouldn't have gone back to the Cloud; should've just started my genocide campaign right after the Mist. Aw hell, is Susano'o influencing me again?'_

Shin'en's hands shot up, intercepting Neji's, causing everyone's eyes to widen in surprise and shock. One did not simply grab a Hyuuga's hands in the middle of a taijutsu battle!

"Fifty seconds left." The demigod blew his cigarette smoke in Neji's face.

Shin'en let go of his opponent, and Neji jumped away to gain distance. He grit his teeth, the veins around his bulging even more. _'His chakra is a deep emerald in color, yet I can't see the full depth of it all. Is he suppressing his chakra? That's a skill that no genin should have, except for those with special training like Naruko. And then there's his reflexes; to be able to intercept my hands…not even Lady Hinata can do that. I had hoped to save this for the finals, but if it means I can kill this Cloud ninja, then I'll gladly reveal it now.'_

"Forty seconds."

Neji's brow twitched at just how laid back and lackadaisical this punk was being, but no matter…"You're within range of my divination."

The Hyuuga took a certain stance, causing multiple pairs of eyes to widen. Especially those of Hinata and Guy's. "No way! Is my youthful student truly going to use such a devastating technique in a preliminary match?"

Shin'en raised a brow. This could be interesting. He raised his arms out to the side, _inviting_ Neji to come at him, and the Hyuuga did just that.

"Two palms!" Neji landed two hits.

"Four palms!" More taps.

"Eight palms!" Neji's hands were starting to become blurs.

"Sixteen palms!" Now they were blurs.

"Thirty-two palms!" The genin had a hard time following the rapid flurry of strikes, the Jonin were impressed with the technique, and the demigods' heads were spinning. How could anyone move that fast.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Two Palms!" The demigods only had one question now: where did Neji's arms go?

The Leaf genin finished the combo with a palm strike that sent Shin'en skidding back across the arena on the tips of his toes. He put his heels down, and his movement was immediately halted. Then he clapped.

"Twenty seconds left."

Neji balked at the bravado, before he smirked superiorly. "Please. Your bluff is meaningless. I've sealed all of your chakra points. There's no way you could possibly beat me now."

" _Ten seconds."_

Neji gasped, before he got angry. "You want to continue fighting me!? Fine, then go ahead and DIE!"

His hand glowed with chakra, and he ran forward, screaming his head off. Guy's eyes widened in horror at what his student was about to do, and in his shock, he was too slow to move appropriately. Neji's Gentle Fist strike connected solidly with the skin above Shin'en's heart, and the resultant chakra blast ruptured the organ like a kunai and a water balloon.

Shin'en fell backwards. Dead. His cigarette burned idly in his mouth.

The half-bloods all had looks of shock on their faces. Did they just watch someone _die?_ Did they just witness _murder!?_ Luke felt relieved that a potential threat had been eliminated, and Chiron felt something similar. Grover was confused about the emotions he was getting through his empathy link with Persephone. Shouldn't she be sad, not highly annoyed?

Andrew put his hand on his no-doubt-distraught-friend, trying to comfort her. Watching her brother just get killed like that had to be rough. What he did not expect, nor anyone else, was for the daughter of Poseidon groan in frustration.

" _Will you stop playing dead, and finish this guy already!?"_

No response.

"I told you that it was your fate to die here today." Neji gloated. Then he did the smart thing: he spat on the demigod's body. "For my father." He turned around, ignoring the shocked looks of his fellow Leaf ninja. "Proctor, call the match. My opponent is dead."

The Jonin coughed, but he kept his emotions hidden. "Winner! Neji-oh my God."

The Hyuuga blinked at that, but his confusion turned to fear when a hand roughly clapped his shoulder.

" _Time's. Up."_

Neji was whipped around, and received the most devastating punch in his history, right to the face. The Leaf Genin shot backwards like a coin fired from a certain scientific railgun, tearing a gash through the ground even though he was about three feet above it, straight into the Ram seal statue. The statue instantly crumbled, spewing out dust. The arena shook as a tapestry of deep, ugly cracks erupted from the impact point, shooting all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The name screen exploded. The ninja clung to the railing, trying to keep from falling due to the shaking of the tower.

Shin'en stood where he had fallen, legs shoulder width apart, right arm locked straight out. From the wreckage on the other side of the arena, a pitiful groaning could be heard.

"Skull is thicker than I thought; that punch should've went straight through his head. No matter. This next one will end it," Shin'en's voice was flatter than a board.

Neji whimpered as he crawled out of the debris. His face felt like it had smashed in, his nose was burning painfully, his mouth was filled the coppery taste of blood, and there was a concerning amount of empty spaces where his teeth should've been. And his head hurt. Really bad. The only time he received a punch like that, was when Guy-sensei took training seriously, and even then, the Jonin didn't pack _that_ much power behind his strikes.

He struggled to look up at the approaching demigod. "H-how? I b-blocked you're ch-chakra…"

Shin'en paused mid-step, took a drag from his cigarette, and blew the smoke out of his nose. "I suppose you did, didn't you? Let's fix that."

The son of Poseidon went deathly still…before a foreboding aura began to emanate from him. The ground began to shake, and small rocks scattered around the arena began to rise. The ground at Shin'en's feet began to crack, his feet sinking in. He grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and began to growl ferally.

Concentric rings of dust began to circle around him, kicked up by the growing pressure. Kakashi lifted his head band, Hinata activated her Byakugan, as did Neji, and Minato's eyes narrowed at what he was sensing. Within their seals, the One and Nine-Tails began snarling, feeling very much like threatened predators that were being challenged. To those with the proper eyes, they saw a ball of emerald fire erupt in Shin'en's belly, slowly power its way through his initial chakra coils, before pausing at the entrance to the rest of his body…

Shin'en raised his head, his pupils glowing brightly, and _roared_.

Chakra poured forth from him a violent torrent that slammed into the ceiling, before blasting through. The force generated from his chakra forcefully pushing his chakra points back open, slammed everyone present against the wall, and the winds began to tear gashes through every solid surface not already cracked.

Shin'en calmed himself back down, and reigned his rampant chakra back under control. Everyone was now able to uncover their eyes, and breath regularly again. The preliminary exam arena was in ruins. Bits of wall were missing, chunks of ceiling kept falling, letting the light of the noon-day sun filter through, and the floor looked a topographical map of Earth country. Pipes along the structure had ruptured, letting water flow freely around.

"Now," Shin'en drawled darkly, "I believe we were at the part where I vertically bisect you, and sell your organs on the black market."

He held his hand out, and commanded some of the loose water to flow into his outstretched palm. The liquid obeyed his command, flowing across and upward like a snake. It slid through his palm, continuing up, where I split into three points. Shin'en clenched his hand around the construct, causing it to cut off at the bottom, and freeze. Gripped in his hand was a trident made of ice.

He idly twirled it around his hand as he approached Neji.

Persephone paled as she watched her brother go in for the kill, right in front of everybody. She promptly leapt over what was left of the railing, the impact of landing 15 feet below not even registering due to her incorporeal state, and began to step over the debris, ignoring the calls and cries of panic of those behind her.

Turns out, everyone decided to follow after her, but it was all for nothing in the end.

Shin'en stood over the downed Neji. Being perfectly honest with himself, he was showing off. So much for discretion, but he wasn't in 'assassin mode' right now. He was in 'battlefield mode.' The faze in which he completely forwent stealth and subtlety, and replaced it explosive displays of power. It was more used for intimidation and large scale battles, rather than one-on-one fights with a sentient turd. But there was audience here, and he was trying to send a message.

The demigod raised his makeshift trident, deliberately being slow because he wondered if Guy and any other Jonin would jump in. The trident was at its peak, Neji's eyes widened, and the weapon came down…and the Hyuuga disappeared in a burst of green just before he could be skewered.

Shin'en's smirk was positively demonic.

He turned around, cigarette almost burned away, with an irritated look on his face. Neji was being held bridal style by the Hidden Leaf's resident taijutsu master, Might Guy. The green spandex-clad man with the bowl cut was staring intently at Shin'en.

"Excuse me. I was in the middle of something there. Would you _kindly_ hand that _back_ to me?"

Guy's eyes narrowed. One could practically feel the mounting confrontation. Minato and the rest of the adult Leaf ninja were getting ready to jump in at any time to avoid a disastrous beat down. Kid might've had some chakra, but he was nothing against Guy's taijutsu.

"I'm not going to allow you to kill one of my students."

"That's not up to you," Shin'en growled lowly. "In the Chunin Exams, you don't have the right to protect your genin anymore. Once entered, their lives are in their own hands, or in the hands of their opponent."

Hayate coughed off to the side. "Winner! Shin-!"

"No. This fight isn't finished yet. I don't take too kindly to being spat on after I've been murdered. His life is mine."

Guy remained firm. "The match is over, and you've won. There's no need to continue this battle."

"Apologies, then, for I refuse to leave without _his_ head."

Kakashi's Sharingan began spinning. Asuma Sarutobi reached for his trench knives. Kurenai began molding chakra for a genjutsu. The Sand Jonin, Baki, reached for his sword. Minato had a Flying Thunder God kunai at the ready. Ibiki and Anko began to tense, as did the other chunin assistants. Even the other genin began to prepare to help their sensei, and save their comrade, even he was an arrogant douche that needed his ass whooped. Darui palmed his face at Shin'en's actions.

Damn kid was doing this just to alieve the boredom from standing here all day, and remedy the disappointment that came from fighting a genin.

Internally, the demigod was gearing up for one helluva battle between him and the Leaf's finest. O-o-o-o-oh yeah. _This was going to be good._

"Your bloodlust is most unyouthful for one so young. Regardless, Neji is not yours, nor will I ever allow you to harm him any further. That I swear on my life." It was rare to see Guy so serious.

Shin'en was silent, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his lids closing. The ice trident in his hand collapsed into a puddle of water. He rolled his wrists, then his shoulders, then his head, an intimidating cracking following each movement.

" _Percy,_ _please_ _don't do this,"_ Persephone begged, but she was ignored.

"On your life, ne? Let's put that conviction to the _test!"_

Guy's eyes widened when Shin'en was suddenly in front of him, fist cocked back. A three-pronged kunai entered his vision at the same time, and Lord Hokage was there in a flash. He kicked Shin'en away, and teleported Neji away to somewhere safe, presumably the hospital. The rest of the Leaf ninja, and the Sand ninja, leapt down, taking up fighting stances next to Guy and Minato.

Shin'en rose from the rubble he had been kicked into, and then he finally allowed his madness to show on his face.

They say that war never changes…they are correct. However, the people that go into war, and come out alive, are never the same again. Shin'en was no different. The constant assassinations, the battles, the oceans of blood he had spilled…Shin'en's strength wasn't in that he pushed through his emotions, it was that he repressed them down to a level so deep, only apathy could show through. Like Yugito said so long ago, bottling up his emotions was never a good thing, especially considering what happened when they finally boiled over. However, he was not expressing his sadness this time around, he was expressing his deeply hidden insanity.

Insanity born from seven years of killing thousands.

Despite his power, and his lineage, Shin'en was still just a child, and the emotional trauma he experienced at such a young age had left easily visible mental instabilities. This was an example of those instabilities rearing their head.

Still, Shin'en was not completely lost in ways of awareness, and realized that a battle against so many strong opponents would be short-lived. Team work only succeeded when the team was strong, otherwise the opponent could break them apart and finish them quickly. Right now, the only team stronger than the one in front of him now, would probably be the Gokage. Of course their numbers and power meant nothing to a bit of hydrokinesis to the heart, but that defeated the purpose of _fighting_.

Anko, and everyone weaker than her, were caught off-guard when the water suddenly surged up, and froze around them, encasing them in ice. Ibiki, Baki, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Guy, and Minato easily avoided the wave, but their separation cost them.

Shin'en appeared in front of the midair Kurenai, and punched in the face with enough force to send the red-eyed woman hurling through the other side of the arena.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Guy came flying in, leg extended. Shin'en jerked around, caught the impending limb, and spun the Jonin somewhere over the ceiling. That left four Jonin, and one Kage coming in with a Rasengan in one hand, and a special kunai in the other. And the kids would become an issue at some point later.

The swirling orb of chakra slammed into the demigod, who Substituted with a nearby rock, escaping unharmed. Kakashi was on him, the two engaging in a tense taijutsu battle, before Asuma jumped in, wind-chakra enhanced knives flying. Against the highly coordinated assault, Shin'en found himself overwhelmed and knocked back, right into the strong arms of Ibiki and Baki.

Minato flashed in front of his two subordinates, and approached the oddly still, restrained demigod. The Fourth Hokage frowned; something was up. "As good as that fight was, I'm afraid that you'll have to be detained for the rest of the Exams on the grounds of aggravated assault and attempted murder against a Leaf ninja."

Shin'en chuckled quietly, before his hands tightened on the torsos of the men holding him. Then Minato sensed a buildup of chakra. A very familiar kind of buildup that he had only seen in two certain ninja, both of the hailing from the Hidden Cloud.

"Lightning Armor."

Baki and Ibiki were helpless as Shin'en became engulfed in emerald chakra, wreathed in lightning black as night. The two Jonin were launched back, slamming into piles of rubble, their unconscious bodies smoking and crackling with electricity.

The three Leaf ninja shielded their faces from the waves of power that rolled off of the demigod. How did this kid know the Lightning Armor!? Just who was he!? Bottom line, this battle just got a whole lot harder.

Meanwhile, a different crowd of people was having their understanding of the natural order of things broken and shattered. A son of _Poseidon_ using _lightning_ to a degree that _Thalia_ could never, ever do. Even Persephone was shocked beyond belief. Sure he had the Lightning Blades, but this was a whole new level of lightning manipulation.

"Now that we're all warmed up," Shin'en said, "we can get to the real battle."

He disappeared in a burst of power, and Kakashi instinctively substituted with a massive chunk of nearby wall, that was instantly shattered. Minato flashed away to avoid the spin kick aimed at his head, but Asuma was caught in the tailwind of the of the kick, and was sent skidding back.

Shin'en was in front of him first. Asuma countered with his knives, but even the added power of wind chakra, they weren't able to pierce the chakra that surrounded the boy in front of him. Actually, the blades rebounded off of the armor, and the Jonin was left wide open. Shin'en merely placed his hand on the man's flak jacket, and let the lightning do its thing. All of this happened in less than a second, and the end result was that Asuma Sarutobi was shocked into the world of dreams.

Then, the ice holding the remaining ninja cracked and shattered. Everyone inside stumbled about, cold and shivering, yet unharmed. Especially Gaara and Naruko. Their Tailed-Beast Chakra kept them warm enough.

"What are you doing!?" Naruko cried, after taking in the destruction around her.

Shin'en cocked his head to the side, grinning cruelly. "I'm finishing the match," he said slowly. "All of you have just taken the place of Neji. But if you're still confused, just think of this as an unfriendly spar."

Minato flashed into existence suddenly, and demigod reflexes save the boy from taking a Rasengan to the face…by blocking it with his armor-covered hand. A terrible screeching filled the air as the two chakras grinded mightily against one another. Shin'en grit his teeth as he began to feel pain in his hand.

Despite his otherwise preoccupied disposition, he was still fully aware of Kakashi zooming up from behind, Chidori chirping loudly. Ahhh, so that's how that jutsu is made. Ox→Hare→Monkey, and then force a copious amount of lightning chakra into your hand. Shin'en would have to experiment with that later.

As Kakashi drew ever closer, Shin'en made his move. And arc of black lighting shot out, connecting with the lightning covering the Jonin's hands. The Copy Ninja's advance was halted, and he was locked in a stalemate with a lightning bolt, until the two cancelled out with an explosion.

Meanwhile, the demigod threw his hand down, altering the trajectory of the Rasengan, while his other hand became pointed, and shot straight up at Minato's face. The Kage disappeared in a flash of yellow.

"Is that all you are then, Namikaze? Rasengans and teleportations? I expected more."

Minato kept a straight face, before he ran through hand seals at a dizzying pace, before slamming his hand down on the ground, where one of his Flying Thunder God kunai was stabbed. Immediately, a massive sealing formation spread out around Shin'en, and the demigod noted with no small amount of panic that the squiggly and intricate lines were running from Minato's kunai, to three others, forming a rhombus around the son of Poseidon.

"Sealing Barrier: Chakra Restriction Seal!" Minato said with finality.

The seal glowed bright red, and when Shin'en tried to move he found that he couldn't. He immediately thought of the Nara, but the kid was just standing dumbfounded. There weren't any other bodies around that had their hands in the Rat seal, so what was keeping him here!?

The seal activated, and Shin'en screamed in pain when he felt his chakra forcefully cut off from him. A pillar of red energy, wrapped in lines of black kanji, reached up for the heavens. When the pillar faded, it revealed Shin'en to be panting on a knee. The front of his shirt had been burned away, leaving the new seal on his stomach visible to all.

It was rhombus is design, with the outer edges being lines of squiggles, a smaller rhombus inside, with straight lines forming its edges, and squiggle lines connecting it to the big one. Inside the small rhombus was the kanji for 'block.'

"I'm sorry, Shin'en, but you left me no choice. Come on, let's get you and everyone else to the infirmary," Minato said. The genin and others looked on with pity, satisfaction, and fear. The demigods were bewildered as Hades. For someone that seemed so powerful to suddenly go down like that…

Persephone wasn't buying this for an instant. There was no way her brother would've missed Minato setting up that sealing jutsu. What was Percy planning?

Inside their seals, the Tailed-Beasts were wondering the same thing. A demigod falling prey to such a transparent strategy? Surely Minato wasn't underestimating the boy that much, was he? _Was he?_

The sky began darken, and everyone's ears popped at the sudden change in pressure. Minato's eyes widened when he sensed a _massive_ amount of chakra in the atmosphere. By the gods…he hadn't sensed this much chakra since he trained with his daughter on controlling the Nine-Tails.

"Finally ready…"

Minato looked at Shin'en, and felt his heart stop at seeing the boy slowly deform into a puddle of water. He sensed a burst of chakra come from the rubble over where he first kicked Shin'en, and the debris exploded upwards, a blur shooting through the hole in the roof, and up to the very top of the tower.

A bit of chakra to the eyes, and Minto gasped at seeing that it was Shin'en. He looked very tired, and worn out, and his chakra was greatly depleted, but it was him. Lightning erupted across the clouds, lightning up the artificial night, and creating the most deafening cacophony of sound ever graced by human ears.

Minato wasted no time in getting everyone out of the arena ruins. The genin, the Jonin, Kurenai. They found Guy passed out outside, his leg twisted at a sickening angle. Outside, the large group found the weather to be worse. Rain pounded upon them relentlessly, lightning flashed and writhed across the sky in a never-ending tapestry. A number of stray bolts had struck the forest creating small fires that battled against the pouring water.

And Shin'en stood at the top of the tower, staring down at them all.

To say the demigod was drained was an understatement. He hadn't used this much chakra since battling Yagura. The chakra he blasted into the sky very much earlier had been the catalyst for the storm to form, considering it was a watered down version of the Gale Style: Gale Dragon. And creating a Water Clone powerful enough to handle that many Jonin was taxing on the reserves, even for Shin'en. As such, he only had one shot for this next technique, but the rain that was drenching him was slowly regenerating his chakra. He wasn't aiming to kill, but he was curious as to what would happen next.

Scratch that. He did know what was going to happen after he fired this jutsu.

Shin'en said nothing as his hand crackled with lightning, and he raised it high above him. A sound echoed from the clouds, whether it was thunder or some kind of roar was anyone's guess. Meanwhile, the demigods' essences were all up top with Shin'en, getting front row seats. They gazed around in awe at the power, and fear at the effects. Persephone was experiencing a disturbing amount of déjà vu. This was just like _that_ night.

"Come!"

A bolt of lightning blasted from Shin'en's hand, joining the unending torrent from above. The lightning flashed like strove lights, before a gigantic beast descended from the heavens, growling loudly. The beast had red eyes, and black sclera. It stared down upon the ants on the earth, causing them to tremble. Minato felt as if he was standing in the presence of the Death God once again.

Shin'en stared down dispassionately. He flexed his hand, and the beast ascended back into the clouds. "Begone with the roar of thunder…Kirin!" The demigod brought his hand down, like a king signaling his artillery, and Kirin roared its attack as it crashed down upon the earth.

The resulting explosion was so powerful that it knocked the residents back into their own dimension. Persephone lingered a while longer, sharing a look with her brother over his shoulder. The she too was sent back to her body.

The lightning stopped flashing, the rain stopped pouring, the fires stopped burning, the clouds began to part, letting the light of the sun shine back down upon the earth, which revealed the crater half the size of Camp Half-Blood, and more than a few meters deep. The tower creaked and groaned, before it toppled forward, Shin'en nonchalantly riding it down like a boss.

Minato co. were nowhere to be found, but that was because the Yellow Flash had done his thing, or he had been too slow and everyone was now dead. Either way, there was the large contingent of ANBU to deal with.

"Shin'en of the Cloud. Your fellow ninja have already been arrested on the charges of deception, and attempted murder. Surrender peacefully and come with us," the female with the purple hair said.

The demigod chuckled quietly, but there was no humor in his laugh. "It never ceases to amaze me the lengths Susano'o will go to in order to keep me from altering too much of the timeline."

"What are yooooooooooooouuuuuuuuu-" the ANBU's question was interrupted, becoming more like the sound of a glitching videogame.

Everyone became frozen, like reality was paused, cracks began to appear in time and space, before everything erupted into a black void, with pieces of reality floating and tumbling about like shards of glass. Soon, those shards quickly began to spin, and at a vertigo-inducing speed, reformed themselves into a familiar setting.

"Begin!" Hayate jumped away before the fists could fly.

Neji took a stance, Byakugan active. "It's your fate to die here today, Cloud ninja. Some clan-less nobody from a backstabbing village stands no chance against a member of the mighty Hyuuga Clan."

Shin'en merely took a drag from his cigarette. Persephone and the peanut gallery weren't here anymore, and he was bored now, so there was no real reason to not do _this._

The demigod blurred forward at a speed that had Kakashi raising a brow. The boy put one hand and Neji's chin, slid around and placed his other hand on the forehead, and violently jerked back. The Hyuuga's head snapped like a stick.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now everyone pick a paper out of this box," Anko said. She went down the row of winning genin, each one picking out a piece of paper. The mood was rather somber, with Neji's death creating a detached and surreal atmosphere.

"Alright, everyone tell me their number out loud, starting from left to right," Ibiki said.

"One," said Naruko.

"Three," Shin'en intoned.

"Seven," Temari said.

"Five," Kankuro stated.

"Eight," Gaara said.

"Four," Hinata said, clearly subdued.

"Six," snarked Karui.

"Nine," Omoi said.

"So Sasuke will be Number 2," Ibiki said.

"Very well. Ibiki, you may show them how the Final Exam will be structured." Minato said clearly.

The Head of the Torture and Interrogation flipped around his clip board, and Shin'en wondered what type of game was being played here. The Final Exam was a tournament, with Hinata fighting Kankuro, Karui fighting Temari, and Gaara fighting Omoi, with the winners of each fight going against each other. However, it was the first fight that drew the most attention.

It was a three-way battle royale between Naruko, Sasuke, and Shin'en.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that concludes the preliminaries, with surprise twists.**_

 _ **Susano'o using that divine power to alter reality, but don't worry, it won't be something that will be used in large-scale, because gods aren't supposed to do that type of stuff, and Shin'en knows this, so he's not entirely broken up about it since he knows that the other gods will handle Susano'o's rule breaking. It's happened before.**_

 _ **Shin'en's fatal flaw in this story isn't personal loyalty, it's lust for combat, battle, destruction, fighting, and blood. Of course, it's not like he does this all the time, only when he gets really bored, like he did today. Unfortunately, giving in to his to desire for battle leads to some nasty side effects, such as insanity.**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed this surprise chapter!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review Please!**_


	23. One-Month Interlude Pt 1

_One-Month Interlude Pt. 1_

 _ **I had Backup Plan on the brain, so I sat down and typed it up. Based on the title, it shouldn't be hard to figure out that the one-month break between the Second Exam and the Third Exam will be covered in the coming chapters, and since I'm a nice guy, spoilers:**_

 _ **Danzo dies.**_

 _ **Shisui dies.**_

 _ **Naruko and Sasuke get OP (for their age) training.**_

 _ **The aftermath at CHB and the reactions of the gods will not be covered in this chapter.**_

 _ **Shin'en will learn Chidori for the soul purpose of messing with Zeus, Thalia, Jason, Kakashi, Sasuke, generally all of the Leaf, and you, the readers.**_

 _ **This chapter ends before any of the battles begin.**_

 _ **Now that you've properly spoiled like proper rotten children, it is time to read about the major canonical differences between this and the anime and the manga. I hope you enjoy. On a side note, Leviathan has hit 300 reviews, which is awesome.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Masashi Kishimoto still own Naruto, and Rick Riordan still own Percy Jackson…I think. Disney might have some hold over the franchise, that or Hyperion. Not sure. Too lazy to look it up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 1_

"You have to do _something_ , Minato! That bastard cannot go unpunished for murdering my nephew!"

Minato was a calm, level-headed, and pretty laid back/relaxed individual. He was used to screaming people (he had been in a war), and being Hokage for 14 years had only served to bolster the man's patience and tolerance. However, after listening to one understandably-irate Hiashi Hyuuga shout what was basically the same line for over an _hour_ , the Yellow Flash's patience was promptly kicked out the door like an unwanted puppy.

" _And what would you have me do!?"_

Hiashi recoiled at thunderous outburst of his Kage, and could instantly identify how much shit he was now in.

"The Chunin Exams are a formal substitute for _war_ , Hiashi. People die, in _war_ ," Minato stressed. "In the Exams, killing, while frowned upon, is 100% legal, expected, and shouldn't be surprising. In terms of the law, there is nothing I can do. In terms of shinobi, if the bodies of our ninja are discovered anywhere near Shin'en, the boy has every right to bring this to the daimyo—both daimyos—and claim it was a murder attempt, one of which would be entirely truthful. So as your Kage," Minato's voice began to raise, reaching shouting levels, "I _order_ you to stand down, shut up, and mourn for your nephew!"

Minato took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. It was moments like this that he hated being Hokage. Neji's death was truly unfortunate, unnecessary, tragic, and Namikaze wanted nothing more than to, at the moment, bring the hammer down on Shin'en…but there was nothing that he could legally do, and attempting an assassination against an assassin with enough power to kill one of the strongest men alive was _far_ from a good idea.

It was dirty of him, and it made Minato sick to the very depths of his soul, but in the middle of this shit storm that had been generated…he was just relieved that his baby girl wasn't the one that Shin'en had fought down there.

Of course, that fact was a bit void considering the Final Exam tournament line-up, but at least now he had time to train his daughter and surrogate nephew in new techniques that would give them an edge against the demigod…hopefully.

Killing Yagura was nothing to sneeze at.

Hiashi sneered, before he too calmed himself. As much as he hated to admit it, his old friend was right. Making any move against any of the Cloud ninja was tantamount to political, perhaps even literal, suicide. No, the best course was to wait, assist in the training of Naruko and Sasuke, and watch with silent joy at seeing Shin'en humiliated in front of thousands.

"My apologies, Lord Hokage," Hiashi bowed slightly, "I was out of line, and humbly beg for forgiveness." Those words hurt, tasted disgusting, and were the epitome of ironic. Lord Hiashi of the proud and mighty Hyuuga Clan, begging forgiveness. Laughable, but it was a testament to how badly Hiashi realized he had forgotten his place.

He was the head of the Hyuuga Clan, yes, and he was an Elite Jonin on paper, but he was still a subordinate of the Hokage of the Leaf, and that meant that Minato was not his friend, but his superior.

Minato just rubbed his temple, looking several decades older than what he should. "I forgive you, Hiashi. This has been a trying time for all of us. Your nephew dead, my daughter and her best friend having to fight Neji's murderer, Ai announcing that he would be here in person with his son and Killer Bee to watch the Finals…it's just been one big mess, this Chunin Exam. Now, you are dismissed, and please, for both our sakes, mourn for Neji, do not forget him, but do not seek retribution in his name, or I will not be lenient with my judgement."

Hiashi bowed again, his eyes dull. "As you command, Lord Hokage."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 2_

Ox→Hare→Monkey; Shin'en channeled a copious amount of lightning chakra into his hand and- "Chidori!"

The demigod's hand lit up like a bomb, completely engulfed in screeching lightning bolts. However, Shin'en hissed in pain and cancelled the chakra flow, taking note of his scorched hand. The skin was red and smoking, and the scent of burning meat was heavy in the air. Oh well, Shin'en promptly dunked his hand into the small lake he was standing upon, wiggled his fingers around a bit, and came up perfectly fine.

That was attempt number 291 in the past two days since the Second Exam. Shin'en knew it was going to be difficult since he didn't get an accurate read on Kakashi's chakra flow through his cells, but this was ridiculous. However, progress had been made. The first time he tried the Chidori, he literally fried off his hand with chakra overload.

Luckily there was this wonderful body of water right next to him.

The Twelfth Training Ground, the size of a football field, seventy yards of water, 20 feet at the deepest, ringed by dense foliage, and a grass-covered bank at the entrance. This Training Ground had been exclusively set aside for the Team Darui, along with a few others, but Shin'en was here for the water. So he could instantly heal his hand from any and all damage.

Running through the hand seals once more, Shin'en instead decided against forcing a bunch of chakra into his hand, and went with a steady, yet quantitive, flow.

SKREEEEEEEEE

Success.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Still Day 2_

 _Evening_

After spending most of the day working on the new method of using the Chidori, Shin'en felt that he had made adequate progress, and decided it was time to head back to the hotel. He would be back later tomorrow while Darui was teaching Omoi and Karui, and spam a few hundred Clones to iron out the details, before _really_ screwing Kakashi over by making variants of the technique.

It was entirely possible, considering the demigod's superb skill with Lightning Style jutsu.

Shin'en began his trek back, walking across the water, over dry land, to the gate, through the forest, back to the Leaf, and through the streets, all the while very much aware of his little stalker. She was such an amateur at tailing, that Shin'en didn't even need his hydro-sensing to detect her.

Her breathing was ragged, her movements were loud, and her chakra was basically pinging. She didn't even know how to hide herself…no, that wasn't correct. It wasn't that she didn't know _how_ to erase her presence, it was that she didn't know how to erase her presence from someone who had spent years learning how to, and applying, expert stalking skills.

Shin'en did find this whole situation amusing though. The stalker girl, no doubt seeking to avenge the Hyuuga boy, completely unaware of the direction she was being lead, and the distinct lack of ANBU, could not really be blamed for her ignorance.

If Susano'o hadn't reset the timeline after Kirin, she would either be dead (depending on how fast Minato was), or she would need new pants every time Shin'en glanced at her. However, none of that battle had been recorded, so everyone's knowledge of the Chunin Exam Preliminaries was limited to that Shin'en was super-fast and an experienced killer.

Ha. Hahahaha.

With the sun setting, the lowlight, the deserted area, and the lack of security, the would-be assassin finally made her move from atop one of the many two story buildings lining the narrow street.

Shin'en lazily tilted his head to the side, letting the kunai sail past. He was only slightly annoyed by the flash bomb going off his face. He was almost amused by the descending Gentle Fist strike aimed at his head. He was wondering just what this girl's thought process was, to attack him with such an inane tactic…with no backup plan.

 _Always_ have a backup plan.

When the stalker was less than a foot away, Shin'en's leg snapped out, much like that of a horse, and nailed the stalker in the gut. She sailed backwards, before righting herself and skid to a stop. She looked up with pale eyes and grit teeth, only to get an eye-full of blue-covered chest.

"Tell me. What exactly _was_ your plan?"

Hinata Hyuuga leapt back a few more paces, Byakugan bulging angrily. She took a Gentle Fist stance, and Shin'en could tell the Heiress was out for blood tonight. How cute.

"You killed my cousin, and I'll avenge his death."

"Uh-huh. Please tell me you are aware of the amount of laws you're breaking right now. Not only are you most likely disobeying your father, mother, and Clan Elders, but you're also breaking laws regarding the function of the Chunin Exams. Unless sanctioned by your sensei, my sensei, and the host village's Kage, interaction between foreign genin is prohibited. Even more serious is that you just attempted to _assassinate_ a registered member of a foreign genin, on your own soil.

"Can you even comprehend the amount of legal trouble I could bring down upon you? I can take these events, relay them to my sensei, who will then tell the Raikage, who will bring this to the Lightning Daimyo. The lawsuit behind this would not only potentially bankrupt the Hidden Leaf, but it would also bring a hefty amount of dishonor to your family, dishonor to you, and dishonor for your cows."

With each thing Shin'en said, Hinata's confidence began to waver. The amount of trouble she would be in, her clan would be in, her _village_ would be in, if she got caught, was astronomical. But that wouldn't mean anything when she succeeded, and disposed of the body. She had stolen a special tag for this, a high-level, fast-acting incendiary tag that reduced a body to ashes within seconds, without the massive smoke cloud billowing into the air, or an overwhelming scent.

The Inuzuka might be able to smell it, if they were consciously trying to smell it, but other than that…it was a hit or miss kinda thing for the Dog Clan.

Hinata steeled her resolve, molded her chakra, took a step forward, preparing to release a small battle cry…but then an overwhelming sense of danger and fear gripped her like the Nine-Tails itself. The Hyuuga's Byakugan instantly shut off, and reality itself seemed to warp under the might of Shin'en's Killer Intent.

The world faded to a black and lifeless space, the demigod's form becoming indistinct and formless. Only his eyes, twin lights the color of dark emeralds, were clearly visible. But that wasn't what made Hinata ready to piss herself. No, it was the shape behind the shape that gave credence to Terror.

The creature was just as indistinct as its creator, but there were details that could be made out. The creature was humongous, easily the size of the Hokage Monument. Thirteen pairs of gigantic, burning red eyes all stared down at the pale-eyed ant. From what the ant didn't want to see, the creature seemed to have thirteen serpentine necks that lead to draconian-esque heads.

The darkness rippled violently as the creature opened its thirteen maws, revealing row upon row of gleaming fangs the size of full-grown men, and roared.

If this had been anything but an illusion, the soundwaves would've destroyed every glass pane in the Leaf, created a shockwave that would've flattened a tenth of the village, and would've blown Hinata away like a bird in a storm.

As it was, the Hyuuga Heiress was violently thrust back into reality. Her knees trembled before buckling, making her fall on her ass and her legs, her arms splayed behind her to hold her weight. Shin'en advanced slowly, like a demon coming to kill an angel. Hinata whimpered violently, trembling terribly, her body locked in place by fear.

She…she couldn't _move_.

The Cloud ninja was only feet away now, but her body, not even her mind, would cooperate. She was going to die. She was going to be killed in the same way Neji was. Quickly, painlessly, and unceremoniously. Just like a common bandit used as practice assassination missions.

Then Shin'en walked right past her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Even later on Day 2_

 _Namikaze Household_

Naruko was up in her room, sleeping soundly. Sasuke was doing the same, only he was a few miles away at the Uchiha Compound. That little fact gave Minato, Kushina, Fugaku, and Mikoto time to chat about very important things. Things that had both mothers with maternal twists in their panties, and both fathers with paternal expressions of grimness.

"You can't be serious, Minato! Naruko's only a kid, trying to teach her Sage Mode at this age will kill her!" Kushina cried.

"And teaching Sasuke how to use the Cursed Seal, branded on my baby by Orochimaru, along with the Inner Gates, is too much!" Mikoto also said loudly. Fugaku didn't say anything, but his glowing Sharingan spoke volumes of his displeasure over…everything really.

What Orochimaru did to his son, why Minato seemed fearful about the Leaf's strongest genin tag-teaming a single ninja, and the prospect of Sasuke training with _those_ people. Fugaku suppressed a shiver at the mere thought of Guy and his leotards.

And there was also the uncharacteristically dark look in Taijutsu Master's eye. The Jonin was _not_ happy about his student being killed.

And Minato's secrecy was also irritating. The Yellow Flash was almost paranoid when it came to this Shin'en kid. Okay, so the boy had some speed and didn't care about snapping a neck. It wasn't like he could fight both a Jinchuuriki, and an Uchiha at once, so for Minato to be almost begging to allow the parents to allow their children _this_ kind of intensive training…was seriously suspicious.

Fugaku's Sharingan spun, but not in an attempt at genjutsu, but in response his ire. "What aren't you telling us, Minato?" the Uchiha patriarch rumbled. The females both halted, before fixing the blonde with an equally piercing stare.

Minato gulped. It was ironic; he was the Yellow Flash, the man that caused entire armies to flee in terror, the man that fought against the Raikage and lived, the man that stared down the Nine-Tails itself, and didn't blink…and now he was about to cave under the glares of his wife, her best friend, and his own best friend.

But could they really handle the truth?

With a sigh, Minato Namikaze told his wife and the Uchiha leaders about the recent news of the demigod, his exploits in the Mist, and how every piece of evidence pointed to the demigod and Shin'en being one and the same. When he was done with his explanation, the others mirrored Minato's concern.

"You mean that…my boy…my child…is going to fight someone…that _killed_ a Kage…?" Mikoto asked in a daze. She swayed slightly before collapsing in her chair. Fugaku was glad he was sitting down, but the evidence of his emotions came from his paper-white face. He was just as nervous as his wife, now.

Kushina had a slightly different reaction. See, she was there when Jiraiya relayed that prophecy almost seven years ago, so she, like Minato, was privy to a certain degree of knowledge over the full grasp of this situation.

The demigod was here. The same demigod that was going to either help or kill her daughter. The demigod was Shin'en. Shin'en killed Neji—and a _lot_ of other people—without remorse or hesitation. Shin'en was going to fight Naruko. Naruko was nowhere near as strong as a Jonin, much less a Kage. Naruko needed training. A lot of it. Stat.

Mikoto was having very similar thoughts, albeit without the whole prophecy thing in mind. Shin'en was on a whole other level than any genin, hell, even Jonin for that matter. She hated the very thought of it, as did Fugaku, but Sasuke was going to need every shred of power available. _Every_ shred. Possibly even _that_ shred. The _forbidden_ shred…

Kushina, while now whole-heartedly behind the Sage Mode idea to help her daughter in any way possible, was ever the optimist, and probably had the most outrageous plan to try and get some good in the demigod, and promote the bonds of friendship and comradery.

"I'm going to invite him to dinner…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 3_

 _Evening_

Omoi and Karui were exhausted after another day of harsh training under Darui. The Jonin in question was polishing his massive cleaver. The fourth member of the group…yeah, he was just lying on his bed, twirling a kunai around his pointer finger.

Then he suddenly caught it. That action got the attention of everybody in the room. Darui was about to ask what was the matter, when Shin'en got up and walked over to the hotel door. Three sets of eyes followed the demigod, and three eyebrows were raised when he opened the door…and revealed a rather strange sight.

Kakashi Hatake and Naruko Namikaze, hand raised to knock, stood there with surprised expressions.

"What the hell do you people want?" Shin'en asked lazily.

The Jinchuuriki looked appalled, but before she could say anything, her Jonin sensei clapped her on the shoulder, his eye scrunched into an inverted U. "We come on behalf of the Namikaze family, inviting you to dinner this evening!"

The Copy Ninja sounded _way_ too happy about this. Karui and Omoi's jaws dropped. Darui was smelling a nonexistent rat. Naruko was eyeing the demigod with an odd mix of hope, mistrust, slight anger, and hormonally-driven interest.

She was a girl entering the beginning stages of puberty, after all. She was allowed to be interested in the opposite sex, despite how vehemently she would deny _ever_ finding a boy cute. Boys were disgusting and icky and gross and immature and they smelled bad and did weird things and were stupidstupidstupid…according to Naruko's mom.

Shin'en, however, saw through whatever this farce was supposed to be, instantly. No one in their right mind would invite foreign genin to dinner, much less the Kage of the host village. As far as the village was concerned, the Cloud ninja killed Neji Hyuuga, and inviting the murderer of a member of a prestigious clan as a Kage into your home was politically absurd. Also, Minato _knew_ that Shin'en was the demigod; Minato _knew_ about the life-or-death prophecy; and Minato had to know that sending his daughter over here was a really big risk.

"Okay," Shin'en said simply. He was _really_ curious about how this evening was going to go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The other members of Team Darui really couldn't come up with any form of argument against the demigod's decision, not even the Jonin-sensei could sway his 'student's' chosen action for the night. It wasn't like there was any real threat here, but that was all in the past.

Shin'en found himself mentally applauding Minato's intelligence in this matter. Instead of Kakashi leading the most famous and infamous genin currently in the Leaf straight to Namikaze Manor, the Jonin swiftly Teleported them straight to their destination. Naruko looked slightly green, while Shin'en and Kakashi were just fine.

The demigod was perfectly aware of the critical eye he was receiving from Kakashi. That brief Teleportation was a test to see how well the boy could handle high-speed movement. Please, Shin'en could handle speeds many more miles per minute faster than that.

The Champion of Susano'o was also perfectly aware of the goings-on inside the Namikaze Manor. Namely, a woman with a damaged womb-Kushina-was preparing dinner (which felt like water saturated with noodles, salt, vegetables, and various meets), a man with an exceptionally powerful chakra-Minato-had his hands arranged in a way that suggested he was reading a newspaper, and a small child, a boy, was sitting in what was most likely a chair, and was most likely coloring, based on the way the water in his body was moving.

Strange.

Due to his acute hydro-sensing, Shin'en could sense and feel water all the way down to a molecular level. He could also tell you everything about that bit of water. The minerals inside it, how old it was, the bacteria swimming around inside, etc. He could, when concentrating very hard, also read a person's DNA code due to its proximity to water molecules (as in almost no space in between).

Whoever this boy was, he had _zero_ relation to Minato, Kushina, or Naruko. And considering that the former Jinchuuriki couldn't bear children, it stood to reason that whoever this child was, was adopted.

Kakashi nodded to himself. "Well, my job is done. Lord Hokage and his wife are waiting inside, alongside Menma. Goodbye!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke…but reappeared in the trees surrounding the Manor…alongside the small army of ANBU also hiding in the trees.

Shin'en glanced at Naruko, who was making no move for the front door. Instead, the almost-13-year-old was glaring at him with caution, and anger. Her facial muscles were also twitching, as if she was fighting to keep her expression under control. Shin'en knew that look.

"Talking to the Nine-Tails?"

Naruko spluttered is surprise. "H-how do you know about that?"

She was met with a dull look. "Your daddy made it a public service announcement. There isn't a shinobi alive that doesn't know about and the Fox."

"Oh." What else was she supposed to say to that tidbit of info?

"Mad about what I did to Neji?" Shin'en probed. Yes, he had had dreams of the blonde girl, but he wanted to get a psychological profile made based on sensitive/controversial questions/topics. Part of being an assassin: know your target.

Naruko growled, finally having an emotion to latch on to. "Of course I am! He might not have been a friend, but he was still a comrade! Killing him was unnecessary!"

"Unnecessary according to whom?" More probing. "How do you know I didn't just kill the next major threat to the world before he could gain power? He would've died eventually, I only shortened the timeline…" Shin'en's voice was flatter than a board.

Naruko gaped. "How…how can you say something like that? Killing is wrong, no matter for what reason!"

Oh now that was just _precious_. "No matter the reason, you say? What about to end a war? What about to spare the lives of innocents? What about saving yourself from a superior opponent? You do realize that you are the offspring of two of the most legendary mass-murderers in all of shinobi history?"

Naruko blushed in an angry fashion, looking down at the ground. She _hated_ being reminded that her parents were once S-rated murder-machines. Her father slaughtered an estimated one third of the Stone Village's ninja, while her mother killed an estimated one seventh of the Cloud Village's ninja.

That was _a lot_ of people.

"I'm not my parents…" Naruko grumbled.

Now Shin'en could go on a full psychological rampage using phrases and words such as 'not yet,' 'you're a Jinchuuriki,' 'you're a weapon,' 'emotionless killing machine,' 'war deterrent,' etc., but that would ruin the fun that was about to be had tonight. So instead, Shin'en just hummed and trekked to the door, giving some last words of advice.

"Maybe not, but you have the potential to kill more than both of them combined."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Man school sucks. It wouldn't be that bad if driver's ed didn't take two hours out of my evening, and ended at a time of night that leaves little room for much else than sleep.**_

 _ **Anyway, I think I'll be binging Backup Plan for awhile. Don't know for sure, I might change my mind. The Interlude Arc will be clearly covering the month between the Final Exams, if you didn't know.**_

 _ **On a side note, since today is the opening of Dove Season, I woke up at 3 in the morning, and spent probably an hour in a field of dirt blowing the shit out of flying birds. Reached a limit in under half an hour. And I got to skip school today, so my busy schedule will now be marred with makeup work.**_

 _ **Enough of my problems, please…**_

… _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	24. One-Month Interlude Pt 2

_One-Month Interlude Pt. 2_

 _ **Slowly do we accumulate reviews, steadily do we climb the ladder, eventually to 200 will we get. Until then, just know that I'm a very happy person after seeing the Review counter go up past 150. Thanks guys!**_

 _ **One reviewer suggested that I ship Naruko and Shin'en. Honestly, I could see that happening before any Pertemis, Perlia, Perzoe, Perthena, Perhestia, or Pereyna. PJO girls just don't seem to cut it with me in this story. Thoughts and Suggestions?**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own either franchise

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The most awkward situation Shin'en had ever been in was when Yūwaku had gotten wasted, and tried to have sex with him. It might've worked a few years later, but the ten-year-old's deeply buried inner child had temporarily broken free, and Shin'en quickly bailed out. What was happening right now ranked very high on the most-awkward list.

Minato was sitting at the head of the rectangular table, with Kushina to his right, Naruko to his left, and Menma, the nine-year-old adopted son of the family, to Naruko's left. Shin'en sat at the opposite end of Minato. Back to Menma, the boy looked nothing like his 'family,' understandably, with his wild mane of black hair, narrowed, suspicious eyes, sharper jaw, and heterochromic eyes (left one blue, right one black).

Shin'en already had his own theories regarding the brat, but that was a train of thought for later.

Right now, five steaming bowls of ramen were situated in front of all the occupants. Kushina was beaming, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. Minato was trying to decide whether to be stern, over-protective father, business-like Kage, or warm, welcoming host. Whatever he did, he better to it soon, because his face kept shifting between expressions, and it was creepy.

Naruko, despite her ramen addiction, was not drooling at the delicacy in front of her. Instead, it looked like she trying to move it with her mind. Shin'en could tell she was thinking, and thinking hard. His words earlier had gotten the wheels in her mind turning, and now she was probably reevaluating her life choices. Menma, on the other hand, was doing what every little brother was supposed to do when a boy and his big sister were in a room together: glare heatedly in an attempt at intimidation.

As for Shin'en, he was internally smirking at the subdued chaos his mere presence was having on the Namikaze family.

"Well are we going to just watch it cool?" Kushina asked loudly. "Dig in, already!"

With that, the red-head dug in with unusual gusto for a grown woman. Minato also began eating, as did Naruko and Menma, but all three at a normal, human pace. Shin'en also brought the broth to his mouth, and almost spat it out. Good Lord, there was enough salt in this thing to kill half an army; how did these people eat this on a daily basis?

Swallowing what was in his mouth, ignoring the ungodly amount of sodium, Shin'en began steadily eat his dinner alongside the rest of the Namikaze family. Kushina was the first to set her bowl down, completely empty (she had even slurped up the liquid). "So Shin'en…what's life like in the Cloud?"

The demigod in question glanced at the woman, and everyone else set their bowls down at the initiation of conversation. Put on the spot like this, Shin'en didn't really have any other choice than to answer. Besides, this would be fun.

"Wouldn't know. I haven't lived there in almost three years now."

"Oh. Well, what was it like before you left?"

"It sucked. Got up every morning and trained with Ei, Bee, Cee, Darui and Yugito, and on the weekends I would spend my late evenings with the Raikage. Typically, putting Orochimaru's failed experiments out of their misery."

"Orochimaru?" Minato yelped.

"Yes, the Snake Sannin," Shin'en said slowly. Everyone was looking at him with wide eyes, even Menma. "We found a few of his bases and raided them. We used what was left of his experiments as target practice."

"That's cruel." Naruko glowered.

"Hardly. They were all on death's door as it was, I just ended their suffering in a more painless way. Haven't you ever heard of mercy killing?"

"You could've helped them become normal again."

"Not really. Orochimaru had twisted their DNA too much. Besides, you didn't see what had become of the experiments. Sick, twisted, mindless monsters, all of them. No comprehension beyond instincts." Shin'en slid his gaze over to Minato, "I suggest you have a talk with Sasuke about his new Curse Mark."

Minato and Naruko weren't surprised, Menma didn't know what a Curse Mark was, but Kushina gasped in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

Shin'en wondered why the red-head hadn't been told about this yet. "In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru dispatched his Sound genin to kill Sasuke as a way to test his new power. I was bored, so I stopped by and killed the Sound team."

Minato was internally relieved to have some critical information about this new Sound Village, Menma was still glaring suspiciously, Naruko was looking away, lost in her thoughts, and Kushina looked at Shin'en sadly, no doubt pitying him for his ability to talk about death so casually. She was also probably really glad that he had saved her daughter too, but that wasn't important.

"Where were you when you weren't in the Cloud?" Menma asked, speaking for the first time.

"Menma!" Minato chastised. "You don't pry into people's pasts-"

"I was in the Mist, fighting in the Blood War. Did things that would make your head spin, and your gut reject whatever's inside of it." Shin'en hated shinobi. That was something that had never changed in seven years. Menma was young, impressionable, and naïve. If the demigod could sway the kid away from that bloody lifestyle, then he would try his best. "If you think being a ninja is all about rescuing princesses from castles, saving the day, and being a hero, think again, kid. Being a shinobi means being a liar, a thief, a murderer, and a heartless creature that thrives on death-"

"Bullshit!" Naruko yelled as she slammed her hand down on the table, breaking it, and stood up with enough force to throw her chair back. Her parents were a hairsbreadth away from a tirade, but the young Jinchuuriki was on a role now.

"Being a shinobi doesn't mean you're an emotionless killer, it means you're a person that helps others, no matter what! It means you're a member of a village, of a family. Being a shinobi mean you're one who endures no matter what life throws at them!"

Naruko was panting at the end of her speech. Menma had stars in his eyes, and Minato and Kushina had traded in anger at their table for pride in their daughter. Inside the seal, the Nine-Tails was silent, but his crimson eyes gleamed.

Shin'en stared at the reincarnation of Ashura, the gears in his head struggling to start grinding again. When they gained traction, he blew a heavy amount of air out of his nose, and the air thrummed with danger. "One who endures…we'll see about that."

Shin'en stood up from his chair, and made his way for the backdoor. Naruko scowled, following. The Namikaze parents looked at each other, before they too followed. Menma stared at the broken table, marveling at his sister's strength, before he sped after his adopted family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Like every shinobi clan household, the Namikaze backyard was a massive training field of cleanly cut grass the size of a football field. Dense trees lined the far edges, but that was it as far as terrain was concerned. The sun had set some time ago, but the full moon provided more than enough light for the two children about to battle.

"You claim that a shinobi is one who endures…then prove it to me. Prove that you have the stronger conviction," Shin'en said.

Naruko took a stance, crossing her fingers. "Gladly."

There was a massive cloud of smoke that erupted around her, and it was cleared away to reveal a battalion of Shadow Clones. The Clones charged with a battle cry, the earth trembling under the force of the small army. Undaunted, Shin'en clasped his hands in front of him, his knuckles forward. His hands glowed brightly with chakra, before a slew of beams shot forward, destroying all of the Clones.

Naruko came crashing down from above, Rasengan screaming, only to tear a crater in the ground. Shin'en zoomed in, grabbing her by her upturned legs, spinning and throwing her away like a ragdoll.

Naruko planted her hands on the ground, springing up, crossing her fingers for another round of Shadow Clones, but Shin'en was already in front of her, gripping her crossed hands tightly in his own. "If this is the extent of your conviction, then your words hold as much meaning as the dirt we stand upon."

Naruko glared heatedly, her eyes flashing red briefly, before she kicked the demigod in the stomach hard enough to make him release her hands, and skid backwards across the field.

The Jinchuuriki created more Shadow Clones, sending them all at Shin'en. With her opponent sufficiently distracted, Naruko focused deeply, her consciousness travelling inside…inside of the Eight-Trigrams Seal.

Naruko opened her eyes, not on the field of battle, but in the middle of a giant sewer. The ceiling was almost too high up to see, there was enough water covering the floor to rise up to the ankles, and the lighting was too dim. Gigantic, massive bars reached from the floor all the way up. Beyond those bars, a gargantuan shape could be made out.

" **I told you…stay away from that boy…but you didn't listen…and know you're paying for your it…"** an unnaturally deep voice rumbled from beyond.

Naruko screamed in frustration. "You keep telling me that, but not _why_! 'Stay away from him.' 'He's dangerous.' 'Don't fight him.' Why!? What about Shin'en that makes you so scared!?"

The Nine-Tail's glowing eyes snapped open, and he slammed his fist into his cage with enough force to send a wave of water rolling outward. Naruko stood there defiantly, not even caring as the water washed over her, drenching her to the bone.

" **Do not mistake my caution for fear, foolish brat! I do not fear the boy; I am merely concerned about your arrogance. Facing Shin'en is suicide, and if you die, I die with you, and that is not something I will permit."**

"Ah-ha! So you do care about me!"

" **FOOL!"** The Nine-Tails roared, sending Naruko falling on her ass. **"Were you not listening? When Shin'en kills you, he'll kill me as well because of the seal your blasted father used."** The Tailed-Beast barred his fangs, his eyes losing their fire as they narrowed, **"Why are you here, Naruko? Come to beg me for power?"**

"I'm not begging you for anything," Naruko glared. "Your power is my power, and I need more of it to beat Shin'en."

" **Hahahaha…you humans never cease to amaze me. When faced against insurmountable odds, you come seeking aid from others. Very well then, child. Here is my power…see for yourself the difference between you and the Abyss."**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en rolled his eyes at the approaching army, and dove straight into the fray. Honestly, why did she keep spawning these useless things? She did know that dispelled Shadow Clones transferred their memories back to their creator, right? So, as he punched, kicked, grappled, threw, and broke bones, Naruko should be registering all of those sensations.

One Clone tried to sneak up from behind, but Shin'en, in the heat of battle, and therefore letting his body just move on its own, whirled around and kicked the fake right in between the legs. Girls might not have the same junk as boys, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt to get hit in the clit.

The remaining Clones all collectively winced, falling to their knees while clutching their crotches. Shin'en made the most of the window that was just opened, and vanished in a burst of speed. The Clones all dispelled, and Shin'en reappeared where he was just standing.

Then the original Naruko was covered in a violent shroud of red, bubbly chakra.

The girl's eye burned red, her pupils slitting. Her whisker marks darkened and lengthened into horrendous scars. Black rings appeared around her eyes, and her lips also turned black. Her canines lengthened, and did her finger and toe nails. She got down on all-fours, and the chakra wrapped itself around her. Her pigtails stood up, becoming 'ears,' while the chakra covered her hands and feet in a manner similar to claws. Bubbling out from her ass in a manner apt for fart jokes, a bubbling tail slowly extended.

The One-Tailed Cloak.

Naruko reared back and roared, a shockwave cracking the ground in a blast of wind. Shin'en snorted. She was not the first Jinchuuriki he had faced, nor was she anywhere near the strongest, but that was not an excuse to let up, show mercy, take it easy, pull punches, or express leniency. When it came to Human Sacrifices, one did not hold back and expect to win.

Flaring his own emerald chakra, Shin'en resumed the battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko crashed violently to the ground, her Cloak receding into her body. Menma buried his head into Kushina's leg, the mother closed her eyes, and Minato grit his teeth. Shin'en crashed down next to the downed genin, turning his head to look at her.

Despite her injuries and fatigue, Naruko still had enough energy to glare defiantly up at the boy.

"You have potential, Namikaze, but you're far from being my equal. You also failed to prove your point tonight, but I'll allow you another chance during the Final Exam. Don't waste it," Shin'en said dully.

"I-I won't give u-up. I w-won't let you…stay t-this way…forever," Naruko said weakly, before finally losing consciousness. Shin'en stared down at her with blank eyes, before he began walking away. He stopped right next Minato, the blonde Kage staring intently at his daughter.

"I'm not going to kill her," the demigod said. "Nor Sasuke. They are both too important for the future."

"The future?" Minato asked.

"Oh, if only you knew the things that were to come, Minato. Don't ask, knowledge of the future is very damaging stuff, but let's just say there's a reason the gods brought me here when I was born. Oh that's right; you have me to think for the Shinigami not taking your soul. You're welcome," there was a slight tinge of sarcasm to that last part.

Shin'en could see the swarm of questions brimming beneath the Hokage's flesh and sighed. "Dig into your history archives. Research the legend of the Sage of Six Paths. Just know that all myths and stories are sixty percent fiction, and forty percent fact."

Before anyone could say anything else, Shin'en dispersed into water vapor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 8_

"Chidori!"

Sasuke's lightning-covered fist blew a hole straight through the boulder in front of him. This was his fifth jutsu today, and he was beginning to feel the drain on his reserves. Kakashi nodded in affirmative.

"Now use the First Gate," Might Guy barked.

Sasuke closed his eyes, concentrating on his chakra, and the restriction in his head. His eyes snapped open, revealing three-tomoed Sharingan to the world. Itachi and Shisui had been _brutal_ teachers.

"Eight Gates: Gate of Opening! Open!"

Sasuke's chakra shot up by a copious amount, and the ground cracked beneath him. The First Gate had no real aesthetic effects, being more internal in style. The effect of the First Gate was to allow the user 100% of their muscular power, as opposed to the normal 20% that chakra-using shinobi were allowed to use by their brains.

"Now activate the Cursed Mark!" Kakashi barked.

Sasuke, sweating, did as he was told. The tattoo on his neck burned, flame-like markings spreading to cover his entire body. His increasing chakra shot up even more as twin streams of purple chakra surrounded him. Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly.

"Now use the Second Gate!" Guy barked again.

With a grunt, the Uchiha did as instructed. Reaching within, he unlocked the Gate of Rest, combining his inner gates with the power of his Cursed Mark. High winds began to swirl around Sasuke's body as his rapidly flowing chakra affected the ambient air pressure.

"Chidori! One more time!" Kakashi yelled.

Sasuke growled. His chakra control, in this state, was almost nonexistent, but that was the point. Taking a page out of Naruko's book, instead of focusing on control, the Uchiha just poured heaps of chakra into the technique. His hand lit up brightly, almost blindingly, and the sound was almost deafening. With a mighty roar, Sasuke sped at another bolder, instantly appearing in front of it with enough force to shatter earth.

He thrust his hand into the house-sized chunk of rock. The boulder crackled with lightning, before exploding in a flash of light. All that remained of the giant rock was a smoking crater.

Sasuke panted heavily, falling to his knees, his Inner Gates as Curse Mark closing and receding. He grit his teeth, ignoring the pain in his body, and stood strongly, Sharingan blazing. He could take more; he would take more. All this talk about Shin'en being some kind of unstoppable juggernaut made him sick.

He was an Uchiha that was teaming up with the Hokage's daughter. There was no way they would lose. And since there was no way he was going to be defeated by some no-name from the Cloud, there was no way a little physical strain would hold him back.

The Jonin sensei present both nodded at Sasuke's will to continue, but their training came to an end with the arrival of two men in ANBU masks, one in armor, the other in a high-collared black shirt with a leather strap across his chest.

"We'll be taking it from here," Itachi Uchiha said, his voice muffled by his mask. Kakashi and Guy nodded, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. There was no point in arguing. Sasuke approached his brother and friend, a hard look in his eye. Shisui placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, before the three of them Teleported away to a private Uchiha training ground.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 8_

 _Mt. Myoboku_

Naruko sat cross-legged on a wooden square, which was precariously mounted on a spike, which was several hundred feet in the air, without a shirt on, just an orange bra, trying her damnedest to mix Nature Chakra in with her own chakra. She had been doing this for four days now after Shin'en _royally_ whipped her ass, even with the Nine-Tails' power backing her up.

However, something went wrong in the mixing, and she began to rapidly become toad-like. Luckily, Pa was there in an instant, the little green toad smacking her in the head with a stick. Naruko, while grateful for the assistance in not becoming a statue, was ticked off at being whacked, losing her balance, and falling a long way down into the waiting arms of her dad.

Minato just beamed proudly. "You almost had it. A few more tries and I know you'll succeed."

Instead of being happy with the praise, Naruko scowled deeply while her tenant laughed loudly. "I wasn't any closer to getting it this time than I was when I first started, and you know it, Dad. Please, just stop with the doting father stuff. I don't need you to be kind right now; I need you to be a hard-ass teacher. I'm supposed to fight Shin'en in a few weeks, and I _need_ to prove that I'm right with my fists, and I can't do that with how weak I am."

Minato gazed at his daughter intently, before closing his eyes and nodding, setting his daughter down on the ground. When he opened his eyes again, they were a cobalt-blue not seen since the Third Great Ninja War. It actually scared Naruko to see her father with such merciless eyes.

But she needed this. For herself, for her village, for Sasuke…and for Shin'en.

She _could not_ let him continue on that dark path he was on. She didn't know what had happened to him, and she didn't care, but no-one should go through life like he was. She _knew_ that hollow and vacant look in his eye; it was the look of loneliness and pain. That was how Menma's eyes used to look before she caught him going through her family's trash, looking for food.

The rest of Naruko's day was spent training with Dad and Pa Toad in the ways of Senjutsu, before returning home and resuming her kenjutsu lessons with Mom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!"

"Water Style: Water Trumpet"

The jutsu of Omoi and Karui clashed violently, but because the stream of water was coming Karui's mouth, and the lightning was arcing out from Omoi's outstretched arms, the current travelled upstream and shocked the girl. Violently.

Darui face-palmed at his female student's choice in jutsu. Luckily the techniques were only genin-level, so nothing life-threatening happened. Still, this was a spar involving new techniques for the upcoming invasion/Final Exam, so jutsu would have to be ironed out, combos would need to be made, strategies needed to be devised, and parts needed to be committed to memory. The genin knew this, so they didn't complain when their sensei shouted out, "Again!"

Just another day as a Cloud ninja.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"

A halo of light shined from Shin'en's clasped hands, and twelve beams of light shot out soon after. The beams hit the stationary targets, blowing them to smithereens. Molding his chakra in a different way, hands still locked together, the demigod intoned:

"Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

Instead of a slew of beams, this jutsu fired just one continuous, concentrated, and highly focused beam the size of a basketball. The next target, a boulder bigger than a house, suddenly had stream of super-heated chakra tearing a tight hole straight through it. Shin'en cut off the chakra flow, and the rock smoldered, the new hole glowing bright yellow.

"Gale Style: Scatter Shot!"

Similar to its sister techniques, this jutsu involved laser, only these lasers were just a massive barrage of baseball-sized blasts that were launched in every direction. This jutsu wasn't designed for accuracy; it was designed for large-scale confusion, panic, and destruction.

"Gale Style: Gatling Laser!"

Another laser-based technique. The name itself was all you needed to figure out what it did: it fired a super-continuous stream of laser blasts at whatever Shin'en's hands were pointed at. Moving his arm from side to side resulted in a chain of destruction that left several smoking craters.

Shin'en cut off the chakra flow to his hands. He breathed deeply for a few ticks, the drain of consecutively using four A-rank techniques taking its slight toll. There were through other laser-based Gale Style techniques in Shin'en's arsenal, but those three were all S-rank, and tear apart massive swaths of land. The last thing the demigod wanted was large groups sprinting to his location to ask why there were mushroom clouds dotting the landscape.

Why was he even going through these techniques in the first place, you ask?

He wanted to make sure he had a proper grasp on his jutsu before he raided Danzo's base tomorrow night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that brings us to a close. I hope dinner was believable, and I hope you enjoyed the brief battle between Naruko and Shin'en.**_

 _ **Everyone's getting some training in. Sasuke has a fully-matured Sharingan, and his learning how use the Inner Gates and the Curse Mark at the same time from Kakashi and Guy, and is getting specialized training from Itachi and Shisui.**_

 _ **Naruko is learning Sage Mode from her father and Pa, the little green toad in the robe. You might know him better as Fukasaku. At nights, she's learning how to use a sword from her stereotypical kenjutsu-master of a mother.**_

 _ **Karui and Omoi are being beaten into the ground by Darui, getting ready for their part in the Konoha Crush.**_

 _ **And Shin'en is displaying some original jutsu created by yours truly in preparation for killing Danzo next chapter. Speaking of Danzo and Shin'en…does giving our anti-hero the Sharingan seem like too much, or should this become one of very few (if not the only) Sharingan!Percy stories?**_

 _ **Please give me input to this question, along with the one up top, in the Review section please!**_


	25. One-Month Interlude Pt Final

_One-Month Interlude Pt. Final_

 _ **By popular demand, Shin'en will be getting Sharingan, and will eventually be paired with Naruko. But that's way down the line so no-one freak out just yet. Most people want the Sharingan to mutate into a new eye, or even into the Rinnegan. Eventually, yes, that will happen (that was my idea from the very beginning), but not immediately.**_

 _ **It would really defeat the purpose of any future plans I have for this story to have Shin'en get the Rinnegan exactly at this moment. Wouldn't be much of a logical plot left if the demigod suddenly achieved the Eyes of God.**_

" _ **Almighty Push**_ _ **!"**_

 _ **Boom. The Leaf and everyone in it is gone, the Mist is hanging on by a thread, and the other three Villages wouldn't really be any different, and that's even without Shin'en tapping into his Divine Chakra. So as much as Shin'en is OP at the moment, giving him Rinnegan would just be overkill.**_

 _ **But I digress. This will be the final Interlude chapter, where Shin'en kills Shisui, a lot of nameless Foundation ninja, and Danzo himself. Itachi will awaken his Mangekyou, Naruko will achieve Sage Mode, Sasuke will be able to combine the Inner Gates with his Curse Mark, and all of this will culminate in the beginning of the Final Exam…which will have a rather surprising twist.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians is property of Rick Riordan

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 9_

 _7:14 P.M._

Sasuke wandered around his clan's compound. It was late evening, so everyone was in their houses, eating dinner and winding down from the day's events. There a few other kids running around, no doubt returning to their homes.

Itachi suddenly blurred next to Sasuke, causing the boy to yelp in surprise. The older sibling allowed a ghost of a smile to grace his lips, and merely poked his younger brother in the forehead when he tried to attack.

"Come on, Sasuke. Mother says dinner is ready."

The reincarnation of Indra glowered up at his brother, before his anger melted by the sound of his rumbling stomach. He blushed in embarrassment, which caused Itachi to chuckle quietly, before he activated his Sharingan, catching the ANBU captain in a weak genjutsu.

"Race you home!" Sasuke called as he sprinted full-force away, eyes burning red. He zoomed through the compound, turning down every shortcut and back alley that he knew of (which was all of them) to beat Itachi to dinner. With a broad grin, the younger sibling came to a stop at his family's front doors. Itachi was nowhere in sight.

Grin still firmly in place, Sasuke took off his sandals, placing them out front, and slid the doors back. The lights were off. There was not the smell of cooking food, but a coppery scent. A scent Sasuke had been trained to recognize as blood. Sasuke's Sharingan eyes spun slowly in response to his growing apprehension.

He quietly stepped through his dark house, making sure to not make a sound. He followed the scent of blood through the halls, and his heart beat increased tenfold when he came to a stop outside his parents' bedroom. Gulping, Sasuke steeled his nerves, Sharingan glowing brightly.

He was a member of the Uchiha Clan. The student of Kakashi Hatake. The brother-in-all-but-blood of Naruko Namikaze. The bearer of a fully-matured Sharingan. If there was an intruder in his house, he would deal with them with lethal force. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke threw open the doors, kunai poised to strike.

Mother. Father. Pile on floor. Puddle of blood. Dead. _Dead!_

Sasuke's previous courage was instantly depleted as he registered the fact that his parents had been murdered. His kunai clattered to the ground as he fell to his knees, despair overriding his every nerve ending as memories of his family began flooding his mind. Birthdays, training, night-outs together, parties with other clans, everything.

The orphaned Uchiha's eyes burned painfully, and something warm and wet fell down his cheeks. Tears, most likely.

"Sasuke…" a distant voice called from in front. The boy's head slowly raised, seeing a figure shrouded in shadow that he was sure wasn't there before.

"Sasuke…" the shadowy figure called again. Then the figure's eyes opened. They were blood-red, with a four-bladed pinwheel surrounding the pupil.

"Wake up, Sasuke…"

The strange eyes glowed brightly, blinding Sasuke with crimson light, the pinwheel design burning itself into his mind's eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke screamed as he bolted upright, swinging a kunai around wildly. His eyes were burning like he was forcing himself to stay awake for long periods of time. Someone slammed into him from the side, knocking out his wind, and jarring his brain.

When he regained focus, Sasuke realized that it was Shisui that had attacked him. Now confusion overrode anything else, and the confused boy couldn't form the proper mouth movements for words.

Seeing this, Shisui just sighed. "It was a genjutsu called Tsukuyomi, one of the most powerful genjutsu in Uchiha history. What you saw was merely an illusion. Nothing in that genjutsu actually happened. You're fine, and you're parents are 100% okay."

Digesting this information, Sasuke was finally able to ask, "Why?"

Instead of verbally answering, Shisui pulled his tanto from his back, and used the highly polished blade as a mirror for the younger Uchiha to look at. Sasuke gasped when he saw his eyes. His _new_ eyes. His Sharingan was different; gone were the black commas on a red backdrop.

Now it was three blood-red ellipses overlapping to from a six-pointed star.

"That is the next stage of the Sharingan, Sasuke. The Mangekyou Sharingan. It can only be activated when an Uchiha experiences a vast amount of emotional trauma, such as seeing your parents dead in front of you. Personally, I think this was excessive, but your brother and Lord Fugaku were in agreement that you would need this in order to fight Shin'en."

"What's makes the Mangekyou so special?" Sasuke asked.

"We'll teach you that tomorrow," Itachi said as he suddenly appeared. "Right now, the day is over. Let's go home."

Sasuke was understandably suspicious of that claim, considering the last time he heard those words he was in a genjutsu where he discovered his parents were dead, and his eyes evolved into some kind of state he had never ever heard of. Regardless, the sibling Uchihas left for their compound.

Shisui watched them leave, and turned around at the sound of rustling leaves and crunching grass. An old man in a robe that covered his right arm, with bandages covering the right side of his face, walked out from the forest, supporting his weight on a walking stick.

"Do you know your mission?" Danzo asked.

Shisui nodded.

"Then begin immediately."

Shisui's expression didn't change, but he hated what he was about to do. Shin'en might have been a threat, according to Danzo and unspoken by Lord Hokage, but he was still just a kid. Without a word, Shisui of Teleportation did his thing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He reappeared silently, hidden in the branches of a nearby tree. His target, the Cloud genin, was sitting cross-legged on the water about five feet away from the bank, in a meditative-like position. The boy didn't know Shisui was there.

The Uchiha debated on how to go about this. His mission was simple: assassinate Shin'en of the Cloud, without making a fuss. Considering just how far away they were from the Village, anything loud shouldn't have been a problem, but Shisui wanted to do this quick. He hated killing children, but if this kid was the demigod, and _might_ be here with ill-intensions in mind, then Shisui would carry out his orders without hesitation.

It was a lesser of two evils: kill a single boy and potentially save the lives of thousands, or let him live and potentially destroy the lives of millions.

Shisui's Mangekyou spun to life-and an idea suddenly occurred to him. His unique genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, could create false sensation and experiences in the recipient. In laymen's terms, mind control. Yeah, that was perfect! Put Shin'en under the genjutsu, make him want to defect to the Leaf, and voila! Problem solved-

BUH-BUM!

Shisui felt unimaginable pain erupt from his heart; it felt like it had just been taken a cut from a blade. He could feel his blood pouring around inside him as he fell from the tree, and the impact to the ground twenty feet below didn't do anything to help.

BUH-BUM!

The Uchiha let out a silent gasp as his heart ruptured entirely. And then it was over. His organs stopped functioning, his brain stopped working, and his life ended. Shisui of Teleportation was killed by his heart bursting from unknown means.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en sat quietly on the water, using only his hydrokinesis to keep him up. He was doing his pre-mission meditation, focusing himself, going over the entrances, exits, hostile personnel, building layout, the main plan, the backup plan, and the all-else-fails plan…when a ninja suddenly appeared in the nearby trees.

Interesting, the feel of this shinobi's chakra, along with the water in his eyes, meant that this man was an Uchiha, and a quiet one at that. Able to Teleport into a tree without making any noise or disturbing any foliage, and the speed at which this Uchiha had zoomed in was almost mind-boggling. To move that fast with that much control was incredible, and Shin'en only knew of one Uchiha that could move like that.

Why would Shisui of Teleportation be here?

…

Well if it involved him using his Mangekyou, then it wasn't for his (Shin'en's) benefit. No matter, a simple mental command and the heart was lacerated…oh? Still alive? That was some impressive will, or perhaps the cut wasn't deep enough. Regardless, a more concentrated dose of hydrokinesis and the entire heart ruptured like a water balloon.

A strange feeling overcame Shin'en. It wasn't a foreign feeling; he felt like every time he used his hydrokinesis to kill someone. It was rather indescribable with words, but he likened to the phrase 'is that it?' Such a powerful opponent, one with a large chakra and tons of experience…and his life was snuffed out with just mental command.

It was like gearing up for a massive battle, only for the opponent to be downed with a single strike. Shin'en thought of this feeling as like an unfulfilled void…which meant that it was Susano'o influencing him again to not use his hydrokinesis to kill someone because it made things too easy.

Dashing these false-feelings away, Shin'en got up from the water as an invigorating thought overcame him. He approached the place where Shisui's body lay lifeless in the dirt, staring down at the wide/dull-eyed corpse with morbid interest. The Uchiha's Mangekyou was still active, but without the brain to function, they were just a pair of powerfully dormant eyes.

It didn't take much internal debate for Shin'en to decide that he _wanted_ those eyes for himself. The power of a Sharingan, a _Mangekyou_ , was way too much of a golden opportunity to pass up. The demigod reached down to take out the eyes, but the universe worked against him.

Shisui's body lit up with blue fire before Shin'en could get too close to the eyes, and the demigod leapt away before he could get burned by the intensive flames. Then he cursed himself for just not simply coating his hand in Ice Chakra to battle the heat. Regardless of shoulda, woulda, coulda, the Body-Destruction Seal reduced Shisui's entire body to a pile of ash that blew away in the wind.

Not even his clothes and tanto remained.

Well, Shin'en thought, that's just annoying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 9_

 _9: 18 P.M._

Itachi was sitting on the back porch of his house, gazing silently at the night. He wasn't doing anything special, just reflecting on things. Sasuke had forcefully awakened the Mangekyou, Naruko was training to become a Sage, and Shin'en, the demigod, stood atop a spire of power on equal grounds with the Kage.

It was a classic example of one who was born powerful, just like himself. If Itachi was a prodigy (and that was true; not just anyone made ANBU captain at age 13), then Shin'en was the closest thing to a god mankind would ever get to. So young, and yet so powerful, and he still had many years left to go…if he got lucky.

What was the phrase…? 'Half as long, twice as bright'?

Itachi's chest constricted, and he coughed lowly into his hand. Bringing the limb away from his mouth, the eighteen-year-old stared at the blood on it blankly, ignoring the coppery taste of it in his mouth. He promptly wiped it his pants; he would wash them later.

Simply put, Itachi was dying. He estimated six more years, maybe ten if he didn't push himself too hard, but if those visions he kept having were anything to go by, then pushing himself was about to become a daily occurrence.

He hadn't told his family about this, or anybody else for that matter. He didn't need people fussing or worrying over him. Itachi wondered if Shin'en would ever go through something like this; the price for his considerable power being a lifespan even shorter than average. Maybe, maybe not. A demigod wasn't human, so there was no telling if they even got sick with mortal afflictions.

CAAW

Itachi looked up when he heard the sound of a crow. Sure enough, a small black shape was circling above. Strange; what could Shisui want at this hour of the night? Itachi held his arm up, and the crow slowly descended. It lighted on the outstretched limb, and looked Itachi in the eye.

Patterned in the crow's eye was not a beady black dot, but the Mangekyou of Shisui. The eyes glowed bright red, and Itachi _saw_. He saw Shisui's last words, his last requests, and finally, his last moments. The Crow cawed one more time before taking to the air.

Itachi gripped the railing of the porch tightly. His body shuddered with unvocal sobs as he lamented the loss of his best friend at the hands of Shin'en…Shin'en… _Shin'en!_

Itachi's Sharingan burned and spun, the tomoes spinning together to form a new design as tears of blood began to fall. At this moment, history was once again changed forever as Itachi Uchiha awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan, and was consumed by his clan's Curse of Hatred.

Shin'en had gained a new enemy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Black sandals, pants, vest, long-sleeved shirt, grinning mask, double shuriken pouches, double kunai holsters, Yugito's necklace. All check.

Thunder Swords: check.

A few hundred senbon: check.

A few hundred kunai: check.

A few hundred shuriken: check.

A few dozen flash bombs: check.

A few dozen smoke grenades: check.

A few dozen explosive tags: check.

Alibi: check.

Plan A: check.

Plan B: check.

Plan C: check.

Unshakable resolve to end the life of one Danzo Shimura: double check.

Complete and utter disregard for any and all obstacles, living or otherwise: triple check.

It was a simple list that Shin'en and Yūrei Squad had gone through before each and every mission, no matter how small or large. Always have more supplies than what you need. Always have multiple plans. Always, always, _always_ be mentally prepared to kill the target, whether it be child, adult, elderly, male, or female, and be doubly sure to banish any and all notions of guilt about collateral damage, i.e. innocent lives. And make triply sure to leave no survivors, because they would become trouble sometime in the future.

Of course, most of that was arbitrary, because Shin'en hadn't had regard for human life since he was six. He once looked into the eyes of a nine-year-old girl as she stood protectively in front of her seven-year-old brother, before running the both of them through on his sword. It wasn't like he was _proud_ about killing them, but he didn't feel _guilty_ about it either.

It was a mission. Them and their family were the targets. Nothing personal.

Running over the checklist one more time, Shin'en now felt mentally prepared for his one-man campaign against one of the most powerful Leaf-ninja of the day, and his private army. Nothing like a little revenge to get the blood pumping.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a moment of supreme cliché-ness, one of the entrances to Danzo's secret base was a cave in one of the forests outside the Leaf. There were no guards, no traps, no security measures of any kind. It wasn't that the old man was arrogant, it was that the old man didn't want to attract attention to his base on the off-chance that a patrolling ANBU detected something was off.

Without hesitation, Shin'en entered the cave, followed it all the way to the back, before he seemingly just walked straight through solid rock. In actuality, it was just a really powerful genjutsu, which was entirely ineffective against someone who could sense the movement of water vapor.

The hall was cut straight out of the rock, so lights had been strung across the ceiling with wires showing. There was _no-one_ around, but that didn't matter, because Shin'en could sense each and every one of them further ahead, probably in the central meeting chamber. He could also sense Danzo himself, and the screwed up right arm/eye the man had.

Shin'en knew what a Sharingan felt like based on the water within that eye, so he knew that Danzo had a Sharingan, but it was the right arm that kept throwing everything off. The cells in that arm, and the cells in the rest of Danzo's body, were completely different. In fact, that right arm had a chakra similar to an ANBU that had once been spying on Shin'en, and there was also the fact that the right arm had _ten_ Sharingan eyes in it.

The demigod traversed the halls, intent on finding answers. Amazingly, there weren't any surprises along the way, but whether or not there were any was irrelevant. Danzo must have sensed Shin'en's presence, because he made a motion and issued a command, and the 39 ninja around him leapt to the side, clinging to the walls with their chakra.

There were all sorts of people surrounding Danzo. Children, both boys and girls, men, women, those with insects in their bodies, those that were fat, there were even a few dogs present as well. So, members of the Aburame, Akimichi, and Inuzuka, and most likely members from the Yamanaka Clan as well. None of them mattered, because Shin'en wasn't in a fighting mood right now.

The Champion of Susano'o entered a large chamber. Four catwalks led to a central platform, where Danzo stood alone. Massive pillars held the chamber up, and pipes just as big jutted out from the walls, only to go up and penetrate back into the walls. The chamber was dully lit, and the metal walls created a calm, serene atmosphere. The atmosphere was ruined however by the hidden shinobi lining everything.

"Shin'en of the Cloud…you are foolish to come here alone," Danzo said, his left eye shut.

"Not as foolish as to send your own ANBU on the mission that forever doomed the Shinobi World." Shin'en channeled chakra to his gut, gripped the water inside of the people surrounding him, and snapped his fingers. His hydrokinesis had the effect of blowing apart 40 skulls as the water inside of them was forcefully ripped out.

Danzo collapsed into a life-less heap, and the other shinobi all fell to the ground, their limp bodies squelching and squishing as they impacted solid surfaces. Anticlimactic? Yes; was Shin'en here for an epic battle? No.

Shin'en inhaled deeply as a feeling of completion washed over him. Yagura and Danzo were no more, and the Mist would take years to recover. There was one more man that Shin'en needed to kill, and four more villages that needed destroying, and then his family would finally be avenged.

Now that everyone was dead, Shin'en could inspect the corpse for answers on that right arm. He approached at a leisurely pace; there was no more need for caution, and there was no reason for haste. Danzo was dead, and there was nothing that could happen now…aside from everything blowing up.

…or Danzo's body fading away like a mirage.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Blast Barrage!"

Shin'en was so stunned by the fact that Danzo was somehow still alive, that it was only his instinctual liquefication that saved him from being severed into multiple pieces of body. How was this possible!? Danzo, alive!? When his head was blown apart!? It didn't make sen-wait a second. His right eye…there was no more chakra in it.

The Sharingan was blind, but was there a connection between the phenomena?

Only one way to find out.

Shin'en reassembled his body from the cuts he had taken, and wasted no time his using his hydrokinesis once more, ripping off Danzo's head by severing the cells in his neck. He faded away like a mirage. The Shinobi of Darkness reappeared once more, another Wind Jutsu at the ready.

A Sharingan in his right arm had gone blind as well.

That settled it. Danzo was using a technique that was connected to the Sharingan that somehow brought him back to life.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

Shin'en was ready this time, and was able to avoid the barrage of highly condensed spheres of air, although one on the edge nicked his arm, but that was nothing a little liquefication couldn't handle. The demigod was in front of Danzo in an instant, but the old man had already imbued a kunai with enough Wind Chakra to turn it into a sword.

Shin'en pulled out his own kunai, and imbued it with Gale Chakra, something that was _very_ difficult, considering he had to mix Water and Lightning and then regulate it into a kunai without melting the blade due to the heat, and swung upwards.

Time slowed down as Danzo's blade sliced cleanly through Shin'en's body, water slowly splashing into the air, only for it all to reform with no harm done. Shin'en's laser-kunai continued upwards without interference, and the Shinobi of Darkness screamed in pain at having his right arm sliced off.

As his Izanagi-imbued arm went flying, Danzo stared angrily at the mask of his assassin. He could _feel_ the taunting from that grin painted on, and it infuriated him to no end. It also worried him. The demigod had sought him out, attacked him, slaughtered his Foundation ninja with a snap of his fingers, and now was in a position to take Hashirama's arm, _and_ nine Sharingan eyes.

There was only one thing to do-GLARGLE

Shin'en, after severing the arm, wasted no time in blowing apart Danzo's head _again_. This time, the old man stayed dead. Not waiting to see what would happen with the old man dead, the demigod sprinted forward, picked up the wooden arm with red studs on it, and blurred away down the way he had come.

He blitzed out of the tunnel in which he had entered, just in time to escape the explosion that probably collapsed the entire underground structure. Good riddance, and now evidence was no longer an issue.

Any ANBU worth their rank would've detected that explosion, so now was the time to for exfil, not inspecting the wooden arm with Hashirama's face on the shoulder, or the nine fully-matured Sharingan lining the forearm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 10_

 _3: 07 A.M._

Sneaking back into the hotel was child's play, even with the ANBU watching the place. Danzo's arm was safely sealed inside of Shin'en's palm, ready for inspection upon a later date. Ay, Ei, Bee, Cee, and Yugito would be here within the next few days, and Yugito would no doubt want to smother him.

Problems for later. For now, Shin'en wondered what he would do to occupy his time for the next twenty days.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 14_

 _Noon_

Shin'en laid quietly on his bed. The rest of the Cloud hadn't arrived yet, Omoi and Karui were training, and he was bored. Well he had nothing better to do at the moment; might as well go case the Uchiha compound.

Duping the ANBU into following a decoy, the demigod wound his way through the crowds. Looking around, one would never be able to tell that one of their village elders was missing. The Minato Administration had done a good job of damage control/cover up.

Making his way to the compound was easy, and if he wanted to, infiltrating would've been easier. The Uchiha seemed to believe that their status as Police Force made them invincible. There were _no_ Sealing jutsu of any kind, _no_ cameras, hidden or otherwise, _no_ detection systems; hell, there weren't even _guard posts_.

Hiding in the trees, Shin'en used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a common bird, and took to the skies. He circled around the compound, mentally mapping out the place. It was times like this where photographic memory was real helpful. A few more circles, and the layout of the Uchiha compound was forever burned into Shin'en's memory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Day 27_

"Rasengan!"

Minato slammed the swirling chakra orb into his daughter's forearms, and her Sage Mode-enhanced skin took the technique head-on. Naruko grunted, and pushed back, cancelling the technique, before kicking her father in the stomach.

The Yellow Flash's eyes bugged out as he folded over his daughter's leg, before flying backwards. He slammed into mountainside with enough force to crack solid granite. Well, his baby girl could pack a mean kick, that was for sure, but she was far from invincible.

If Minato had wanted, he could've added more chakra to that Rasengan for a more powerful effect, or he could've dodged that kick, easily avoiding even the Nature Chakra surrounding Naruko's leg. It took a lot more than chakra-enhanced attributes to beat a Kage, but she had made astounding progress as a Sage, and a swordswoman.

Minato couldn't be prouder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Amaterasu!"

Sasuke's left eye stung as it glowed brightly, the tree he was looking at lighting up with black flames. In seconds, the tree was a pile of ashes that were also quickly burning into oblivion. The power of the Mangekyou was definitely one to be feared, but Itachi didn't allow for Sasuke to become arrogant with his new power.

Speaking of Itachi, Sasuke's big brother had been colder and even more distant than usual ever since Shisui disappeared. But that didn't make since, because Shisui was just on another mission. Maybe Itachi was just moody? Mom kept saying that Sasuke would go through a 'phase' like that in a few years. Something called a man-period?

"Show me your full power," Itachi commanded without room for argument.

Sasuke nodded, before he activated his Curse Mark. Flame-like markings covered him as purple chakra began to swirl around him. Then that chakra became a shroud as the flame marking burned together, initiating a secondary transformation.

Sasuke's skin turned greyish-brown, his sclera turned black, which made it seem like his Mangekyou was floating alone, his lips turned black, and his hair lengthened into a wild mane, his canine sharpened, as did his fingernails. A black, four-pointed star appeared on the bridge of his nose, but he wasn't done at Curse Mark Level 2.

"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain! Open!"

Sasuke's chakra shot up to Jonin-levels as he opened the Fourth Gate right off the bat. The ground shattered beneath him with a sound akin to laser fire as he became shrouded in an aura of bright green that was surrounded in twin spirals of purple. On top of his massively increased chakra, Sasuke's skin turned a dark shade of reddish-brown.

Itachi's Sharingan spun to life. "Come at me, Sasuke!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

Omoi slashed his katana, and an arc of pressurized Wind Chakra zoomed forward, slicing through thirty meters' worth of four-foot thick trees like butter. The once tall-standing oaks creaked and crackled as they collapsed in a heap of leaves and wood. Karui stepped up, running through hand seals at an impressive pace for a genin.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

She spat out a thin stream of water, which ballooned into a massive wall of fluctuating liquid that surged forward in a massive wave that washed over the severed trees, instantly turning the landscape into a prime duck-hunting spot of flooded timber.

Darui nodded his head. For the level these two were at, they were already worthy of being named Chunin. Now it was only a matter of whether or not they survived the coming invasion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Final Exam Day_

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. Three massive spaces for the audience, with the Kage's Box being at the very top of the spacious arena for an easy, overlooking view. The Raikage, Hokage, and Kazekage (Orochimaru) were all up there, along with their personal body guards of Ei, Bee, Yugito, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Pakura, Baki, and some ancient Puppet Master by the name of Chiyo.

The contesting genin, which were Naruko, Sasuke, Shin'en, Hinata, Kankuro, Karui, Temari, Gaara, and Omoi were all down in the middle of the arena. The atmosphere around them was tense, if only because of Shin'en's overwhelming presence.

Interestingly enough, it was not Hayate Gekko that was proctoring, but another Jonin with a bandana and a senbon in his mouth by the name of Genma Shiranui. If memory served, Darui had gotten in a tangle with the other Jonin, and it was clear who made it out alive.

A cigarette burned idly in Shin'en's mouth. His eyes were still the same, but Danzo's arm was still sealed on his person. He would be implanting the Sharingan, but not yet. Showing up for this farce with a new set of eyes would raise more questions than Shin'en would answer before just going 'fuck it,' and kick-starting the invasion.

The only reason he hadn't actually done that was because of Naruko and Sasuke. They were stronger than they were a month ago, far stronger, and Shin'en wanted to see how much they had improved, and to end this admittedly petty argument between him and Naruko. She adamantly believed that shinobi were ones who endured, while the demigod believed that shinobi were monsters.

That, and this match would set the bar for all future confrontation between the Champion of Susano'o, and the Reincarnations of Ashura and Indra.

Taking a drag from his cigarette as the other genin were dismissed for the first round, Shin'en scanned the crowd one last time. From left to right, he took note of every Cloud ninja hidden among the people, he locked eyes with Darui and Cee, both of them nodding in respect, before looking up at the Kage's Box, briefly locking eyes with Yugito, Bee, Ei, and the Raikage. He scanned the right section of seats, taking note of the other Cloud ninja, the kids in orange—

… _what…?_

Shin'en slowly slid his eyes back across the stands, and his cigarette promptly fell out of his mouth at what he beheld. One-hundred-and-eighteen individual children wearing bright orange, thirty-two females wearing silver, a girl with blue eyes wearing punk clothing, two children with olive skin and pitch-black eyes, and fourteen other individuals that radiated a highly-suppressed power. Beyond even those people, Shin'en felt his heart stop beating for a few ticks when he saw a female version of himself sitting next to woman with brown hair and blue eyes, staring at him in the same way Kushina looked at Naruko.

"Oh my gods…" Shin'en whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Hold up! All of CHB, the Hunters, Thalia, the di Angelos, the gods, Persephone**_ _ **and**_ _ **Sally are here for the Chunin Exams!?**_

 _ **How did this happen!? Why would the Fates allow this!? Why would the Shinto gods allow this!? Just what happened after everyone woke up after dreaming of the preliminaries!? Why is Thalia not a tree!? Why are the children of Hades out of the Lotus Casino!? Are you tired of me asking rhetorical questions!?**_

 _ **Answers and more to come in the next chapter of the amazing saga of**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **!**_


	26. The Younger Twin

_The Younger Twin_

 _ **We've done it! We've hit 200+ reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone who's reviewed this story! And thank you to those who will review this story! And thank you to everyone who hasn't reviewed this story! You people are amazing!**_

 _ **Anyway. This chapter will be the aftermath of Persephone's dream, an Olympic council meeting, and a visit from one of the Shinto gods that will explain why everyone that was mentioned last chapter was there.**_

 _ **It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what happened, but feel free to read and find out.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Naruto belongs to me, and PJO belongs to me…or they would, if this was a perfect world

Food for thought: Do you ever stop and think that the people we're all writing about take time to read the fandoms? Like, does Kishimoto get online and google Naruto fanfiction? Does Rick get online and google PJO fanfiction? Does Logan Lerman or Yuri Lowenthal unwittingly come across yaoi fiction between themselves and Nico or Naruto? No? Okay, I guess I'm just weird.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _July 6, 2006_

 _Camp Half-Blood_

 _7:23 A.M._

Persephone had barely cracked her eyes open, before the mob that was after Frankenstein's Monster came banging on her door with their giant tree. Grumbling angrily to herself, the twelve-year-old rolled out of her bed, ticked off at being woken up after seeing her brother for the first time in three years, only to see him blow up a bunch of people with a giant-ass lightning dragon.

Reaching her door, she threw it open, and was even more ticked off at seeing that it was Chiron that had been using his hoof as a battering ram. The reason for the girl's increased ire at seeing the centaur stemmed from the facial expression she had seen him make during the dream. Chiron was scared of her brother, fearful of her brother, and saw her brother as a threat.

He wasn't wrong, but it still pissed her off.

It also pissed her off at seeing the _entirety of Camp Half-Blood_ standing outside her door this early in the morning. It made her mad enough that she didn't even care about the fact that she was clad in only her matching sea-green with sea-shell design bra and panties. They could look all they wanted; if they touched, problems would ensue.

"I really don't feel like talking about my brother right now. Please don't come back later." The irate Seph promptly slammed her door shut in Chiron's face, which miffed the centaur. Somewhere in the back of the hundred-strong crowd, someone made a period joke, which was followed by the sound of smacked flesh, and a masculine yelp.

Chiron shook his to clear it of his frustration, but Andrew stepped up to the proverbial plate. He knocked on the door, "Seph, come on! This isn't Chiron's orders, it's a summons from the gods telling us _all_ to be on Olympus at 8 A.M. sharp!"

It was silent before Seph's muffled voice yelled from inside, "Swear it on the Styx!"

Andrew raised a brow, before he swore on the Styx that everything he said was true. Thunder rumbled, and when nothing happened, the daughter of Poseidon stuck her head out. "I'll be ready in ten minutes. Go away now, please."

She promptly slammed the door again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Standing before the entire Olympian Council, Persephone felt ridiculously small. Sure, she felt small standing before just her uncle and father, but now she was under the scrutiny of ten other divine beings. It didn't help that the entirety of Camp Half-Blood, along with an all-girls group called the Hunters of Artemis, were staring intently at her back.

Glancing at the hearth, the extremely nervous half-blood saw a girl a few years younger than herself tending the flames. Hestia, the eldest child of Kronos, and Persephone's technical aunt. Hestia smiled at the girl, and Seph suddenly felt much better, much more confident, much more at _home_. Made sense, considering Hestia was the Goddess of Home.

"Persephone Jackson!" Zeus boomed from his throne. "Come forth."

Steeling herself, Persephone did just that. Approaching the throne of the King, she bowed, as was custom in _this_ situation, and waited for approval to stand. When she heard the command, she did just that, and came face to face with a rather displeased Lord of the Sky. She would've peed herself, but her bladder was thankfully empty.

"Dionysus has informed me of a dream that was just collectively shared between you, and the rest of the Half-Bloods, baring the Huntresses, and when questioning Morpheus, he swears on the River Styx that he had no inkling of this dream, and I believe him. The subject of this dream was of a boy identified as your _twin brother_ ," Zeus glowered. "Please, explain _this_ , as Poseidon looks even more lost than he usually does."

The God of the Sea growled, but he did stare down at his daughter with a mixture of hurt and betrayal, slight anger, and a copious amount of concern.

Very much aware of all the eyes on her, Persephone did her best not to stutter. "Percy is my twin," she said. "I was born twelve minutes before him, so I'm his big sister." She was grasping at straws here, having no idea where to go with Operation: Don't Get Percy Killed. "I never knew about him until I was six, when I had my first dream of him-"

"First dream?" Zeus cut in sharply. "You mean to tell us that you've multiple instances of contact with this unknown half-blood, and haven't told anyone!?"

Persephone felt her knees go weak, and it became hard to breath. The power from Zeus's anger was suffocating, reminding her of Percy on the first night she had dreamt of him, only Percy wasn't directing his anger at her, Zeus was, and she couldn't tell who which one was worse.

"Father," a female said from somewhere behind Persephone. "Please, show leniency. She is merely doing what any older sibling does for their younger. Do not fault her for worrying about her brother's safety."

Artemis could empathize with Persephone very well. She had stopped counting how many times she had pulled Apollo's butt out of one fire or another 2,873 years ago after Instance Number 10, 478. She knew protectiveness, and could see it very well. While she had no love for this Percy, there was something about him that made young Persephone fear deeply for his sake. Whether it was just his status as a son of Poseidon (most likely) or something else didn't matter.

Zeus needed to tone it down so this situation could become clear.

The fires of anger in Zeus's dimmed, replaced cold steel as he returned his gaze to his niece…not that he would ever admit to thinking of her like that. "Why have you not made it known that you have a twin, child?"

Persephone thanked whoever that auburn-haired goddess was, and forged on with the story. "Everyone freaked out over me being claimed. I didn't want people to start fighting if they knew I had a brother in some parallel dimension."

"Parallel dimension?" A grey-eyed woman that looked like Andrew asked incredulously. "What nonsense are you speaking of?"

Persephone's temper spiked at the insult to her understanding of where her sibling was, and opened her mouth to retort, but she never got the chance to say anything because a new voice suddenly resonated from everywhere.

"It's not 'nonsense,' child. It is fact."

The demigods all rose from their chairs at the back of the room. They didn't have weapons on them for reasons, but their parents had that covered. The air buzzed as twelve divine weapons suddenly appeared in their owner's hands.

A swirling vortex suddenly appeared in midair, and being spiraled out of it. Immediately, the new arrival's divine aura came crashing down like a waterfall. The Olympians fell back in their thrones, the demigods fell to their knees, but Persephone was just fine for some reason.

When the aura let up, people could now see just what this being was. Not human was the first thought. Tanned skin, purple, ringed eyes, horns jutting from the head, long black hair that reached the floor, a white, high-collared bathrobe with six commas around the neck, and a haori draped around the shoulders like a cape that depicted an image of a calm sea…with moving waves and flying birds. Trippy.

"How _dare_ you intrude on an Olympian Council meeting! Identify yourself, stranger, or taste my Bolt!"

The stranger looked at Zeus dully, clearly not impressed. "I am Susano'o. Shinto God of the Sea, Storms, and of Valor. And I'm also the patron god of one Perseus Jackson."

It was silent for all of five seconds before Poseidon exploded. **"WHAT!?"** Susano'o winced slightly at the volume, but that was all the reaction he showed to his fellow Sea god's thunderous bellow. " _Explain_ yourself!"

"Gladly. Your Fates foresaw a great calamity coming for your family, and there's a great calamity coming for my family as well. They came to my family, and brokered a deal with us in our mutual time of need. We get Percy to train and grow in power, and let him do his thing, so when he gets pulled back to this place, he can save you from that calamity I spoke about."

It was silent for all of another five seconds, before it was Athena that spoke. "Tell us, what calamity?"

"Not happening. That would be cheating, and the Fates don't like cheating. Nor does my family, but that's beside the point." Susano'o shuddered, as if experiencing a phantom pain.

"I want my _son_ back, now!"

"Also not happening. He's still desperately needed, especially right now." Poseidon snarled furiously, brandishing his trident at the slightly taller deity. "Oh, calm down. I can't give him back to you, because that's the Fates decision, but I can allow you to see him in person.

"In fact," Susano'o spread his arms wide, "I can allow _all_ of you to see young Perseus in person, live, upfront, and in action. There's an event coming up, a fighting tournament where people watch with gleeful expressions as super-powered kids beat the living crap out of each other, and I humbly invite all of you to attend."

Aphrodite said, "That's barbaric," at the same time Ares cheered, "That's awesome!"

"Super-powered?" Athena asked. "How is Poseidon's spawn any more super-powered than any other half-blood of my father and uncles?"

Susano'o looked surprised as he turned his attention to Persephone. "They haven't seen what happened at the prelims?" The girl shook her head, and the God of Storms grinned broadly. "E-E-E-Excellent!" he chuckled, "fresh rounds of shocked faces for everybody!"

"What are cackling on about?" Zeus snarled.

"Sorry! No spoilers!"

"Why you-!"

"Can I bring my mom?" Persephone asked hopefully, cutting off Zeus which really made him mad.

Susano'o nodded in the affirmative. "Of course, in fact, I encourage it. Percy could use some maternal guidance in life right now."

"Now wait just a moment! I never-!"

"Oh, do shut up, dear brother. It's rude to deny an invitation by another god from another pantheon to their own place of residence. And it's cute how you think you'll be able to stop me from going to see my son whom I never knew about."

Zeus's face turned red, but Susano'o clapped his hands. "Wonderful! We can leave in ten seconds."

"What about my mom!?"

Susano'o snapped his fingers, and a black portal with 90-degree edges suddenly appeared. Sally came tumbling out of it, a very surprised look on her face, and even more surprised looks on the faces of everyone but Persephone, who was smiling wide enough to almost split her cheeks apart.

"What on earth…? I was just…Seph…? _Huh…?_ "

"We're going to see Percy! In person!"

Sally blinked once, twice, thrice, before she finally registered what her daughter had said, and broke down into tears of absolute joy. Finally, after all these years, she would be able to see her baby boy for the first time…

"Oh, I almost forgot. We need some special kids to come along for the ride." Susano'o snapped his fingers, and three more black portals opened up, suspended off the ground. Out of those portals, three kids came falling out. Two girls, both a few years older than Persephone, one with blue eyes wearing punk/gothic clothes, the other with black eyes wearing a green cap, and a boy about Seph's age that looked like the second girl, wearing an old aviator jacket. "May I present Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, along with Bianca and Nico di Angelo, children of Hades, born in the 1920s before the Oath was made, and hidden away in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for the past six decades by their father in fear of them being killed by a stray lightning bolt, like their mother."

Once again, it was silent for all of about ten seconds as the newcomers and oldcomers just stared at each other, before the shadows rose up like wildfire, the Lord of the Underworld showing up in style, and with a hefty amount of rage in his eyes.

"Before you get mad," Susano'o started, "your kids are perfectly safe now. Zeus is not so dumb as to attack them, especially after I returned his daughter back to life. You're welcome by the way, both of you."

Zeus and Hades just stared, before they both asked at the same time, "Why?"

Susano'o shrugged. "It will be highly amusing watching them react to their cousin kick major amounts of ass, and I'm a nice guy… most of the time."

The fathers looked at their children. The children looked back. The children of Hades had tears brimming in their eyes at recognizing their father, and Andrew and Luke came barreling out of the crowd to pile-drive Thalia into the marble floor. Such a heartwarming sight.

Before things could get any more bizarre, hectic, out of order, or just plain weird, Susano'o clapped his hands together in front of him, spreading his chakra out to cover the entire throne room. With everyone no within his sphere, the God of Storms channeled a major amount of his divine chakra—almost an eight of it, actually—and said lowly:

" **Ame no minaka!"**

Then everyone was gone…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

…and reappeared amidst a roaring crowd in the middle of the stands of some kind of arena. The demigods had been arranged in neat little rows according to their godly parent, with said parent sitting right in the middle, so that meant Artemis was right smack-dab in between her surrogate daughters, Persephone was in between her mom and dad, Thalia was next the Zeus, Nico and Bianca, the most confused, sat on either side of Hades, and so on and so forth for every other god(dess).

Sweet. Free bonding time without worry of the Ancient Laws. Every divine entity's' dream.

Chiron was off to the side.

"Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here!?" Thalia screamed over the crowd. Instead of anyone verbally answering, Zeus just downloaded his knowledge of the past ten minutes into his daughter's head, as did Hades with his children, albeit on a much more historically encompassing scale than their cousin. In a manner similar to a singing group, all three newly 'revived' demigods said, "Whoa."

Perfect understanding of had happened, what was going on, and fascination with what was going to happen. Of course, that still left _everyone_ confused as to where they were and what was happening around them. Artemis and her Hunters were frowning deeply at being in the company of so many men.

Then a man with spikey-yellow hair stood up from atop a building way off to the side, dressed in robes of white and red. He looked to be very important, and the gods were more than a little concerned at this man's aura. It was easily on par with any of their own. A mortal that could match them in power…scary.

"Welcome all!" the man's voice boomed over the din of cheering and screaming. "I am Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and it is with great pleasure that I formally announce the beginning of the Final Round of the 112th bi-annual Chunin Exams!"

The crowd went ape-shit.

Minato's voice once again boomed loudly. "For the first match, we have Sasuke Uchiha, Shinobi of the Year and son of Lord and Lady Uchiha, Naruko Namikaze, Kunoichi of the Year, and my daughter, and Shin'en of the Cloud in a three-way battle royale!"

The crowd went nuts for a second time.

Those not informed collectively said, "Shin'en of the Cloud?" to which those caught up on current events informed their parents that 'Shin'en of the Cloud' is Percy Jackson. Those now-informed made 'Ahhh' faces. It was hysterical.

"Would all genin besides the ones just mentioned please make their way to the waiting area. Thank you. Now, without further ado, let the Tournament _begin!_ "

The crowd roared again.

Now with all of the other children gone, who was who became clear. The black-haired boy in the black outfit with bandages around his arm was Sasuke, the girl in the orange with the black-and red coat on was Naruko, and the last boy, the one in the sleeveless, high-collared shirt that was split down to his sternum, was Shin'en.

When he looked up at them, they all saw the cigarette in his mouth fall out. Artemis wrinkled her face in disgust, as did most of the Hunters. Smoking? At that age? Period? Eww. They already didn't like this boy. The demigods already knew what to expect, so this wasn't surprising.

What was surprising to them was that all of those kids seemed perfectly fine. Didn't Shin'en attack the blonde guy? What happened to the giant lightning dragon thing? It was almost as if it had never happened.

Persephone winced slightly when her mother grabbed her hands tightly in her own, squeezing painfully. The girl couldn't blame her mother though; this was the first time Mom was seeing Percy since he was a newborn.

Sally saw her son, her baby, smoking, and she didn't care. She saw the tattoo on his shoulder, and didn't care. She saw the number tattooed on his opposite forearm, and she still didn't care. That her _baby_ , her _son_ , her _Percy_. He was alive! He was well! He was…he was…he was _glaring_ at her?

No, not at her. At Persephone? Yes, he was glaring at Persephone. Why?

As for the girl, while she was besides herself with joy at being within a hundred yards of her baby brother, she knew very well the _danger_ of being here. Percy was about as far from stable as Pluto was from the sun, and there was a distinct possibility that something really destructive was about to happen. Oh hell, it was really stupid of her to bring Mom to this.

The last thing Persephone wanted was for her mother to see her son in a fight. The only dream she had ever told Mom about was the first one, seven years ago. Other than that, every _atrocity_ she had watched Percy commit was kept a secret. Mom was already broken up enough on the inside about Percy being taken away, so the last thing she needed to know was that Percy had genocidal tendencies. But she had just been so caught up in the moment…!

And now beyond even that, Dad, Zeus, Hades, and the rest of the Olympians would witness first-hand the amount of power Percy had-the amount of power that _shinobi_ had.

It was going to be a very long, very destructive day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His entire extended family was here. Everyone from his youngest second cousins, all the way up to his eldest aunt; including his _mother,_ his _father_ , and Persephone. Currently, Shin'en was trying to burn holes through his _idiotic_ sister's head—technically speaking, that was a possibility; he had yet to experiment with Gale Style through the eyes. Why were they here!? Why was Thalia revived!? Why were Nico and Bianca up and active!?

 _This was the worst possible day to be here!_

The invasion was due to start after Shin'en defeated Sasuke and Naruko, and the Greeks were sitting in the middle of Ground Zero. When the signal was given, each and every Cloud shinobi hidden in the stands would launch whatever jutsu they wanted at whomever they wanted, and Shin'en _was not_ going out of his way to defend them…or even interact with them at all for that matter.

His auburn-haired cousin could glare at him all she wanted to; neither she nor her feminist girl scout troop were going to change anything…besides maybe their pants if subjected to his Killer Intent.

Taking a deep breath to restrain his anger before he kick-started a thunderstorm and an earthquake, Shin'en refocused on the present. The gods and their brats could gape in awe and perform a physically impossible act for all he cared. Right now, Naruko and Sasuke were his main concern.

They were different. Besides their new outfits, their chakras had changed, and so did their eyes. Besides being many times larger than they were a month ago, their chakras were calmer, more serious, and their eyes held nothing but absolute seriousness for the battle to come.

Good, very good. Maybe Shin'en would work up a sweat before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The losers from the preliminaries, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Sakura, Lee, and Tenten all chose seats _conveniently_ close to the massive group of people with a taste for orange. They all sat in the first row, one row in front of the fat guy in the weird shirt that smelled like grapes.

"So who do you think's going to win?" Choji asked Shikamaru as he opened up a bag of ships. Present company above and side-to-side payed rapt attention.

The Nara narrowed his eyes. "I don't know," he drawled, "the entirety of the village knows that Sasuke has the Sharingan, and has been undergoing special training. Also, everyone knows that Naruko has also been undergoing special training, and she's also the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the daughter of the Yellow Flash and the Red Death, and hands-down the strongest genin in the Leaf, probably even stronger than most Chunin."

Artemis and her handmaidens felt a surge of pride at a girl being regarded as the strongest, while Athena was trying to figure what exactly being a 'human sacrifice' meant to these people.

Shikamaru took a breath as he continued with his observation. "However, there's almost nothing known about Shin'en, other than he's cold, uncaring, fast, really fast, and seriously strong. His Killer Intent back during the First Exam was potent enough to shut up an entire room of other ninja; during the Second Exam, he slaughtered those Sound genin like it was nothing, and that one girl's genjutsu had no effect, considering Shin'en was right behind her in an instant, and hit her in the skull with enough force to knock her brain loose.

"And in the preliminaries, even when Naruko and you, Kiba, deadlocked with your techniques, even when Lee activated his Inner Gates against Gaara, Shin'en didn't even bat an eye, just like our Jonin-sensei and Lord Hokage. There's also his fight with Neji-uh, sorry you two."

"Don't worry, Lee and I have…moved on. We just want to see Shin'en get what he deserves for killing our teammate like that," Tenten said.

Sally, Poseidon, as well others' jaws dropped at the context clues provided that revealed that Persephone's brother had _killed_ somebody…and wasn't in jail for it. Ares whistled; kids that killed each other and didn't get punished? This place was awesome!

"Yeah, don't get your hopes up just yet," Shikamaru stated seriously. "There isn't much that's secret about our resident Golden Duo, but this Cloud kid? All we know is that he's fast, he's strong, and he doesn't care about taking life. Asuma-sensei took me, Ino, and Choji out on a hunt a few days ago. Nothing major, just your average bandit camp terrorizing some backwater village. I killed nine people, Choji took out thirteen, and Ino killed eight; Asuma-sensei finished off the rest with his trench knives. Even though that was days ago, I can't go to sleep at night without one of those bandit's faces popping up in my dreams, so for Shin'en to be so calm about taking the lives of four people like that, means that he's a highly experienced killer, or he's really good at concealing his emotions."

Up in the higher row, Sally sobbed quietly, and Poseidon did what he could to console his wife, although he was deeply concerned himself. His son? Experienced killer? He wanted answers _now_.

Athena was highly impressed with the Nara's deductive skills, if not deeply troubled by what appeared to be a son of Poseidon that could kill without trouble, and the fact that the children of this place could speak about murder in such a casual way. Most of the other gods felt the same, aside from Ares. Artemis, while also troubled at the thought of children killing, regardless of gender, was impressed in that this world seemed to not be gender-biased. Girls right there alongside the boys on the mission, contributing as equals and not live-bait?

Definitely an interesting place, this world.

"Seriously?" Sakura asked. "So what if this guy can kill some people? The genin from the Sound weren't that strong, we had them on the ropes as it was, and you can't deny that Neji was overconfident. Rule 84 of the Shinobi Handbook: a ninja must never underestimate an opponent, regardless, of size, shape, age, or gender."

"All excellent points, but there's still one problem. What problem, you ask? Well, we all know that when Naruko gets angry, her chakra increases proportionately with her bloodlust due to the Nine-Tails awesome power. When that happens, my insects scream and cry out to run away, because they can sense the imminent feeling of death." Shino calmly adjusted his glasses, causing light to flash off of them for a moment. "My insects kept telling me to do the same thing when I was merely in proximity to Shin'en."

Shikamaru only narrowed his eyes, while the other genin looked shocked. When it came to the Aburame, their insects never led them wrong, and those bugs always to be listened to, regardless of the situation. If it was a calm, sunny day in the middle of a flat plain, and the Aburame said his/her insects were freaking out, you hauled ass in the opposite direction. So if Shino's hive was going berserk at just being _near_ the Cloud ninja…that was cause for some great concern.

Meanwhile, those less informed were scratching their heads at whatever the hell insects this kid was on about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en tuned out the major distraction that was the Grecian Pantheon, and focused on the battle field.

Genma approached the middle ground leisurely, standing in between Shin'en, on the left, and Naruko and Sasuke, on the right. "All right you three. It says on paper that this is a three-way match, but everyone knows that you two will double-team Shin'en so there's no point in hiding it. Anyway, same rules apply here as they did at the prelims. Anything goes, killing is allowed, tools are allowed, pills are allowed, sudden and cliché power-ups are allowed, and the match only ends when I say it ends. Also, as proctor, I have the power to step in whenever I damn-well feel like it to call the match, and none of you brats can do anything about it. So, without further ado, begin!"

Genma leapt back, and leapt back _far_.

Naruko immediately placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, moving her head so that Shin'en couldn't see her lips move. "Buy me three minutes. After that, we can get down to business."

Sasuke nodded, and Naruko began handspringing backwards, stopping at the far end of the arena. She sat down in a cross-legged fashion, pressing her fists together at her stomach, closing her eyes in deep concentration as she began to draw in the natural energy of the planet itself.

Shin'en wondered what the girl was up to, but he _allowed_ her to continue. She might prove to have a neat trick up her sleeve that would prove to be able to satiate his bloodlust, or make her paltry attempts at trying to prove her point that shinobi were ones who endured more entertaining. Either way, the demigod _allowed_ Naruko to do her thing.

Meanwhile, certain silver-loving people were wide-eyed at seeing a twelve-year-old girl do something that would've had the best Olympic gymnasts drooling.

' _Okay, so I have to buy Naruko three minutes for something. I don't know what, but I have a feeling that's it's something like me and the Inner Gates. If that's the case, then I need to stall instead of going all-out from the beginning, that way Naruko and I can kick Shin'en's ass in a two-on-one beat down,'_ Sasuke thought to himself. Stalling tactic…stalling tactic…stalling tactic…let's see how good the Cloud ninja's accuracy was.

The Uchiha activated his Sharingan, revealing for the first time its fully-matured-ness to the rest of the Leaf, and his clansmen. The stands erupted into cheering and clapping. Ignoring the fans, Sasuke reached into his shuriken pouch, and launched a volley of deadly projectiles.

Shin'en raised a brow, and decided to show off a bit. He reached into his own shuriken pouches, and launched a return volley that perfectly countered the first few, but the shuriken attack didn't stop there. Instantly, the air was filled with ringing sounds of metal against metal as demigod and reincarnation began to wildly hurl hundreds of shuriken at each other.

Arms became indistinct blurs as the two boys made an impressive show of accuracy. Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he used his visual prowess to keep track of his enemy's weapons, while at the same time calculating flight paths between the hail of metal that would ricochet into Shin'en's face. At the same time, the son of Poseidon was using his superior reflexes and cognitive processing to do the exact same thing.

Before either one knew it, they were out of shuriken. Shin'en sped forward, and Sasuke did the same, the two deadlocking in a tangle of arms. The speed in which they moved left shuriken just thrown suspended in the air, before the inanimate objects collapsed among the massive pile littering the dirt.

Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Chiron, and just about everyone else was _reeling_ at the spectacle that just happened. But perhaps none were so jealous as the Hunters of Artemis and the children of Apollo, for they both _knew_ that an accuracy level that high was impossible for them to _ever_ achieve (they couldn't even follow what had just happened, only seeing a massive black cloud filled with sparks) and their half-human nature reared its ugly head.

Jealousy was a nasty thing.

The Greeks had yet to even glimpse at what jealousy was yet.

Sasuke's Sharingan came in handy, and the boy ducked when Shin'en tried to punch his face. Sasuke swept his leg out, but the demigod jumped, raised his leg, and the Uchiha leapt to the side to avoid the ground-shattering axe-kick.

Mid-flight, Sasuke picked up a handful of shuriken, and hurled them, inaccurately, at Shin'en. The Cloud ninja didn't even blink as the throwing stars sailed right past him, but that was the idea. Sasuke molded his chakra, and let his jutsu loose.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

The searing flames raced across the wires that were attached to the shuriken, bathing the arena in orange and red light. To his Sharingan, it looked as if the jutsu was too fast for Shin'en to handle, and the boy was engulfed in the flames. The fire roared forwards into the wall on the opposite side of the arena, charring it black.

While the crowd cheered madly, the gods were besides themselves with shock, along with an envious and fearful Thalia and Bianca; Nico had stars where his eyes were supposed to be. A kid no older than Persephone, a _boy_ (according to some thinkers), was spewing _fire_ out of mouth very much like a dragon, and what was up with his blood-colored eyes?

Sally was screaming, thinking that her baby had just gotten roasted.

Persephone was face-palming at her brother's penchant for theatrics.

Sasuke cancelled the jutsu as he burned through a tenth of his reserves. The flames burned a for a few seconds, self-sustaining due to oxygen, before they died out. Shin'en was just standing there calmly, steam curling from his body. Sasuke growled. He didn't think that would've actually worked, but he was stalling, remember?

By his count, there should've been thirty seconds left before Naruko was finished.

Still, for his jutsu to have no affect at all was a blow to his pride. What? Did this kid really think he was powerful enough to just stand there and tank jutsu after jutsu without consequence. Growling, Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly, taking a new form.

His Mangekyou blazed brightly as he glared at the demigod.

Up in the stands, most people were completely lost at Sasuke's new eyes, while the Uchihas in the stands were openly gaping at seeing an eye only heard of in myths and legends. Mikoto, watching from home via television, felt her heart ache at seeing her child cursed with those eyes, while the Greeks were primarily confused as a whole.

Shin'en, however, was mentally reevaluating things. Naruko appeared to be gathering Nature Energy, if that pigment around her eyes was anything to go by, and Sasuke had the Mangekyou Sharingan. Now it was a question of which techniques the boy had. Amaterasu was a definite, Tsukuyomi maybe not, Susano'o was a maybe, but any others were up in the air.

"First Gate! Open!"

Sasuke's chakra increased as his body's full muscular potential was unlocked. During his training, he had discovered that using his Mangekyou without his Amaterasu had the same effect as using his normal Sharingan, only boosted, and without the risk of going blind.

In short, not using Mangekyou techniques made his new eyes just an upgraded version of the three-tomoed Sharingan.

Sasuke flew forward at a speed that had heads reeling, especially those of the gods, seeing as they had never seen such quick movement. Still, Shin'en was able to react with more than enough time.

The two ninja engaged in taijutsu, Sasuke going on the attack with his increased strength, and Shin'en content with defense, for now. A flurry of rapid-fire punches met with powerful forearms, kicks and sweeps were avoided easily, even using a kunai in conjunction with his assault proved fruitless against the impenetrable defense of the demigod.

Sasuke got frustrated with his lack of success, and his increasing ire made him sloppy. He overextended on a jab, and Shin'en fingers shot forward, striking a nerve cluster, making Sasuke's arm go dead. Realizing the situation he was now in, with one arm, the Uchiha tried to gain distance, but Shin'en right hand shot out, halting his movement by grabbing the front of his black shirt.

With the higher prognition and chakra-seeing of the Mangekyou, Sasuke watched in slow motion as Shin'en's left hand became pointed, and was covered in highly-refined Wind Chakra, becoming a very powerful spear. The spear zoomed forward, and Sasuke knew that in that moment, he was going to die.

Three minutes had passed.

"I can't...I can't see them move," Thalia stuttered. Her sentiment was shared by most, even the gods were having trouble keeping up. Sally was equal parts shocked and proud of her Percy. Shocked by the things he was able to do, and extremely proud that he was able to do them. Poseidon shared those feelings. Zeus, however, was sweating bullets. If this boy decided to become an enemy...if any of these strange mortals became enemies, the battle would not be easy. Grudgingly, even Artemis and her Hunters found themselves respecting the power being displayed, and slightly afraid. But the one thought on everyone's mind was what was the girl doing by just sitting there?

Eyes widened and people screamed when Shin'en gained the advantage, and went in for the kill, something that even Sally recognized. Persephone was absolutely horrified at the thought of her brother killing someone right in front of _everybody_...but their fears and shocks were unfounded.

Naruko's orange-lidded eyes snapped open, revealing her yellow, toad-like irises. Imbued with the power of nature, she shot forward like a bullet, closing the distance between her and the boys in the blink of an eye. She grabbed Shin'en's hand, jerked it up with her enhanced strength, and then kicked him roughly in the stomach.

Blood flew out of Shin'en's mouth as he was launched backwards, zooming into the blackened arena wall with enough force to send spider-web cracks spreading halfway to the top.

The Huntresses were the first ones to stand and cheer, quickly followed by the rest of the audience.

"You okay?" Naruko asked her brother-figure.

Sasuke just smirked, black markings spreading over his body. Instead of answering, he called out loudly, "Third Gate! Open!"

Up in the stands, Lee didn't know whether to be jealous, excited, or angry. It took him years to unlock his Inner Gates, while it took Sasuke only a month. The Green Beast settled for being excited that a comrade had achieved such a level of taijutsu, and that the battle would continue.

The Greeks were once again absolutely floored when Sasuke's skin turned red, and a green aura surrounded him as power blasted violently from his form, cratering the ground upon which he stood. Naruko grinned to herself, _'Ready...Kurama?'_

" **Heh...ready, Naruko."**

The girl shouted as red chakra erupted from her, even more than what Sasuke was outputting. That part really boosted the Huntresses' egos. Tendrils of crimson spiraled through the earth, tearing massive gashes through it. The orange around Naruko's eyes turned darker, just like her eyes, and a vertical slit crossed her bar-like pupils. Her whiskers darkened, and the rest of her body underwent the usual change.

Nine-Tailed Sage Mode. This was the second time the duo had tried this technique, but it was simple as it was complex. Naruko regulated the flow of her three chakras, while Kurama, the real name of the Nine-Tails, helped to add in his own chakra, creating a level of power that almost defeated a base-level Minato.

Not one to be outdone by his best friend, Sasuke activated his Level 2. Quite an interesting anecdote, that. A bunch of Sound-nin had ambushed him one day after training, stuck him in a barrel, and tried to make off with him. They failed, obviously, and Sasuke learned that he now had another level of power.

Combined with his Inner Gates, his skin turned a rust-like color, his hair lengthening into a wild mane of spikes, while a four-pointed star appeared on the bridge of his nose. His nails turned into claws, and his sclera bled black, making it appear that his Mangekyou was suspended. In addition to his green aura, purple chakra violently swirled around him.

Shin'en grinned maniacally at what he beheld. Naruko, using the power of the Nine-Tails in conjunction with Senjutsu, and Sasuke, using the power of the Curse Mark in conjunction with the Inner Gates and Mangekyou Sharingan. Well, if the warmups were over and the big guns were coming out, who was Shin'en to not follow suite?

Walking forward until he was directly in front of chakra-wreathed children, ignoring the high winds and shaking earth. He slid his gaze upwards, looking his cousin, his uncle, and lastly his sister directly in the eye. Thalia shivered, as if Thanatos had just brushed past her; Zeus narrowed his eyes in suspicion, feeling challenged; and Persephone paled, recognizing that glint in Percy's eye.

"Please, don't do this," she whispered too quietly for others to hear.

"I don't take orders from you," Shin'en said aloud. He turned his gaze back to the incarnations, turning serious. He whispered two words, two words that had the entire arena shaking to its foundation, two words that had the demigods' blood freezing, two words that had Zeus and Thalia turning green with natural-born envy.

"Lightning Armor…"

A spite of emerald chakra, bigger than both Naruko and Sasuke's combined, erupted from Shin'en like a blast from a dormant volcano. Lightning, black as the depths of Tartarus, wreathed the massive chakra. The winds generated by all three gigantic chakras had _everyone_ shielding their faces from the stinging air.

"If they keep this up, they'll destroy the entire arena!" Shikamaru howled over the raging gale.

"What kind of kids have this kind of power!? This is insane!" Thalia screamed.

Nico threw his arms up, "This is awesome!"

However, to those who were watching from behind their arms, they witnessed something terrifying.

Behind Naruko, a gigantic, superimposed, dark orange, slightly humanoid fox with nine tails, crouching on its legs, roared loudly. Behind Sasuke, in a manner exactly similar to his sister-figure, a giant raven, black as night with glowing red eyes, spread its hundreds-of-feet wingspan, cawing just as loudly as the fox. Behind Shin'en, an even bigger monster appeared. A dragon almost twice the size of the fox, with thirteen snarling heads, complete with burning eyes, black scales, and sixteen horns, also roared.

And all of the earth trembled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **The Greeks can only watch on in stunned in stunned terror as children display power greater than anything they could've ever imagined.**_

 _ **The Fox and the Raven stand fast in the presence of the Abyss, ready for battle.**_

 _ **Next time on**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **:**_

 _ **Monsters in the Guise of Children**_


	27. Monsters in the Guise of Children

_Monsters in the Guise of Children_

 _ **Did any of you know that it's been over a year since I joined Fanfiction as an author? Did any of you know that this story is a year old? No? Shoot I hope so, because I sure as hell forgot. Good Lord, people! It's been a year! It's mind blowing to me how fast it all seemed to go.**_

 _ **Anyway, enough of me rambling on like an old man. This chapter will be more of a chaotic beat-down of shockwave-inducing strength and ground-destroying speed, and less focusing on the reactions of the Greeks and likewise.**_

 _ **Oh, and the invasion starts at the end of this chapter, so advance-cliffhanger warning…maybe.**_

 _ **As you read this author's note, keep in mind that I have yet to fully hash-out the plot, and my mind is about as stable as a canoe in a hurricane.**_

 _ **I only finalize my thoughts at the author's note down below.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

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Shin'en's Lightning Armor swirled and sparked around him, while Sasuke and Naruko's eyes glowed brightly in the shadows cast by the emerald chakra. The arena floor looked like a war zone, with cracks lining the ground, and indents in the walls. Those in the stands were disheveled and somewhat fearful now. The shinobi in the crowd long ago realized that this was no longer a battle between Genin—no _child_ could possibly have as much power as these three—but a battle between monsters.

In the Kage's Box, the Raikage, Hokage, Kazekage, and their respective guards watched on silently. The Cloud ninja could feel it; the time for the invasion to begin was almost at hand.

"Begin!" Shin'en barked.

The Genin all disappeared in bursts of impossible-for-their-age speed, shattering the earth beneath them. They clashed in midair, their chakra-enhanced muscled creating a sound like thunder, before they disappeared again. Sasuke materialized first, with Shin'en popping into existence behind him, right arm cocked back with his hand formed into a spear. Once again, Naruko sped into the fray just in time to save her friend.

Shin'en redirected his attack in a stunning display of agility, his bastardized Hell-Stab connecting with the Senjutsu surrounding Naruko's fist. The powerful chakras slammed into each other in an extended flash of blinding light, before culminating in a concussive blast that created a perfectly round half-circle in the ground, while sending the two combatants skidding across the dirt on the balls of their feet.

Sasuke, having blurred away in the flash, literally crashed back into the fray. The ground exploded under the force of his leg, and Shin'en grinned when the assault he was put under actually made him try. With the massive power boost granted by the Curse Mark _and_ the Inner Gates, as well as the precision of the Mangekyou, Sasuke's taijutsu was on a new level. Even with his Lightning Armor an 40%, Shin'en found himself on the precipice of defeat…until a quick burst of chakra, and Sasuke was sailing into the air from an unforeseen uppercut.

Naruko came back in then, orange-ish eyes glaring. Shin'en grinned even wider during this bout of taijutsu. Naruko didn't have Sasuke's speed, being just shy, but she had almost triple the strength. Sage Mode and Nine-Tails chakra…it was a good thing she wasn't glowing golden, or things would've been even more violent.

Fists and arms moved with breath-taking speed. It was a battle of strength as much as it was a contest of durability. The Lightning Armor was definitely being put through its paces from the assault of the super chakra-enhanced muscles of Naruko, but Shin'en's technique, experience, and steadily increasing speed proved too much for the girl.

She swung in a wild haymaker, but Shin'en countered swiftly by intercepting with both of his fists, using her momentum against her. Off-balance and left with an open guard, she took a hit to the jaw that hurt, even with the added boost of her Sage Mode and Nine-Tails Chakra. Even she didn't have that, she probably would've been knocked out instantly.

Then came the unwelcome feeling of being shot point-blank in the face with a canon, as Shin'en blasted chakra out of his arm. Naruko went tumbling through the air before slamming against the opposite wall. She fell out of the crater with a growl.

Fire rained from the sky as Sasuke unleashed a torrent of varying Fire Jutsu, but Shin'en only scoffed at the pitiful assault. He sped across the arena, dodging the super-heated aerial assault with an almost lazy disposition. The demonic-looking boy fired off one more jutsu, one that looked like a massive dragon head, as he landed, but Shin'en twisted out of the way.

The jutsu sailed harmlessly into the sky.

"If that's all you two have to show after a month of training, I'll end this within the next sixty seconds," Shin'en said dully as he landed across the reincarnate siblings.

Sasuke grit his fangs. "We need a plan. Slamming our fists together isn't working."

"I know," Naruko growled. She thought lightning fast, running through plans and ideas at a computer's pace. She reviewed her repertoire, Sasuke's repertoire, what little she knew of Shin'en. Shadow Clones, varying Wind and Fire Style techniques, Rasengan, Chidori-hey.

Now there was an idea.

She whispered her plan to Sasuke, the boy looking at her bewilderedly, before narrowing his glowing red eyes and nodding. Naruko steeled herself, and addressed the demigod in a loud voice. This was the part where the two combatants argued philosophy in the middle of the fight…for whatever reason. Meanwhile, Sasuke began molding his chakra.

"Shin'en! You said a month ago that shinobi were nothing but murderers, and I said that shinobi were ones who endured. When we fought, I wasn't strong enough then, and you said that you'd give me another chance today to try again. Get ready, cause I'm about to prove my point."

In response, the demigod cocked a brow. Did he really think that she or Sasuke had anywhere near the power required to beat him? And even if they did somehow acquire power from some random source, nothing they ever gained would save them from his hydrokinesis. They were beaten from even before this match was started.

Sasuke ran through hand seals at a pace just as fast as Naruko. In response, Shin'en upped his personal voltage.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

A super intense jet of fire slowly snaked out of Sasuke's mouth, whistling loudly with heat. The stream sparked slightly, due to the friction caused by quickly moving particles, and the heatwave surrounding the stream distorted space. Then it suddenly ignited into a massive orb of flame the size of a two-story house.

The fireball shot forward, fueled into an inferno by Naruko's assisting jutsu. The speed of the attack caught Shin'en off-guard, seeing as it was in front of the Leaf ninja one second, and about three feet away from his face the next. He had just enough reaction time to boost his armor once again before the combination-ninjutsu collided with him in an arena-shaking explosion of smoke, heat, and insane amounts of concussive force.

Up in the stands, the select members of the Greeks were impressed with the power of Naruko, feeling slight twinges of fear at the speed and the strength being displayed by not-yet-fully-mature children, having unhappy flashbacks about someone with super-strength, or screaming their lungs out at seeing Percy seemingly go up in flames.

Due to the smoke, the arena floor was obscured to all that were using normal eyes. Those with Sharingan, Byakugan, or had acute enough sensory awareness were gaping at why they were reading down below. Shin'en even raised another brow.

The smoke cleared, revealing an unharmed demigod, Lightning Armor still up and running smoothly, with slightly singed clothes, and an army of orange-and-red-cloak-wearing girls covering the walls and the ground, with only thirty feet of distance between them and Shin'en. Shadow Clones didn't have internal organs, so detecting the Transformed Sasuke and the original Naruko hidden among the crowd was easy.

Interesting that they had depowered. Feeling to be in a sporting mood, Shin'en allowed his Lightning Armor to dissipate, not because he didn't need it or was so arrogant as to believe himself untouchable, but because keeping it up would've made things too easy.

' _All right Indra and Ashura…show me what you've got.'_

The Clones on the ground charged forward in a sea of red and orange, while the Clones sticking to the wall began assisting one-another in making the most massive swarm of Rasengans ever.

Shin'en snorted, and the following taijutsu battle was remarkably similar to every taijutsu battle involving a single high-level opponent against a swarm of highly-weaker opponents: a one-sided choreographed slaughter fest. But instead of dead bodies piling up, you had hundreds of puffs of smoke.

Shin'en bounced on the balls of his feet as he twisted, turned, side-stepped, swept, punched, kicked, blocked, countered, and completely destroyed the ground assault in a manner so coordinated in almost looked planned out. The ones on the walls finally formed their chakra-balls, and began blasting off the vertical surface like bullets, from all directions.

Shin'en knew he was fast, and that he had reflexes off the charts, but the sheer, overwhelming number of incoming jutsu made the demigod pump chakra into his legs, and leap into the air, easily clearing the stands and continuing upwards. Glancing at the Greeks, he saw Thalia gaping at him, hints of jealousy in her electric blue eyes. Meh, if she got stupid and tried something, there would be one less candidate for the Prophecy…not like any other kid of the Big Three was actually on the list.

Shin'en wasn't ripped from his original dimension just for divine shits and giggles, after all.

Looking down, his face distorted into one of incomprehensive vexation. All of the Naruko clones, Rasengans glowing brightly, were surging up at him in a conical formation, forming a gigantic blue spear-tip of chakra. Interestingly enough, Naruko and Sasuke were not among the crowd. Or at least, it didn't feel like it. All of those clones and the jutsu they were holding, and the ultra-proximity to one another, was having a distorting effect on Shin'en's hydro sensing.

Standing on one of the spectator's rooftops, Sasuke took a deep breath as he focused his chakra. Sure, he had used Amaterasu many times, but only sparingly so that he didn't destroy his vision too terribly. Due to the Curse Mark's regenerative enzymes, light damage to his eyes could be fixed, somewhat. However, the amount of fire Naruko's plan called for, and the amount of precision it would take, would put Sasuke's power and control to the test.

Luckily, his left eye was perfectly suited for the task of control.

Calling upon the power of the Curse Mark once more, Sasuke activated his Mangekyou. He covered his left eye with his hand, and his right began to bleed heavily as veins inside began to become visible.

"Amaterasu!"

Black fire immediately appeared on the rising spear of Narukos, and Sasuke wasted no time in covering his aching eye, before uncovering his left. This eye glowed even brighter as it put its master's will into play. During his training, when Sasuke discovered the power of his eyes, that he created his own personal jutsu style. The problem was that it took both his Mangekyou and an outstanding amount of chakra control to perform.

"Inferno Style: Flame Control Dragon!"

The black fire surged around Naruko, interacting with the spiraling of the Rasengan, giving off massive amounts of heat that was felt by everyone. Even Poseidon and Persephone could feel the heat, despite their natural temperature resistance.

The flames roared upward, before branching out, forming a massive draconian head, its mouth filled determined Jinchuuriki holding a multitude of chakra balls. That was why Sasuke's control was put to the test; he had to cover up the Naruko swarm, empower the Rasengans, form the dragon head, and not burn his friend into ashes on accident.

Feeling the intense heat, Shin'en's focus was _wholly_ directed at the incoming jutsu the size of Hokage Tower. This was a _really_ big technique. Clasping his hands together, the demigod molded and mixed his chakra at a rapid pace, and it was a testament to his chakra control that he didn't blow himself up from the inside. Seeing no other option than to fire back, Shin'en launched his S-rank technique.

"Gale Style: Reflex Cannon!"

The demigod glowed brightly as he was saturated with chakra. That glow was quickly drained directly into his hands, making them shine bright as stars, before he split his hands apart. There was a spark between the limbs, before a beam of chakra, just as wide as the approaching Flame Control Dragon, perhaps even a few inches wider, erupted forth like a geyser from Shin'en's splayed arms.

The only reason the resulting explosion didn't blow apart the Final Exam stands was because of how high it was. Still, the boom and the shockwave did a good job of rattling everyone's teeth. A massive black cloud of smoke hung in the sky, obscuring the sun from view.

Up in the sky, gravity took its hold, and Shin'en fell back down to the earth through the smoke cloud. All of the Clones had been destroyed in the explosion, but the heat from the Amaterasu still lingered. As the demigod fell, he coated himself in a layer of Ice Chakra, so that he didn't burn. Bit of black fire fell down with him.

He landed without harm in the middle of the arena, shocking the Greeks because he didn't splatter upon impact, while the crowd only watched on in stunned silence, or with narrowed eyes. Now that the massive number of Clones had been dealt with, Shin'en's hydro sensing was working properly again. Sasuke and Naruko were sticking to the walls on opposite side of the arena, charging what was going to be their signature jutsu.

Sasuke's eyes glowed brightly as his hand lit up with lightning, the grating sound of a thousand chirping birds filling the air. With a grunt, the Uchiha launched forward, sprinting down the wall, his jutsu carving a trench all the way through the concrete, and across the ground.

At the same time, Naruko finished making her one-handed Rasengan, and sprinted down her wall, albeit just a bit later than Sasuke. Instead of destroying property, the Namikaze's jutsu just swirled, streams of energy spiraling about as she ran.

Shin'en merely raised a brow at the approaching Genin, wondering just what on earth they were hoping to achieve by rushing from the sides like this. Oh well, if they wanted to attempt a frontal assault, the demigod would allow them to, and internally laugh at the looks on their faces when their jutsu were negated, and their internal organs were ruptured.

Angling his body to where Sasuke and Naruko would slam into his shoulders, Shin'en raised his arms up to prepare for his counter attack, only to find that he couldn't move anymore. His eyes widened when his body suddenly froze up on him, unresponsive to his movements.

The Rasengan and Chidori were feet away now.

How was this possible? Why was this happening? Why couldn't he move? There weren't any shadows, he didn't get hit with any toxins or poisons, there weren't any seals on his body-

On his wrist. Shin'en recalled when he and Sasuke clashed after their shuriken duel, and the Uchiha's hand had wrapped around his (Shin'en) forearm. That must've been when the paralysis seal had been placed, but how did Shin'en not realize—he frenzied his chakra, and the Mangekyou-induced genjutsu broke like glass.

A physical haze lifted from Shin'en's mind, and he cursed himself for his carelessness. Genjutsu worked on the demigod just like it worked on everyone else. The difference between him and everyone else, was that he had a sixth sense that allowed him to feel water down to the atoms. With that sense, movement and position were not something you could hide from Shin'en, regardless of how false the genjutsu made the world.

However, the genjutsu Sasuke had cast was so subtle, so precise, that Shin'en didn't even realize it was placed on him. It was clear what the genjutsu did: it just planted a suggestion to not look at his wrist no matter what. It had worked, and it worked well. This plan must've been thought out in advance by the reincarnations, and Naruko's little whisper-thing with Sasuke must've been a ruse.

Smart kids.

With the two jutsu now just inches away from colliding, having missed Shin'en by mere millimeters due to the intentional trajectory, and his muscles, as well as chakra, temporarily unavailable, Shin'en did the one thing he thought would save him. And just in time.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

Naruko stared into Shin'en's eyes as she slammed her jutsu into Sasuke's jutsu. What she saw made her clench her teeth in frustration. Her master plan, one that took days to hash out, was all for nothing, in the end. The techniques collided in a vortex of swirling blue on one side, and sparking electricity on the other. Soon, the chakras erupted into a blinding flash of light as the earth shattered and buckled under the strain.

However, for Shin'en, he saw something during that flash that completely toasted his sense of purpose.

Arashi, Bullock, Sukina, Yūwaku, the matron, and all of the other orphans…all staring at him sadly, and disapprovingly. Yūrei shook their heads, before turning their backs and fading away. The orphans all looked at him with mixed looks; anger, sadness, pity, disapproval. They all, too, turned their backs on him before disappearing. But it was the matron, the person Shin'en had looked up to the most, that delivered the mind-shattering blow.

"You're not the boy I raised. He died that night too. You're doing nothing but bringing dishonor and shame to our memory by pursuing this genocidal crusade. Good bye, Shin'en." The matron turned her back, and faded away into the light.

BOOOOOOOM!

The collision of Rasengan and Chidori created a shockwave that slammed into the stands, and created a flash of light that blinded everyone. The arena shook from the force, and the Raikage almost initiated the invasion, but there was a distinct lack of demigod down in the arena. Where was Shin'en?

That was a thought on everyone's minds. Even Naruko and Sasuke, who were right there and saw what happened, were still confused.

Then something happened. About thirty meters away from the Genin, a distortion appeared. Only, distortion meant an irregularity in time and space, what everyone had their eyes glued to looked more like…gathering water? Indeed, somehow, the ambient water vapor was being pulled into one single location.

The audience couldn't help but watch in transfixed horror as the gathering water slowly took shape. First into just a cylindrical shape, before visible streams of water appeared in the air, leading into the growing shape. The shape grew, and grew, and grew into a humanoid form, with arms, legs, and an indistinct head. The water vapor continued to coalesce, now forming details.

Arm definition, hair, facial features, and clothes were formed. Within seconds, a watery version of Shin'en had been created. The streams of water vapor receded into the waterform, but the shock wasn't over yet, because the water itself seemed to recede into itself, revealing unblemished skin, midnight-colored hair styled into many thin strands that hung low, a blue no-sleeved, high-collared shirt that was split down the middle to the sternum, baggy blue pants that were tucked into white legwarmers that had three red stripes, and blue sandals.

Shin'en's eyes were wide and unseeing, but that wasn't the most shocking part. There were _tears_ falling down his cheeks. A crack of thunder tore across the sky, and the light suddenly returned to the demigod's eyes. He looked around dazedly, before he locked on to Naruko's form.

Hatred.

Pure, raw, unending hatred poured from Shin'en's emerald eyes as his Killer Intent spiked to levels not felt since the Nine-Tails Attack almost thirteen years ago. The arena shuddered under the oppressive force of the demigod's freezing chakra; it felt like being at the bottom of the ocean. In the stands, children passed out instantly, adults screamed in silent terror, shinobi trembled and shuddered, even in the gods, their hearts seemed to stop beating for a while. Not even Hades and his children could ignore the overwhelmingly foreboding feeling.

"Na~ru~ko~…" Shin'en growled slowly. Inside the seal, Kurama couldn't even voice his concern…before the Raikage whirled around and _slugged_ Minato right in the face. Then all hell broke loose as shinobi hidden among the crowd suddenly turned in random directions, spewing forth jutsu straight into civilian ranks, killing swathes of people in a single blow.

All around the Leaf, explosive tags, planted by Shin'en at coordinated areas, detonated one after the other, taking out civilians and unaware shinobi by the dozens. At the village gates, massive snakes seemingly appeared from nowhere, beginning a rampage across the village.

Back in the stands, Water Clones of the demigod, unaffected by their creator's _extreme_ inner turmoil, leapt into action, fulfilling their mission of taking down the Uchihas present at the arena. In all of the confusion and chaos, that was a rather simple task.

With the Greeks, since they didn't have any weapons, and the powers of the gods were unresponsive (because they were in another pantheon's territory), they were helpless as Cloud ninja, both male and female, prepared to attack. However, in an amazing stroke of luck, the clan heirs and nearby friends had enough cognizant function to launch a counterattack.

A bloody one.

The Greeks stood by and watched in morbid fascination as children just as old as Nico and Persephone ruthlessly murdered full-grown men and women with eyes of steel, in an unnaturally coordinated manor of pointy objects, fists, legs, claws, giant limbs, and _shadows_ (que a miffed Hades). The Genin of the Leaf panted heavily as they finished their assault, but they missed one.

A previously hidden woman, maybe 20 years of age, leapt up from behind Shikamaru, katana raised to deliver a lethal blow. The look in that woman's eyes…she wouldn't have lost any sleep over killing the boy. _That_ shook Artemis and her Hunters to the core. A female unaffected by taking the life of a child, regardless of gender, was barbaric. Luckily, Shikamaru's head would stay attached to his shoulder for another day.

A black shape blurred across the visible field of vision, and the woman was violently bisected at the waist in a shower of blood. Her intestines freely flew about the world as they no longer had something to keep them in one place. More than a few people threw up at the sight.

A man blurred into existence. A man that looked remarkably like an older version of Sasuke, only with a more elegant look. That, and he had tear troughs on his face. Extra points in the handsome category. The Genin, realizing who this man was, and his political status in the Leaf, bowed and said in unison, "Lord Itachi!"

That threw the Greeks for a loop. This man couldn't be any older than Luke, and he was being addressed as 'Lord'? The Hunters found themselves sneering at what was probably another arrogant male, while many of the females above swooned. Itachi easily ignored them, although he did question their fashion sense.

Orange? Really? Naruko was bad enough, but an entire section of people? Who were they anyway? These questions were pushed away as another Cloud ninja attempted a sneak attack, only for shuriken to find their way into every one of his vital organs. Itachi didn't even blink.

"We're under attack by the Hidden Cloud; get the civilians to the bunkers, now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, back down in the arena, while the world exploded into carnage, Shin'en had a staring contest with the Raikage, several meters away. The message was clear from man to boy: go and complete your mission.

And that was the problem. Shin'en just went through an event even more emotionally violent than his sixth birthday. His family- _both_ of his families, had just turned their backs on him, disowning him. Even the matron had turned her back on him. She said that his life's purpose was false and pointless, that everything he had done, everything he planned on doing, only made his families weep at what a _monster_ he had become. The matron had said he had _died_ that night with them.

Can you imagine what it must feel like, to live your life for the soul purpose of avenging the loved ones that were ripped away from you, only for those same people to disown you?

Shin'en didn't know what do to right now. His mission was genocide; the matron disowned him. His mission was wide-scale destruction; Yūrei walked away from him. His mission was to murder the Clan Heirs of the Leaf; his brothers and sisters turned their backs on him.

 _Within the depths of Shin'en's subconscious, there was a void of empty blackness. Suspended in that void was a gigantic kanji. This kanji meant 'logic.' This symbol, represented Shin'en's sense of logic. And this symbol was beginning to crack._

 _Why_!? Why did they do that!? Why couldn't they see that everything he did, he did for them!?

 _The kanji cracked some more._

They had all been victims of the cancer that was shinobi, and Shin'en had justly appointed himself as the surgeon that would remove that cancer. Why on earth would they shun him for avenging their deaths!?

 _The kanji was barely being held together now._

The shinobi…they were everywhere. They saw everything. They heard everything. They _knew_ everything. They knew about his family, about Yūrei, about his brothers and sisters, and about the matron. They needed to be destroyed-yes, destroyed! Wiped out! Obliterated! Annihilated! Eviscerated! Incinerated! _Exterminated_!

 _The kanji exploded into thousands of tiny pieces. They floated aimlessly for microseconds, before they began to glow a vibrant red. Slowly at first, just a few, before like an infection, all of the pieces were glowing red. The pieces zoomed back together, forming a new kanji:_

 _Insanity._

Shin'en needed water. A lot of water. Even more water that what he could produce. He needed an ocean's worth of water. There was forest surrounding the Leaf. Forest meant trees. Trees meant water. _Good good good!_

Shin'en completely disregarded Naruko, Sasuke, the battle, and even Yugito and Killer Bee. He leapt over everything, landing in the arena stands…right next to his sister, mother, and father. He didn't even glance at them as he leapt off again, soaring through air at a break-neck pace.

Persephone wanted to pull her hair out and scream at the top of her lungs and cry her eyes out. Percy had literally been close enough to _touch_ , to pull into a hug, to hold onto tightly, to comfort and try to talk him out of the madness he was planning.

Persephone had seen that light in her baby brother's eyes. She had seen it many times in her dreams. She might not have been as smart as Andrew, but she had seen the wheels in Percy's mind grind together just a few seconds ago, and she knew that whatever conclusion he had come to for whatever problem he had discovered, it was _not_ a good one.

Persephone yelped in surprise when her father suddenly picked her up like she was a toddler, with one hand on her butt, and the other on her back. "Dad, wha-?"

"You were spacing out, and we were leaving. I couldn't leave you just sitting there in this chaos; you would've been killed."

"Uh…sorry? You can put me down now."

Poseidon shook his head as he descended the stairs, following the rest of camp, with Zeus, Hades and their children, also being slung on their shoulders, much to their collective protest., following from behind.

"No way, daughter. I saw that look on your brother's face, and I saw that look on your face. I swear on the River Styx that we'll help him, but not right now. Not when he's so unstable." There was no cracking of thunder to seal the oath, even with the gathering storm clouds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en zoomed through the village streets. If something got in his way, be it man, woman, child, shinobi, or puppet (odd), he swiftly and remorselessly cut it down with a single stroke of his Lightning Fangs. Everything was either expendable, or a hindrance that wouldn't stand.

The demigod reached the towering wall of the Leaf in less than a minute, and easily leapt over the 50ft construct of man. He sailed over the forest greenery, before descending into the dense foliage, disappearing into the trees.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko looked at Sasuke, more emotion than what should be humanly possible shining in her eyes. The Uchiha wanted desperately to argue against his sister-figure's unspoken desire, but he knew that he would lose. And the last time he actually won an argument with the girl, she had gotten pissed off and rammed her fingers knuckle deep into his ass.

He shuddered every time he thought of A Thousand Years of Death.

With nary a sigh, the reincarnations of two of the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived and breath, shot off after one of the most powerful shinobi to be living and breathing. They didn't know it yet, but they were following after the Jinchuuriki of the Cloud, and they were being followed by the Jinchuuriki of the Sand along with his elder siblings.

 _Those three_ didn't know that their father was dead, nor did they know that his corpse was being modified in the same exact way as the Third Kazekage, but those were details for a much later date.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dreadfully worried over her brother, and despising the fact that she couldn't go and try to screw his head back on straight, something that seven other people were currently going to try and do, Persephone cursed this bunker, her father, the Fates, Susano'o, the Raikage, and this damned confined space they called a bunker!

It was a giant cave built under the Hokage Monument, something that had Athena and her kids open-mouthed in wonder. The cave was huge, yet still confining (to Persephone), and was being packed with people at a nonstop pace. Zeus and a few of the other Olympians were disgruntled at being lead here by children that ordered them around, but that wasn't important.

What _was_ important was the fact that Persephone's sixth sense (she called it 'Percy sense') was tingling madly. He was up to something. Something big, dangerous, insane, somewhat cruel, and would probably result in murder. Lots of murder. She needed to get out of here, and _now_.

Thinking rapidly on her feet, taking note of the lack of any visible bathrooms, Persephone came up with a plan that definitely befitted her title of Seaweed Brain. She bounded up, took off sprinting for the exit, and when she heard someone cry out 'what are you doing,' she threw the most shocking answer over her shoulder.

"I need to poop!"

Everyone who heard her had gaping jaws, while Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. Girls did not simply need to announce their need to defecate. It was out of the ordinary! It was revolting! It was an insult to the natural order of the universe! It was…it was…it was a solid plan to make everyone's brain short-circuit for a brief period of time so she could make her escape to the outside so she could go to Percy without anyone stopping her.

Maybe Poseidon's daughter had some brains after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en looked around. He was probably three miles away from the Leaf Village's outer wall, so this was the perfect location for his jutsu. He began forming the appropriate hand seals, while at the same time, calling upon his hydrokinetic powers, taking control of every water droplet surrounding him for miles. Grunting, he began to pull on all of that water, while he also announced his jutsu.

"Water Style: Explosive Water Shockwave!"

Shin'en angled his head down, and spat out a torrent of water so plentiful that he was raised off the ground by massive tower of layered water that spread out for hundreds of meters. There went 7% percent of his chakra. Pulling on the surrounding environmental water, he naturally added to his total volume, increasing his jutsu tenfold.

This had the effect of killing all of the plant life within five miles. That was a _lot_ of dead trees and brown forest. Above, lightning flashed just as rain began to pour, instantly beginning to revitalize Shin'en while giving him a sit-rep on what was happening in the Leaf. The only thing he was slightly concerned about was the approaching Yugito, Bee, Naruko, Sasuke, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and _Persephone_.

Shin'en cackled madly. Excellent! Shinobi running to their deaths! And his dumbass sister also signing her death warrant! If that little bitch wanted to come spray familial bullshit from her mouth, she would get laser to the face! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Calming himself down before he lost control of his jutsu, Shin'en's hands became a blur as he prepared for his next Water Jutsu. This one was S-rank, and when used in conjunction with his Gale Style, was strong enough to take on a Tailed-Beast.

"Water Style: Thirteen-Headed Dragon Jutsu!"

Shin'en finished his seal-sequence on the Ram Sign, and the massive waterform glowed a dark emerald as the demigod's chakra surged through it, before fading. Immediately afterwards, thirteen gigantic, serpentine heads shot up out of the water. Each head and neck was large enough to swallow one of the stone faces on the monument _whole_. Each set of draconian eyes glowed a bright red.

There went 39% of his chakra, but the rain was already helping him in regeneration.

Shin'en looked like an ant as he stood atop the center head, the other twelve snarling beside him, six on the left, six on the right. With how high he was, he stared out over the village, just barely able to see the opposite wall way over there in the distance. His dragon reared back and roared, a sound that drew the attention of everyone in the Leaf village, and filled them with terror.

Shin'en cackled quietly to himself. Yes…with this technique, no one would be able to stop his vengeance. Not Susano'o, not Zeus, not Poseidon, not Minato, not Ay, not Yugito, Bee, Naruko, Sasuke, Gaara, and _definitely_ not Persephone.

Channeling his chakra through the mighty dragon, Shin'en molded his chakra throughout the necks, holding it at the mouths. The dragon's oral cavities shined brilliantly in the darkness made by the thunder clouds. With a soft, yet crazed voice, Shin'en announced the name of collaboration ninjutsu.

"Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

Thirteen beams of chakra zoomed out of the dragon's mouths, slamming upon the Hidden Leaf's interior in massive explosions. Smirking to himself, Shin'en's eyes reflected the burning village with savage glee. Shinobi were cancer…he was the surgeon…time for the operation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's that. Shin'en has now completely lost it, but in a somewhat 'level-headed' manner, but now he has absolutely zero regard for any human life, even his sister's. What do you think of**_ _ **Water Style: Thirteen-Headed Dragon Jutsu**_ _ **and its ability to channel Shin'en's Gale Style, so that lasers are replacing fire? Cool, epic, badass, over the top, stupid, tell me. I want to know.**_

 _ **Also,**_ _ **Gale Style: Reflex Cannon**_ _ **is a reference to a classic anime back when anime was just starting to come out. Points to anyone who can tell me the name of the anime without looking it up on Google. Hint: the anime was also referenced in Chapter 14 of**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	28. What Matters Most Pt 2

_What Matters Most Pt. 2_

 _ **Alright then, based on an unofficial vote of 9:3 in favor of crossover, and my own stubborn preference, Shin'en will be assisting his interdimensional sister/alternate self. So if that displeases you, feel free to not read this chapter, and wait for the next one, just please don't waste your time or my time with a flame.**_

 _ **No one likes flames. Constructive criticism, sure, but blatant hate is not appreciated.**_

 _ **However, some points that need to be covered. The first is that Ares will not be so easily defeated by Shin'en, so the upcoming fight will not be over with a few punches and a jutsu or two. The second point is that a reviewer made an excellent point him/herself. No, Shin'en would not all of a sudden abandon his one-man crusade just to save a person he doesn't know, without proper interest or motivation…or outside influence.**_

 _ **On a side note, there are two people, that I saw, that know what the Reflex Cannon is. For those of you who don't know, Reflex Cannon is from**_ _ **Robotech**_ _ **, one of the first mecha anime ever made.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or AVP

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Fates cursed themselves for not doing something to prevent this situation sooner. Now Asteria was dealing with not only a majorly-powerful Ares, but she was also contending with the undead Flock, and she had yet to get through her head that her friends were dead, and were only puppets being manipulated by the God of War.

At this rate, she was going to die, just from a lack of initiative to punch back.

It also didn't help that half the Olympian council was screaming at the top of their lungs for them (the Fates) to do something.

With a trio of sighs, the daughter of Ananke froze time and space, locking everything in place. With a burst of power, they called out to a certain Shinto god. A black rectangle appeared in the air, and it began to grow bigger and bigger as it branched out into several more rectangles and squares. Soon, the dimensional gateway was open wide enough for Susano'o to step through.

"He is far from rational at the moment, and would sooner kill his own twin sister before being jerked through the dimensions to do either of our biddings."

The Fates were not surprised. However, they couldn't afford to let Asteria Jackson die, and Divine Law prevented them from interfering in any way, form or fashion in a fight that has already started, between two or more beings of godly, Titanly, or Primordial decent. Still, Shin'en's compliance in this matter was not up for the boy to decide.

"What exactly _is_ he doing?" Lachesis asked.

Susano'o shrugged. "One-against-all battle royale, mass genocide, slowly falling deeper into the pits of illogical insanity. The usual."

"Ah, I see. Well, the three of us have the power to sway his decisions regarding certain things-"

"So do I."

"-and it shouldn't be too much trouble for you to bribe him with something," Lachesis finished.

"Yes…bribe him with something," Susano'o said slowly. "The problem with that idea is that the only thing that would convince Shin'en to even remotely entertain saving Asteria would be the Rinnegan, and Izanagi has stated on more than one occasion to not allow Shin'en to have that eye…yet."

"Well he wants the Sharingan, yes?" Clotho asked. Susano'o nodded. "And what was his plan on acquiring it?"

"He planned on performing self-surgery at the bottom of the ocean by ripping out his own eyes and replacing them with two of the Sharingan from Danzo's arm using the saltwater as both an anesthetic, pain-killer, and healing device."

"Morbid," Atropos stated, "but it works in our favor. You go to Shin'en, lay out the deal, and the four of us will sway him to accept, on the condition that if he helps, he gets his Copy-Wheel Eye—actually, let's sweeten the deal. Tell him you'll give him the _Mangekyou_ Sharingan if he helps. The more enticed he is, the easier it'll be to influence him."

"Good plan," Susano'o agreed. "But if we _don't_ actually give Shin'en the Sharingan, it'll only spell more doom for the future, and _giving_ him the Sharingan will only worsen what's going on-"

The Shinto god paused abruptly midsentence.

"Is everything alright, Susano'o?" Clotho asked.

The Storm Deity slowly nodded, a far off look in his eye. "Yes…just… _planning_."

"Planning what?"

Light returned to Susano'o's eyes suddenly, and he shook his head vigorously. "Never you mind. So," he clapped his hands, "tell Shin'en we'll give him the Mangekyou if he assists Asteria, after we show him some footage of what's going on here, all the while influencing his thought process so that he agrees. Let's get started."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 5, 1013 A.S._

 _4:53 P.M_

 _3 miles outside the east wall of the Hidden Leaf_

A grin split Shin'en's face apart as he watched the Leaf scramble and panic beneath him. Bee, Yugito, Naruko, Sasuke, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Persephone were getting close; Ay was battling Minato, Ei was battling Jiraiya, Darui was battling Kakashi, and Sarutobi was battling Orochimaru. In the streets, civilians ran about like headless chickens, scrambling madly for shelters.

War had broken out, with Cloud ninja giving it everything they had against the Leaf and Sand. As it turned out, Orochimaru didn't inform 'his' troops of any change in plan, so the ninja in the tan were gladly fighting alongside the ninja in the green against those in blue and white.

The Uchiha Clan, which used to number in the mid-one-hundreds, was now fewer than 20. Fugaku and a handful of his clansmen had been at the Police Headquarters during the exams, in order to better coordinate patrols and assignments. That accounted for most of the clan, with Sasuke and Itachi obviously not being dead…yet.

But why only go for the Uchiha Clan? Why not take out the rest of the Leaf's families?

In the village, the Cloud shinobi were filled with confidence because they had Shin'en on their side, along with Yugito and Killer Bee. The Jinchuuriki were no doubt on their way to rendezvous with the boy, and blow apart this village once and for all…

Oh, look, Shin'en was gearing up for another blast.

The demigod's face turned serious again as he molded his chakra, a lot of it. Thanks to the constant rain drenching him, his chakra was on permanent recharge. Gale Style properly molded, Shin'en began to kneed it out of him, and through the water of his dragon.

The beats roared loudly, and thirteen lights glowed brightly in the fanged maws. With a shout, Shin'en called, "Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

Once more, thirteen beams of chakra raced forward, their targets being the clan compounds of the Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Uchiha (just to be sure), Yakumo, and Yamanaka, the Ninja Academy, the Hokage Tower, the library, and the central bathhouse—just for kicks.

Then someone hit the pause button.

Shin'en growled when time stopped moving. The rain paused in its fall, the fires quit roaring, the lasers ceased to sail, and the Water Dragon no longer fluctuated. Only a god could do something like this, and since Susano'o was already in deep shit with the other Shinto gods, it begged the question of which of the deities decided that Shin'en wasn't allowed to do what he knew in his heart was right.

A vortex appeared behind the highly irritated demigod, and none other than Susano'o-no-Mikoto came spinning out.

"Can you not see that I'm fucking busy here!? Go away you horned idiot!"

The Storm God deadpanned with a dull gaze. "Rude, but not happening. While you killing thousands of innocents isn't exactly high on my 'What-Shin'en-Can-Do' list, I can't stop you from doing it."

"Then why the fuck are you here!?" Such language for a twelve-year-old.

"Because there's some interdimensional crap going on, and the Fates and I need you to fix it."

"Fuck no! Now let me get back to what I was doing!"

"If you agree, I'll transfer the Sharingan directly into your eyes, _and_ painlessly awaken your personal Mangekyou."

Shin'en paused, and he paused for a long time. The Mangekyou? Without surgery? Without _more_ emotional trauma? Wait…something…something was wrong here…uh… _no_ …no, everything was fine. Hop over into some dimension, fix whatever glitch in the Matrix had happened, get his Sharingan without pain (not the pain was any deterrent whatsoever, it was just something that if it could be avoided, it would be avoided), then immediately get the Mangekyou?

"…what exactly did you need me to do?"

Susano'o didn't show it, but he was immensely relieved.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two appeared in the familiar Dimensional Hall. Space moved up, down a hall, to the left, then a right, back up, forward, then down, then left, another left, before finally coming to a halt in a cul-de-sac-looking room. This room was relatively small, with the diameter only being fifteen feet, but there many doors, tightly compacted. Shin'en looked around, taking note of the different plaques he saw.

 _Leviathan_

 _Green-Eyed Ghoul_

 _Xenomorphic_

 _Son of Jashin_

 _Roanapur's Sea Devil_

 _Twins of the Pit_

 _Wires_

 _The Underworld Syndicate_

 _Son of Saturn_

 _Third Espada_

 _Hellsing's Demigod_

 _Heir to the Dark Side_

 _The Second Triumvirate_

 _Backup Plan: Unseparated_

Shin'en raised a brow at that last door, feeling connected to it in some way that he couldn't explain. Susano'o directed the demigod's attention to the door marked _Xenomorphic_. The door swung open, and a view much like that of a television came on. Shin'en jaw unhinged slightly.

"Since when is Persephone black? Why does she have a tail? Why is she having her ass handed to her by a bunch of harpy-children? Is that Hades or Ares? What the fuck am I watching!?"

Susano'o stared down at the shorter boy, deeply disturbed by the string of childishness just displayed by the asking of so many questions in such rapid succession. So, when Shin'en sense of logic is replaced by insanity, he _actually_ acts his age? More or less, it seemed.

Placing his hand on the demigod's head, Susano'o downloaded all information pertaining to the _Xenomorphic_ dimension. When he was done, Shin'en reacted by frowning. "So in the multiverse, there are alternate versions of me, and in this particular dimension, I was turned into a girl by impossible science and now have acid for blood…and became friends with a bunch of bird-children-hybrids…that somehow didn't die upon initial experimentation…and now this version of me lacks the balls to punch a zombie in the face because of previous emotional attachment."

Susano'o nodded. "Pretty much."

Shin'en cocked his head to the side, his pupils dilating as a dark smirk spread his lips. "Acid for blood? That's going to be one _interesting_ period."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria couldn't do it. She just _couldn't_ bring herself to strike her family. It would've been easy, it would've been too easy to just counter and punch back, and blow apart the skulls of the Flock, but she just couldn't bring herself to swing.

The avian-undead swooped, swarmed, dived, using their natural air-superiority to their advantage. To anyone looking, they would've saw something akin to a group of large birds attacking a bystander. Asteria had raised her arms, protecting her face and skull from the never-ending wave of punches and kicks.

The strikes didn't hurt, not terribly so, at least. The Flock had enough physical strength that Asteria was able to feel each impact through her exoskeleton, but the feeling could be likened to be getting hit pointblank by pillows shot from a cannon.

You could be asking yourself right now: why not just make a mad dash for Ares? Why not call upon the nearby ocean? The answer to the first question was simple: Ares had already proven to be vastly superior to the demigoddess in every physical sense, and he was using Angel as an impromptu shield. The second question could be answered just as easily, but would be better understood if you were in Asteria's position.

She wasn't thinking about the ocean. She was emotionally distraught. The shock and heartache at learning about Angel's role in the deaths of the Flock was still at the forefront of the poor girl's mind, and the emotional nuke that was the Flock being resurrected to come and kill her was overloading Asteria's sense of reality of logic.

It was times like this where the hybrid's remaining humanity was at the helm.

Nudge suddenly flew up, did a midair twist, rocketed over Ares (who was just calmly watching), did another twist, soared down before pulling up, skimmed just a few scant inches above the sand, before suddenly pulling straight up, about six inches for Asteria. The avian's knee went careening right into the demigoddess's crotch.

Girl's might not have the same equipment as boys, but that did not mean getting hit in the privates did not hurt.

Asteria's eyes rolled back into her head just a bit, and she was lifted off the ground by the transfer of momentum from Nudge to vagina. Now airborne, the hybrid's guard had been broken, and the Flock capitalized on the opening with five synchronized punches to the stomach. Asteria coughed acid, her sacs still not fully healed, and slammed back into the sand with enough force to leave an impression of her body.

Gods, she felt so drained right now, so weak, but she just couldn't summon the energy to keep going.

Ares stared down at his cousin, his crimson orbs glowing brightly in the darkness cast by the Helm, and the storm clouds. The Flock swooped down around him in formation, their burning eyes glued to Asteria.

" **Is this it then? The mighty Asteria Jackson, the Princess of Death, defeated by a lack of will? Defeated by those she once called friend because she lacked the spine to fight back? Pathetic, truly pathetic. After your death, I will march on Olympus next."** Asteria could've sworn that she saw Ares' eyes turn the faintest shade of gold, before she blinked and she was staring at crimson orbs again. Ares pointed his finger at the inert demigoddess, **"Finish her."**

All six members of the Flock zoomed forward like rockets. Asteria grit her teeth, finding the energy to move. She flipped up and backward, landing two feet into the surface. She brought her hands up, intent on defending against the incoming lethal assault.

Then six prisms of ice came crashing down on the Flock, crushing them like insects.

Ares, Asteria, the Olympians, the campers and the Hunters all gaped in shock. However, the hybrid was not completely out of it, because when she sensed something come speeding in from 500 meters away, she whipped around and only saw a black blur slam into Ares, sending the War God flying down the beach.

Asteria slowly turned her head back around. The blur that had decked the shit out of Ares was a boy...wearing all black—black pants, black sandals, black vest, and black long-sleeved muscle shirt. The boy's face was covered by a grinning mask with the eyeholes being an open-up crescent bisected by a vertical line on the left, and three diagonal lines pointed towards the nose on the right.

This boy was radiating a chilling aura, and Asteria felt like she was going to freeze. Reaching out with her mind, the daughter of Poseidon was even more deeply disturbed by the fact that she _couldn't_ read his mind. The only minds she couldn't read were those of divine beings, and this boy was _not_ a god, despite his incredible aura. So who was he? What was he? Why did he smell almost exactly like herself?

 _CRACK_

The prisms that had crushed the Flock shattered as the zombies rose and mended themselves. The boy slowly turned his head towards the undead, and Asteria didn't have to be a telepath, or have super-senses, to know that he was as insane as that mask made him look. With nary a sound, the boy sprinted forward, clearly intent on destroying the Flock.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Who the hell is that?" Poseidon asked. "And why can I sense the sea in him?"

"And why is he madder than a March hare?" Dionysus threw in.

"You wanted us to do something, we did something. Now shut up, sit back, and enjoy the show," all three Fates said at once.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the first punch easily obliterated Max's skull, Asteria shrieked in outrage. She bolted forward, weaving through the Flock's members. What happened next was something completely new to her: the boy flipped over her, tapped the back of her head, and she went face-first into the sand.

Momentarily surprised and dazed, Asteria was slow to get back up, and by the time she was on her feet again, the remaining five members of the Flock had been decimated. The daughter of Poseidon felt a rage she hadn't felt in years bubble up to the forefront of her mind. This boy…how dare he harm her friends! They might've been dead, but that didn't mean that anybody was allowed to harm them whatsoever!

Asteria shirked again, which probably wasn't the best way to be stealthy, and sprinted with every ounce of energy she could muster up. She zoomed at the boy at speeds close to 400mph, closing the distance in nanoseconds. The hybrid was shocked once more today.

The boy's reaction-time was startling, since instead of being caught off-guard and overwhelmed, he ducked low and whipped his leg, causing Asteria's forward momentum to carry through the air. She traveled maybe two feet before she felt her tail get grabbed, then she was violently yanked to the ground. The impact didn't hurt, but it what happened was shocking enough to where the hybrid's brain did a temporary reboot. And that was costly.

Asteria was suddenly dragged across the sand by her tail, hauled up into the air, and her throat clamped in a vice-grip unlike anything she had ever felt before. The boy jerked her around, making her back touch his chest, while he placed his other hand on top of her head, while sliding the first hand up to her chin…ready to snap her neck.

" _Look."_ The boy commanded in her ear. Asteria hissed, struggling. The boy stomped hard on her tail, holding it in place, eliciting another hiss, but the girl ceased in her movements. _"Look at them,"_ the boy commanded again.

This time, Asteria listened. Her eyes travelled to the indicated spot, and the orbs of slitted, poisonous green widened. The Flock, their bodies broken, twisted, and mangled, yet not a speck of blood anywhere, were standing up. Their broken limbs snapped out and cracked loudly. Protruding bones were sucked back into place. Tears in the flesh were sewn back up. And missing pieces, like Max's head, were regrown in a horrible fashion.

" _Those are not the children you once called friends. Those are abominations, dredged up from the Underworld, illegally, by Ares. Instead of taking them down like you should have at the beginning, you allowed them to attack you, and exist against nature. If you ever actually cared for them, you would've neutralized them instantly, and moved on to Ares. Now you force them to be slaves to Ares' will."_

The boy threw Asteria roughly to the ground, but the girl shot up with a push of her hands, landing in a crouch.

" _If you're going to help me, do something productive. If not, grovel in the dirt and stay out of my way."_

Asteria scowled, channeling her Inner-Artemis, absolutely detesting this boy's attitude. Still, his ice-cold words had hit home and made their point. The Flock was dead, and it was because of her own lack of initiative that their souls were not allowed to rest. Instead they were being forced to do battle. Channeling her anger into something 'productive,' Asteria allowed her tail to whip out, decapitating all six members of the Flock in a clean sweep.

The boy seemed to grin devilishly underneath his mask. He pointed his hand at the avians, and the ocean water responded by surging up and engulfing them. The boy clenched his fist, and the ocean water instantly solidified into a spherical thing of ice…before it shattered into tiny shards that glittered.

The Olympians and campers and Hunters all witnessed the display with wide eyes, while Asteria's were narrowed intently. _'Who are you?'_

Instead of answering, the boy turned his head in the direction that he had punched Ares off to. In the distance, one could see dust cloud erupting with a block dot in the middle of it. Ares was flying straight at them. The boy turned his head around, staring at the unconscious forms of Thalia and Annabeth. Then he looked at Asteria.

" _I'm not going out of my way to protect them."_

The daughter of Poseidon wasn't surprised. This kid just oozed a disturbing lack of empathy, sentiment, compassion, and concern for others. Honestly, Asteria was reminded of herself on a deep level, which just begged the question of just who in the hell this kid was. Regardless of questions regarding identity, Asteria prayed to each of the Olympians, fully believing that the boy would stand by his words.

Thalia and Annabeth disappeared in a flash of gold. The Master Bolt was still in its bag on the beach.

' _Can you hold your own in a fight?'_

The boy didn't answer verbally, merely taking a stance. Asteria scowled, but she also took a stance. Ares zoomed in with a war cry, aiming for the boy. The War God struck only air as the boy disappeared in a burst of speed. Asteria chose not to try and wrap her head around how fast this kid was, and instead socked Ares in his armored cheek.

The god grunted, and backhanded Asteria, or at least he would have, if the boy didn't blur back in, blocking the armor-covered fist with his smaller forearms. Once again, Aster capitalized on the opening by using the blocked limb as a springboard, leaping up to come crashing down.

Ares was not as helpless as he seemed, because he swung his arm, the one being held by the masked boy, up into Asteria. The children crashed together with a double-layered grunt. They crashed down in a heap on the beach, and both scrambled in different directions when Ares crashed down where they once were.

Now separated, Ares went after the boy. Which was really a mistake, considering that he knew next to nothing about his chosen opponent. The boy deftly avoided and dodged each and every punch Ares threw. Even when the god got frustrated and summoned a pair of swords, the boy was still unreachable. It was quite the entertaining sight for those with a dark sense of humor.

Ares flailing around as he slowly chased after a boy.

Asteria couldn't help but sit back and watch with a strange look on her face. Watching someone move as fast as her was…highly entertaining. The amusement value was also boosted by the fact that Ares, the bastard who resurrected her dead friends and used them as puppets, was having circles run around him.

As in literally. The boy was backpedaling in a circular motion, leading Ares around like a shepherd lead his sheep. Eventually, the boy lead Ares into a position that had the god's back turned in the wrong direction, so Asteria capitalized. She sped in, aiming for the Helm of Darkness. Take that away from Ares, and this battle became so much simpler.

Unfortunately, the God of War was not so easily snuck upon. Ares teleported away, which left Asteria airborne and completely without directional control. The boy sidestepped, letting Aster flop into the sand. The girl bounded up glaring at the boy, who no doubt had a smirk adorning his face almost the size of the one on his mask, which she really wanted to rip off.

' _Would it have been too much for you to catch me?'_

" _Yes."_

Ares roared, firing a beam of crimson energy at the children. To Asteria, the beam was too fast; for the boy, the beam had some decent speed to it. His hand shot out, pushing the hybrid out of the way, while he himself vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing twenty meters directly to the south. The ambient heat of the beam was enough to turn the sand beneath it into glass.

The boy whistled.

Then Ares was suddenly right next to him. The boy whirled around to counter the incoming punch, but he miscalculated. Ares' godly-energy-enhanced fist smashed directly into the mask…then from a top view…then from the opposite side view. The sand beneath was flattened into small half-circle. The boy streaking across the beach in a clap of thunder.

Beneath his Helm, Ares grinned maliciously.

On Olympus and at Camp Half-Blood, the audience watched in open-mouthed shock as the boy who had been so easily avoiding Ares' strikes suddenly took one right to the face. It should be noted that most of the Hunters just scoffed, thinking something along the lines of 'stupid male shouldn't have been so cocky.'

The boy skid to a stop, after digging a trench into the sand, laying on his stomach. His mask had cracked. He just stayed there, and Asteria would've thought him dead if not for the fact that she could hear his heart beating…and smell the emotion that began to course through his blood. That mask was very important to that kid, and Ares just shattered it.

The stirred, and began to stand up. The movement caused fragments of his mask to start falling away, revealing his chin, jaw, mouth, nose, and more pieces began to break off.

"The Fates brought me here so I could prevent you from killing Asteria," The boy said, his voice now clearly heard without his mask distorting the soundwaves. He stood to his full height, the rest of his mask breaking away, revealing his face. Asteria's jaw hit the beach, along with that of the Olympian's, the camper's, and Hunter's.

"But now I'm going to make you _fade_ ," Shin'en snarled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why does he look like a male version of my daughter!?" Poseidon roared.

The Fates gained synchronized irritated faces. Ares just _had_ to break the mask. Shin'en just _had_ to _play_ with Ares, instead of immediately removing the Helm of Darkness. And now there was a small matter of the oncoming game of 20 Questions. Which was not going to be played.

"That is none of your concern," Lachesis said.

"Just relax and be content in knowing that your daughter is safe," Clotho stated.

"Just relax? _Just relax!?_ Someone that looks like he's supposed to be my son is fighting against an over-powered War God!"

"Ha! Over-powered? You have yet to even comprehend the meaning of the words," Atropos cackled. "Just shut up and watch the fireworks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His mask.

His _mask_.

His _Yūrei_ mask.

The mask that connected him to the people that he considered his third family.

And it had been _broken_. Shattered. Destroyed.

By Ares. The God of War.

He was going to pay. He was going suffer. He was going to fucking die.

Shin'en snarled, his pupils dilating to pinpricks. His chakra surged violently around him. The emerald energy burst forth, creating a wind that howled and whistled on an almost deafening scale. As for the girl, Asteria, she was looking at him with narrowed eyes that were clouded with some kind of emotion. Shin'en didn't ponder it for longer than probably two seconds, before turning his attention back to Ares.

The War God had the instincts to take a step back.

Shin'en flexed his hand, and a tendril of ocean water snapped up, wrapping around Ares and flinging him across the surface of the Pacific at terminal velocity. Lightning flashed brightly, accompanied by the clapping of thunder, followed by the beginning of a monsoon.

Shin'en started after the flying War God, but a pair of slender arms suddenly wrapped around him in the tightest embrace he had ever experienced since Ay used his Liger Bomb. "Get off me, Asteria, before I really lose my temper."

' _I want him to pay more than you can know, but you can't make him fade. The mortal plane needs a God of War to keep a balance.'_

"The mortals will adapt."

' _But not before there's even more senseless bloodshed then what's already happening.'_

Shin'en was not dealing with this from someone who was basically his twin sister, so he delivered the low blow. "Because torching half a state and killing over three million people doesn't qualify as senseless bloodshed. Not even the _Director_ had a body-count that high."

Asteria's face adopted an expression of shock; shock that he would say something like that, and shock that he even knew about that. But, that shock turned to anger as her own sense of self-loathing for losing control of powers in such a way resurfaced. She reared back for a punch, just a lightning flashed in the back.

Shin'en's eye twitched. He easily caught Asteria attack with the palm of his hand. To his counterpart's credit, she had enough strength to make his hand go numb. Ignoring the feeling, Shin'en snagged her wrist, raised her arm, and brought her elbow down hard on his knee. Combined with the added power of the rain, the proximity of the ocean, and his own chakra-boosted body, he snapped Asteria's arm at the elbow like a stick.

The girl's eyes widened, before she hissed violently. Shin'en let her go and she stumbled back, clutching her broken arm. Emerald eyes met poison, and they locked in a battle of will. Shin'en won. "Please. For your sake, stand aside and don't interfere again, or I'll go for the jugular next."

Asteria growled, before she snapped her arm back into place with disturbing ease, and the bone was almost instantly mended. She glared defiantly at the boy. For some odd reason, she felt extremely maternal in regards to him. As such, she was not backing down. Lightning flashed again, and the rain picked up, becoming a slanted torrent.

' _If you think I'm going to allow you to destroy Ares on your own, you're dead wrong, kid.'_

Shin'en growled. "What part of 'stand aside' is difficult to understand?"

' _The part where you're the one saying it.'_

"You're even more of a nuisance than my sister."

Asteria smirked, showing off her fangs. _'I'll take that as a compliment.'_

Shin'en turned his back, and lightning flashed again. "You shouldn't. If you insist on vexing me, then at least keep up."

He sped off across the roiling ocean, and Asteria grinned before following.

They found Ares trying to fly back across the surface of the water, his cape morphed into gigantic bat-like wings. Shin'en struck first, appearing next to the War God, connecting with a spin kick that sent him skidding across the water. Asteria had her turn, kicking Ares in the chin, sending him flying straight up.

She activated her wings, giving chase. Shin'en snorted, before commanding the water to gather at his back and wrap around his chest, then he froze it, creating a pair of ice wings. Using his hydrokinesis, he hauled himself into the air. Zeus could suck his dick.

Now, in the air, above the ocean, with rainwater drenching them, Asteria and Shin'en might as well have been gods of combat. Ares stood no chance against the blurs that were the children of Poseidon, getting knocked around the sky like a pinball between the two. After taking one more hit to the head than what Ares liked, he flared his divine power, a shockwave of red energy ripping across the sky.

Asteria and Shin'en were knocked back. Spinning through the air next to each other. They came to a stop, and one of them balked while the other grinned savagely. Ares had changed his size, going from a man of six-and-a-half-feet, to a giant of three hundred or so feet. His red eyes glowed like massive spotlights the color of fresh blood.

' _Any bright ideas for this?'_

Shin'en looked at Asteria. "We're children of Poseidon flying over an ocean. Use your damn imagination."

Asteria's eye twitched. _'You want imagination? Here's your imagination!'_

She dived straight down into the ocean, easily avoiding the massive swipes of Ares. A second after her submergence, a gigantic beast made of water emerged, and slammed its gigantic crest-covered cranium into Ares' sternum with enough force to topple the giant god. Asteria stood suspended in the head of her Water-Queen, quite proud of her hydrokinetic accomplishment, despite the amount of pain burning away at her abdomen.

Shin'en was not about to be outdone by someone who didn't even have chakra. He too dived into the ocean, and his body reacted naturally with the ocean, shooting his chakra up to levels that would've made Gyuki pause before fighting him. Shin'en didn't need chakra for this, just raw divine power.

As Ares stood back up, another giant rose in front of him.

Shin'en kept it simple. Just a humanoid titan just as tall as Ares, and just as muscular. The water shifted and fluctuated, held together by the sheer power of the demigod's will. The God of War looked slightly nervous now as he was stared down by a Xenomorph Queen the size of Newport Centre, and water giant just as big…that also had glowing emerald eyes.

Ares threw the first punch, right through the water titan's head, where it suddenly froze, trapping his arm. The Water-Queen moved faster than one would think possible, getting behind Ares in an instant. The God reached back to try and attack, but his wrist was pierced through by the barbed tail. He roared, but the sound died when his throat was squeezed like an empty water bottle by the titan's free hand.

Right arm frozen, left arm neutralized, incredible pressure on his jugular…Ares' awesome power was ripped away from him when the arms of the Queen clasped the horns on the Helm, and removed the helmet with ease.

Ares screamed as his form became shadow, his armor melting away and getting sucked into the Helm of Darkness. With the Helm now no longer on his head, Ares just looked like a gigantic version of his normal form, albeit much weaker and woozy. He was knocked unconscious when the watery hand gripping his throat removed itself, reared back, and collided with his cheek at the same time lightning exploded across the sky.

Thunder boomed mightily as Ares went down hard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The storm ended shortly after that, with the dark clouds breaking apart to let rays of sun shine back down upon the earth. Asteria and Shin'en walked out of the ocean, with the boy hauling the blubbering Ares along by the collar of his leather duster, while Aster carried the Helm of Darkness in the crook of her arm.

No one was waiting for them on the shore. The beach was a mess, wither craters, trenches, and a streak of glass running halfway across its length. The bag with the Master Bolt was just calmly lying in the sand, as if a hurricane hadn't just spontaneously formed.

Shin'en threw Ares forward, letting him crash down in a heap. Asteria reached out with her tail, picking up the blue nylon bag by the strap, and bringing it to herself. A beam of light suddenly shot down from above, widening into a massive gateway that was almost blinding.

"That's my cue to leave," Shin'en said. He looked over to where the fragments of his mask lay broken in the sand. He extended his fingers, concentrating his chakra into thin strands that he shot out. Chakra threads, a very difficult chakra control exercise that Shin'en found to be very taxing, yet doable.

The threads of invisible chakra, at least invisible to those without the proper eyes, connected to the fragments, branching off to pick up ones that weren't immediately stuck to. With a jerk of his wrist, Shin'en pulled his beloved mask back to him. With all the pieces now in the palm of his hand, he sealed them in his storage seal with a burst of chakra. He would get his mask fixed sometime later.

Without a word to his counterpart, he turned around, heading for the Dimensional Hall.

Asteria watched him leave, but she still had a question that needed to be answered. _'Who are you? You look like me, and you smell almost like me, but I_ _know_ _we're not siblings, or even related for that matter. So what's your name?'_

Shin'en stopped, just inches away from getting his Sharingan. He pondered over Asteria's questions, debating whether or not to answer. Well, it wasn't like she, or any of those that had been watching this fight, would remember his presence here. It was apparently a really big deal for the Fates to keep any and all confirmed knowledge about there being multiple dimensions a secret, so they erased the memories of those either present or witnessing his interference in whatever matter with a flash of light.

Shin'en turned around, looking at Asteria with eyes that gleamed with a dark humor. "Read my mind and find out, Asteria Jackson."

The daughter of Poseidon frowned at the way those words were spoken, but nonetheless pushed her mind forward. This time, there was no impenetrable barrier keeping his thoughts and memories safe from her probing. Asteria dove into sea of past events, speeding through _all_ of them in a matter of seconds.

When she returned to her own body, she stared at Shin'en with revulsion and horror. _'You…you…'_ she was so screwed up by what she had seen this boy do that she couldn't even from coherent thought. The things Shin'en- _Perseus_ -had done in the Mist…it was worse than _anything_ Asteria had ever done in the School.

' _You're a_ _monster_ _,'_ the hybrid was finally able to grind out.

Shin'en's eyes became even darker as he grinned manically. "If I'm the kettle, then that makes you the pot. Enjoy your life Other Me; there's no telling when it might end."

The last member of Yūrei Squad entered the gateway. The light shined brilliantly, even through Hephaestus TV it was blinding. The light suddenly shut off like its switch was flipped, and a shockwave ripped across the whole of the planet, disturbing nothing, yet affecting everything.

Asteria stumbled a bit, clutching her head tightly. She was fighting Ares…she took a few hits to the head…Ares put on the Helm…they fought…he resurrected the Flock…Asteria managed to break through to their consciousness's, and together the seven of them attacked…she used the ocean behind her to win and remove the Helm…the Flock happily returned to Elysium on happy terms…Thalia and Annabeth had passed out from fear…they were over there in the sand…what was happening…it all came together suddenly.

The theft, the war, the quest, the Underworld, the Flock, and the fight. Shaking her head to clear out the fog, Asteria walked over to the unconscious Thalia and Annabeth. They needed to get to New York ASAP.

As for the campers and Hunters. They were all cheering and hugging and clapping after watching their Golden Girl single-handedly defeat the God of War. Even the children of Ares were celebrating their father's fall. Up on Olympus, Poseidon couldn't be any prouder of his daughter than he was now; fighting a god, a god who had stolen power from one of the Big Three, and _win_. Tales of this day would be sung for millennia to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en exited the gateway, appearing on top of his dragon in the middle of his personal war against everything in the Leaf. Time was still stopped, so everything was as it was when he was dragged into that mess with Asteria. He never did get to truly fight her, but he knew he would've won.

For starters, he didn't activate his Lightning Armor, or break out the Thunder Swords, nor did he use any jutsu at all, just his hydrokinesis. The girl was strong though, and she had a sharp mind; she also didn't have any water in her body…at all. There was _zero_ H2O in that body. Shin'en guessed that if it came down to it, it would be a battle of how fast he could cut her head off vs how fast she could use her telepathy to screw up his mind.

 _That_ would've been what any battle between them would boil down to.

A contest between physical and mental speed.

But it was all mute now. The odds of him _ever_ interacting with that version of himself were next to none. If not just completely impossible. Now was not the time for debating what-ifs. Now was the time to get focused back on committing genocide, and do what Kurama couldn't: destroy the Leaf.

But first…

"Susano'o! Where's my fucking Sharingan! You promised asshole!"

The God of Storms appeared in a swirling vortex, looking very uncomfortable and reluctant in what he was about to do. He beckoned Shin'en to come closer, and the demigod did so. When he was standing a foot away, the demigod said, "If you trick me or slight me, not even Izanagi will save you from my wrath."

Susano'o said nothing, merely placing his thumbs on the boy's eyes. Shin'en hissed slightly when his optical organs began to burn as if on fire. After thirty seconds of near-agony, the Storm God removed his fingers, revealing Shin'en's eyelids to be glowing and smoking.

The demigod's eyes snapped open, revealing the three-tomoed crimson red of a fully-matured Sharingan. Shin'en looked around, cackling at his new vision. He could see the chakra in his body, in his dragon, travelling through air; he could see the chakra of those in the village, tiny flames of blue, and some red. But…

"And what about my Mangekyou?"

Susano'o met the crimson gaze of his champion. "Izanagi has made an executive decree regarding you. No god is allowed to give you any more power than what I have already bestowed upon you. He allowed me to give you the Sharingan only because of the Inner-Pantheonic Deal. To awaken your Mangekyou, you'll have to go through the complete process yourself. Good luck in your crusade, my champion."

Susano'o banished in a vortex.

Shin'en's eye twitched. So Izanagi wanted to limit his power? Fine…fine, fine, fine, fine fine fine finefinefinefinefinefinefine! Shin'en took this as a challenge, a challenge saying that he couldn't do it-that he couldn't succeed in his ambition. He wanted the Mangekyou-he would _get_ the Mangekyou, no matter what any god or goddess said.

Speaking of Mangekyou…Sasuke had awakened his own eyes, and Shin'en was in possession of Hashirama's cells, i.e. his DNA, i.e. his chakra, i.e. Ashura's chakra. Both of the necessary ingredients for the Rinnegan.

Shin'en's new eyes began to spin slowly as time began to resume, things beginning move once more, albeit at a snail's pace but steadily becoming faster. Now…where was he? Ah, yes.

Mass genocide.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's that. If you enjoyed the crossover, let me know about it. If you thought the entire things was stupid and I should kill myself for ruining two great characters, please keep it to yourself.**_

 _ **So, Shin'en's done some things in the Mist that made even Asteria, who did a lot of terrible things in the School herself, wretch and lable him a monster.**_

 _ **If you're asking what was the point of doing a crossover if you were just going to erase everyone's memories? Well, A) the Fates do have to keep a tight lid on the Multiverse, and B) who says that Asteria will always be ignorant of her other self?**_

 _ **Were the interactions and reactions believable to you as they were to me? Let me know what you thought in the review section.**_

 _ **Now, moving on to a very important note. We've come full circle, ladies and gentlemen.**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **is waiting to end the Giant War,**_ _ **Green-Eyed Ghoul**_ _ **is preparing for the 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **ward battle, featuring Romans,**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **is geared up for the end of the Lightning Thief, and**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **is about to kill people and destroy property, all the while having some major character interaction.**_

 _ **I'm to go on a break for a bit as I begin work on**_ _ **Son of Jashin**_ _ **. If you're curious about all the doors and plaques that Shin'en read before entering**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **, yes, those are the names of potential stories that I have floating around inside of my head. Have fun trying to guess the plots for each title.**_

 _ **Expect my fifth story to be out by Halloween.**_


	29. Decent into the Abyss Pt 1

_Decent into the Abyss Pt. 1_

 _ **Whew. The crossover was generally well-received. Got to admit, I was really nervous about the reception, but I'm surrounded by nice people it seems. And everyone tells me that everyone on the internet are all bad people.**_

 _ **Moving on. We have reached a**_ _ **most**_ _ **critical point in the odyssey of Shin'en. This chapter and those that follow are most pivotal in character development, and are both very crucial to this fic's future...which may get me flamed from Hell, but I sat down to write this piece of fiction over a year ago, and I'm sticking with my original idea...which, in order to work properly, will need some nerfing...as in serious power-dampening...which is what will most likely get me flamed. So get ready for violence, destruction, emotional struggles, and the questioning of purpose and identity.**_

 _ **On a side note, the fishing tournament went well.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Izanagi was _not_ happy. The Shinto equivalent of Zeus (at least in regards to position within the family) hadn't really been happy since his 'brilliant' son went behind his back to strike up a deal with the Greek Fates, in order to deal the dimensional anomaly that was Kaguya Otsutsuki. Thanks to Susano'o, the Shinto pantheon now had a few thousand extra dimensions on their hands, ninety percent of them revolving around a temperamental murder machine that had decided to call itself 'Shin'en.'

Of course, that wasn't saying that every dimension was morbid; there were quite a few where the demigod was actually happy. There were ones that would've made your head spin. There were ones that would've made you sick. There were ones that would've made you coo and go 'awe' at how fluffy they were.

However, the dimension Izanagi was currently staring at was making him unhappy. Not because of its past, setup, and backstory, but because of the direction it was heading.

Usually, Izanagi wouldn't care about a variant of the 'Backup Plan,' since most dimensions were usually erased after Shin'en brought about mass genocide on a scale that would've Adolf Hitler enlisting the boy's help to eradicate the Jews, but this specific dimension was important seeing as it was the first to be made. Backup Plan Prime, if you will. And the Shinto patriarch wanted at least one dimension where the main character didn't blow everything up.

Izanagi glowered at the stock-still form of his son, and said two simple words that held more weight than the entire asteroid belt combined. "Fix. This."

Susano'o just bowed at the waist, before sucking himself into a vortex.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Storm God reappeared in a space lit with dull yellow light that was coming from an old man dressed in a white robe who was sitting cross-legged while suspended in midair. Beneath the man were eight floating orbs the same color as the rest of this void. Clutched tightly in his wrinkled hand was a shihakusho with a crescent at one end, and a ringed ring on the other. In front of the man was a large 'screen,' easily comparable to that of an IMAX theater. Showing on this screen was Shin'en standing on top of his dragon, with thirteen beams of light slowly erupting from the numerous maws.

"Hagoromo."

The Sage of the Six Paths turned his head, but the high collar of his robe hid all of his face, except his glowing Rinnegan eyes. "Susano'o...I'm still not happy with you allowing Indra access to your powers."

Said god coughed. If he was honest with himself, the Sage _really_ put him on edge. "Yes, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Until Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had the same…'good idea.'"

Susano'o shifted, clearly intimidated by the glare of the Sage. "It's not _my_ fault my sister got jealous and Tsukuyomi decided to tag along with her."

Hagoromo's eye continued to glow, clearly unimpressed with the excuses. "Indeed. Are you going to tell me why you have decided to confront me, or do you insist on meaningless banter?"

Susano'o had the urge to petulantly argue with the Sage about the 'meaningless banter,' but the displeasure of his father stayed his tongue. Instead, he moved on to business. "Father has ordered me to right the situation I have created in regards to the world you are currently watching."

"And so you come to me in the hopes that I will aid Naruko and Sasuke by prematurely awakening their heritage as my children, so that they will be able to match Perseus, and defeat him," Hagoromo mused as he stared at the battle raging before him.

"That was my intention, yes."

The Sage hummed deeply, stroking the length of his beard in thought. He had seen hundreds upon hundreds of dimensions. He had seen dimensions where it had been Persephone that had been taken; dimensions where twin girls had been born, or twin boys, or even a mix of triplets; dimensions where both children had been taken; dimensions where Perseus had wound up in the Leaf, and was became Kurama's Jinchuuriki; dimensions where Obito hadn't been crushed, therefore the Blood War never happened and Perseus was a happy and loyal shinobi to the Hidden Mist; dimensions where the boy had wound up in other Hidden Villages, and had walked down many different paths; Hell, the Sage had seen dimensions where Perseus had been adopted by Kaguya, adopted by himself, or adopted by Madara; speaking of, Hagoromo had even seen dimensions where Perseus had _taken the place of_ Obito, had been the one behind Kurama's attack, the Uchiha massacre, and the Fourth Great Ninja War, but that was all beside the point.

The point was, Hagoromo had seen thousands of dimensions where the foreigner had brought about nothing but carnage and annihilation, and he was tired of it. That boy was a menace, and not in the mischievous prankster way, but in the needed-to-be-put-down kind of way. Like a rabid animal.

The Sage of the Six Paths spun around to face Susano'o fully, his face wrinkled with age, but that only made him look more intimidating. "You ask for my help in eliminating the boy? Then you shall have it, God of Storms."

Well…eliminate was a bit too strong of a word in this situation, since Susano'o didn't want Shin'en _eliminated_ so much as…weakened, or made to be way more manageable. But perhaps Susano'o was giving Hagoromo and the rest of the mortals too much credit; Shin'en was a big boy, and could handle himself in a fight, and there was also his new Sharingan and his Demigod Mode in case things got too hectic. There was also his body-destroying hydrokinesis.

Nevertheless, Susano'o bowed slightly at the Sage, before raising back up. "Thank you for your help…Brother."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Time resumed fully now, and the lasers slammed into their targets in flashes of light, and ground-trembling force. Lightning flashed at the same time, and the thunder only increased the effect Shin'en had upon the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The Clan Compounds, the Academy, the Hokage Tower, and the bathhouse were atomized, and anything inside of them went bye-bye. Even with the pouring rain, twenty-six massive fires raged uncontrollably within the Village.

Within the Hokage monument, the terrible shaking, combined with the absence of Persephone, had everyone panicking to the point where they just barreled out of the cave-shelter. They were unopposed, as even their genin bodyguards were standing stunned in the heavy rain. The gods and half-bloods all gazed in morbid awe at the destruction.

Then they heard the roar.

Everyone covered their ears because of the volume, and the shockwaves generated by whatever made the sound almost had people go flying, but the genin were a bit more aware of the situation, and were able to keep people on the ground. Zeus grumbled about being saved by a girl with pink hair, while Artemis was resisting the urge to punch and kick at the boy who was holding her. The one with the pineapple-looking hair.

The roar subsided, and now they could look at what made it...what they saw almost made people shit themselves. A massive, gigantic silhouette of some kind of serpent with thirteen necks, and glowing red eyes. The power rolling out from that direction was overwhelming, and Poseidon felt his blood freeze because A) that was his son standing on top of that thing, and B) his daughter was running in that same direction.

"Is that Shin'en!?" Ino screamed over the pouring rain and howling winds.

"Yeah! I think it is!" Kiba howled back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl in silver, with a silver headband around her skull, slip off the side of the Monument. The Inuzuka heir moved quickly, grabbing the girl's wrist before she could fall and splatter. With practiced ease, he hauled the girl up.

She could scowl at him all she wanted; it was his duty as a shinobi of the Leaf to protect the civilians, whether they be foreign or not. She did smell funny though.

"This is _unreal!_ Not even Naruko has this much power!" Choji screamed.

"Rah!" Shikamaru battled against the storm, using his chakra to keep himself anchored against the winds. Someone screamed, and the Nara clasped his hands. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Using the light of the fires and the near-constant flashes of lightning, Shikamaru shot his shadow out. The black whip latched on to the shadows of those about to go flying, and held them down.

"We need to get the civilians back inside! Before we lose someone!"

The other genin nodded, and began to usher the Greeks back into the cave, which proved difficult when you had prideful gods mixed in with the crowd...along with a frantic mother who was without either of her babies. But these kids were shinobi, along with most of them being the heirs to the most powerful ninja families on the continent. They managed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The tomoes in Shin'en's scarlet eyes spun slowly, burning the image of the Leaf's current state into his memory for as long as he lived. It was almost too fucking easy! His chakra on constant recharge, the Sharingan, the rain, his dragon, and lasers! Fucking lasers, man! HAHAHA! But why stop with the Leaf!? Why not go all the way!? To the rest of the world!? HAHAHA! And take Sasuke's eyes! And combine them with Hashirama's arm! _AND GET THE RINNEGAN!_

Shin'en arched his back as he howled with unholy glee.

His laughter subsided, replaced with a drunken, manic grin as he sensed the arrival of Yugito and Bee, with the rest of the shinobi not too far behind, and his dumbass sister bringing up the far rear. A slight pang ripped through the demigod, suddenly, as memories of his time with his guardian and her rapping friend shot up the surface.

Shin'en hissed in pain. Grrrrr…their fault-their fault- _their fault he was hurting_! If they had just stayed out of his fucking life—if they had just left well-enough alone—if they had not _existed_ -! He wouldn't be hurting right now.

But what did they want!? A small voice wailed. Why are they here!?

"Shin'en!" Yugito screamed, fear, desperation, and sadness clearly evident in her voice. "Stop this! You don't have to destroy anything anymore!"

The demigod cocked his head to the side. "And why is that?"

Somehow, over the din of thunder, rain, and wind, and the massive height distance between them, Yugito still managed to make out her surrogate little brother's words. "They didn't do anything to you! Can't you see!? You're being no better than the ones that killed your family!"

That was _not_ the right thing to say.

At all.

Shin'en's eyes widened in fury, his fractured psyche blowing what Yugito said was out of proportion. "Don't speak of them!" he shrieked. "Don't even mention those insects! They hurt me! Lied to me! Turned my life into a lie! If I ever see them again, _I'll kill them all slowly_!"

Tears pricked at Yugito's eyes. "He's gone mad…"

Bee put his large hand on her shoulder, his crinkled behind his glasses. "That's not the same boy we helped raise. Whatever happened during his match with Number 9 and the Uchiha finally sent him over the edge. I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but…for his own sake, and for the sakes of everyone else in the world…we need to stop him. Permanently."

Yugito whirled around, ferally glaring. Her left eye was pure yellow, while her right was pure green.

" **Kitten,"** Yugito froze, **"Killer Bee is right. That poor boy has lived a life that not even an adult could handle. All those years of training, combined with watching his family be murdered in front of him,** _ **and**_ **what he did in the Blood War had finally taken its toll. Shin'en died long ago, Kitten. What you face now is a demon wearing his skin."**

Yugito froze, her soul racked with more turmoil than she had ever felt before in her life.

" **Kitten…if you ever did love him, then do what must be done. Free him from the life that chose him. Free him from the curse of vengeance. Free him from the burden of death. Set him** _ **free**_ **, Kitten."**

Yugito's tears were indistinguishable from the rain. Her whole body shuddered and quaked from the decision she was having to make. Finally, she turned to look up at Shin'en, meeting his crimson eyes (perhaps he had always had the Sharingan, and it was just waiting to emerge), and said, "Please. Don't do this."

The boy was unshakeable. He reached down, removing his headband from the sash around his waist. He ran his hand through his hair, slicking the thin strands back over his scalp. He tied the white cloth around his forehead, and channeled a bit of Wind Chakra into his fingertip. He slashed the plate.

"I don't take orders from you."

Yugito's heart hammered in her chest, like final bang of a gavel. She closed her eyes, mentally and emotionally steeling herself for this battle. She opened her eyes, both of them hard and cold. Matatabi and Bee were right. Her Shin'en…her precious brother…he had died long ago. Now she was avenging his death. "Then I will do what I must."

Drawing upon her Tailed-Beast's chakra, Yugito was engulfed in an inferno of blue and black. The fire took shape, becoming the very Hellcat itself. Bee stared up sadly, before he, too, took the form of his tenant. Shin'en's eyes glowed with absolution as he stared down those that were _once_ his family…his second family.

"You will try…"

The Two and Eight-Tails roared, and charged forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko and Sasuke paused when they saw the Tailed-Beasts emerge. The transmigrant siblings looked at each other.

"I'm with you, to the end," Sasuke said.

Naruko nodded, uncharacteristically serious, before she sped off again, her brother hot on her heels.

" **Naruko…think carefully about this. A month ago you were no match for the Abyss, and just minutes ago, the combined might of you and the Uchiha, even with your new powers, was barely enough to faze him, and he was still holding back. Now he has no such inhibition, and will not hesitate to use lethal force this time. His hatred runs deeper than my own, and his chakra is ten times more foul. Are you sure you can defeat him?"**

' _Yeah, I'm sure. If I could get you to stop being such a grouchy furball, then I can get Shin'en to stop being a dumbass! Believe it!'_

" **Brat,"** Kurama growled slowly. **"I was restricted by the sealing jutsu, and the chakra fragments of your father and mother. The Abyss has no such restrictions. Why do you care so much about him, anyway? He is a stranger to you, an enemy, even, one trying to kill everyone you love. Should that not warrant the desire for vengeance against him for his atrocities?"**

Naruko remained mentally silent for a time, ignoring the rain stinging her skin, soaking into her clothes, and the colossal battle in front of her. Then, she answered.

' _Every day, I ask myself what I would be like if I didn't have Dad, or Mom, or Menma, or Sasuke, or Kakashi-sensei, or Iruka-Sensei, or any of my friends in my life. Every time I look at Shin'en, I have my answer.'_

Kurama didn't speak, content with listening to his partner's answer.

' _I can see it in his eyes. So much power, so much strength, but so much darkness, so much pain, so much loneliness. He grew up alone, shunned, without friends…and now he's being stupid. I swear I'm going to beat some sense into him, and become his friend! I never go back on my word, because that's my Ninja Way!'_

The mighty Nine-Tails balked, his crimson eyes widening considerably. Then he began laughing, not in malice, or disbelief, or in jest, but in joy. Joy at having found a human that breaks the mold. Joy at having this girl as a friend. And joy at the opportunity to fight alongside her and do some good in the world.

Still though, at the very back of Kurama's mind, so far back that he himself did not register these thoughts, he knew that such a mindset, such a philosophy, such a _belief_ …was folly. If Naruko moved through life believing that a fist to the face and a tight hug was going to solve the world's problems, she would soon be killed.

Then there was a brief flash of light within the seal.

"Hello, Kurama. It's been a while."

"… **the fuck?"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Persephone was sprinting through the village at a pace that would've had Olympic runners struggling to keep up. The cause behind such speed, you ask? Well, a combination of adrenaline, divine physiology, a singular drive to get to her little brother, and the rain. Rain was water. Water was power. Power was desperately needed right now.

When Percy shot those beams, she didn't care. When those monsters rose, she didn't care. When she saw that redhead and the blonde and the boy with the makeup all go flying past, she didn't care. Not even the threat of her mother, father, or extended family being mad at her made her care. All Seph cared about was getting to her twin, and knocking him un-silly…and then taking him back with her to Camp Half-Blood so he wouldn't be subject to this Hell of a world.

And she had been to the Underworld. Persephone knew what Hell looked like. The Shinobi World was in close running.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a titanic battle that wouldn't be seen again for three years. A single monster fighting against multiple monsters. Matatabi and Gyuki battled relentlessly against the Thirteen-Headed Water Dragon, but they were unable to gain any ground, not against the multiheaded onslaught.

The Hellcat bounced and leapt around, snapping and slashing at the dragon's heads.

Gyuki slid across the battlefield, similarly punching with his humongous fists and swiping with his giant tails.

However, Shin'en's jutsu was much faster than its bulk would suggest. The large heads snapped out and retracted at speeds comparable with that of a snake, slamming into the sides of the Tailed-Beasts, but the blunt force meant next to nothing to the chakra monsters. Yet, every hit scored against the dragon was easily regenerated due to the rain, or even more easily avoided due the dragon's liquid nature.

Matatabi leapt back, and charged a small Tailed-Beast Ball. The white-and-red-orb of extremely volatile chakra was released, but Shin'en just split his dragon's body apart, and the Ball sailed harmlessly across the landscape before detonating in a low-level (for a Tailed-Beast) explosion.

Shin'en responded with a quick laser that was easily dodged. On the other side, Gyuki charged his Tailed-Beast Ball, and released it a massive wave of yellow destruction. Shin'en was not unprepared, though. Four heads reared up, each one charging a massive amount of chakra.

"Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

The four beams of chakra zoomed out, rushing to meet the Tailed-Beast Beam. The two jutsu collided in a classic struggle for dominance, and it was a battle not easily won for either side. Gyuki roared, pouring chakra into his jutsu, while Shin'en grit his teeth, his Sharingan spinning. Allowing the rain to soak into his body, directly into his chakra system, replenishing his reserves as fast as he burned through them, he supercharged his own technique.

The chakra beams reached a crescendo, and cancelled each other out in an earth-reshaping explosion. The shockwave washed over the Leaf Village, causing all confrontation to come grinding to a halt if it hadn't already.

Matatabi reared back onto her hind legs, and four of the dragon heads snapped out. The Hellcat batted them away with her paws and tails, each impact causing a massive cloud of steam to erupt, but it was clear as to who was superior. Especially when two more heads shot out from seemingly nowhere, ramming into Matatabi with enough force to send the Tailed-Beast skidding across the ground, destroying several meters' worth of dead trees.

Dazed from the explosion, Gyuki was caught off guard when multiple sets of jaws clamped down on various spots of his body, the sharp teeth digging into his body. The Eight-Tails' blank eyes widened considerably when he was _picked up off the ground_ , and hurled right into the recovering Two-Tails. The Tailed-Beasts went down in a heap.

Shin'en's grin was filled with pure malice as he charged up his chakra, channeling the energy right into the thirteen maws of his jutsu. Lightning flashed from behind, throwing his form into shadow. Only his ruby eyes and his scratched-out headband were visible.

"Gale Style: Focus Laser."

The Tailed-Beasts were too slow to get back up, and they took the full brunt of all thirteen lasers. The following explosion was comparable to that of the Nine-Tails' own chakra ball, and Matatabi and Gyuki were both caught right in the middle. Their massive bodies were obscured by orange and yellow, the sky was illuminated with white, the earth trembled something fierce, and all of man stared in awe.

Except for one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bee!" Ei roared. That fucking does it! The future Fourth Raikage completely ditched his fight with Jiraiya, and zoomed right up to his father, Ay, and delivered the father of all haymakers right into the current Raikage's temple.

The veteran shinobi was caught so surprised that his own son would strike him in such a way, that he took the full brunt of the punch…and he kind of blacked out due to the force behind the punch, his brain doing a hard reset. Ay went _flying_ across the village, just a blur as he careened lifelessly through building after building, tearing a trench across the village interior, before crashing somewhere a few hundred feet shy of the towering wall, his momentum depleted by friction.

Minato, Jiraiya, Darui, Cee, Kakashi, Sarutobi, Orochimaru, Pakura, and Chiyo all stared at the hulking, lightning-wreathed man in shock.

Ei snorted like an animal in the direction he just sent his father, before rounding on the Snake Sannin, his eyes sparking with electricity. Orochimaru let his signature sly grin split his face, before he threw a smoke bomb down at his feet. The smoke cleared, and he was gone. No one cared, all of them more concerned with what happened now.

"Ei…you just…you just… _hit_ Lord Raikage," Cee stuttered.

"Yes, and I'll do it a thousand times over if I have to. I am invoking the Succession Principle," Ei rumbled, daring the other two Cloud-nin to object. They didn't. "In the event that the succeeding Raikage deems the current Raikage unfit for duty, then the former may challenge the latter for the title of Kage. With my father now indisposed, I assume the title, AND HEREBY CALL THIS INVASION—ENDED!" the new Raikage boomed, his voice carrying over the entire village.

"ALL CLOUD NINJA WILL ASSIST THOSE OF THE LEAF AND SAND IN THE NEUTRALIZATION OF SHIN'EN! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL BE DEALT WITH LETHAL CONSEQUENCES!"

Ei breathed in deeply, and thunder rumbled overhead.

"Ei…what…?" Minato asked, clearly in a state of shock.

Tired eyes met the sapphire ones of the Fourth Hokage. "I never supported this invasion, Minato, and I never supported Shin'en being turned into a weapon of mass destruction surpassing a Jinchuuriki. My father's mind, in his old age, believed it a good idea to expand his power via the demigod, and now we have this crisis on our hands. Now come, we must stop Shin'en from destroying everything, and killing everyone."

"Why should we trust you?" Pakura asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Because if you don't help me in stopping that boy, we'll all be dead by morning."

"Come now, boy," Chiyo said. "No child is as powerful as that. Two Tailed-Beasts is one thing, two Tailed-Beasts, an army, and several S-rank shinobi are another."

"For all our sakes, I pray that you are right." Ei wasted no more time with words, and leapt off into the storm, intent on saving his brother, his friend, and either stopping Shin'en…or killing him. Darui and Cee were right behind him.

"Can we trust them?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"Yes." Sarutobi answered immediately. "Ei is not lying when he says that the boy has the power to kill us all. I can sense his chakra from here, and he has yet to unleash all of it. There is great danger to be found around Shin'en, and it would be best if we all join to defeat this threat."

His piece finished, all eyes were on Minato. The Fourth Hokage stared at the dragon in the distance, and the explosion that had yet to fade away. He was having flashbacks. The village on fire, the sky black and evil, and a monster laying waste to his home. Sapphire eye hardened.

"I didn't let the Nine-Tails destroy my home…I will not let an angsty brat do the same."

The Yellow Flash leapt out into the storm, the rest of his allies following close behind, even Chiyo and Pakura.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi stumbled dumbly through the smoldering ruins of his compound. In his daze, he had forgotten to deactivate his Sharingan, so everything he saw was being etched into his memory, forever. The once proud buildings were now flattened, or crumbling into ash, or unrecognizable as something that could be considered living space.

That was nothing compared to the bodies, however.

The stench of burning meat was heavy in the air, and everywhere Itachi looked, there seemed to be someone he knew…or what was left of someone he knew. The bodies, all different shapes and sizes, were toasted, blackened, charred, and smoking. Itachi could identify his cousins, little Ayami, young Shiro and his twin sister Kuro, Uncle Shido, Aunt Kaya, his cousin Masashi, and his other cousin, Kurami.

Not even his fiancé, Izumi, has survived. The remains of her smoking corpse, a charred skeleton with its legs caught under a piece of rubble, its skull pried open in a desperate scream, strands of hair still attached, its left arm curled underneath, and its right arm extended, clawing at nothing, was identifiable by the still-shining ring adorning the right ring finger.

Itachi's heart constricted, and he fell to his knees with a strangled sob, his tears mixing with the rain. He didn't even want to attempt to find his house, where his mother had been. If there was anything left of her body, Itachi knew that he wouldn't be able to bear seeing it.

An ear-splitting roar sounded in the distance, and Itachi was quick to face the source. His Mangekyou spun to life, burning in fury, and despair. Shin'en…Shin'en… _Shin'en!_

His fault!

Their blood!

His hands!

Retribution!

Vengeance!

 _HATRED!_

Itachi screamed. He let his anger, years of pent up emotion, out in long, anguished roar. Lightning flashed, thunder shook the earth, and the ANBU captain disappeared with nary a sound. He zoomed across the Leaf, the terrain, the earth. He was going to _kill_ Shin'en. And not Minato, not Jiraiya, not Hiruzen, not his father, not Sasuke, not Naruko, and definitely not any Cloud-nin…were going to stop him from achieving his goal.

 _No one_ was going to stop Itachi was taking Shin'en's life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **This is the first major arc. The first major confrontation in the odyssey. Shin'en vs. everyone. Everyone vs. Shin'en.**_

 _ **Ay has been deposed, and such a powerful blow to the skull, the effect increased due to old age and unpreparedness, will leave some very nasty brain damage.**_

 _ **The Leaf genin are doing their best to keep the Greeks in one spot, but will they be able to contain such a large gathering of restless children, and prideful pagan gods, even if their powers are repressed, forever? Probably not.**_

 _ **Susano'o makes a desperate bid to solve things on order of his father, Izanagi. What does this mean for Naruko and Sasuke? What did the Storm God mean by 'Brother?'**_

 _ **Persephone races across the village, witnessing firsthand the amount of destruction her beloved younger brother is capable of. When she reaches him, will she break through to his heart, or will she just become another number on his forearm?**_

 _ **Tune in next time on**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **to find out for yourself!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	30. Decent into the Abyss Pt 2

_Decent into the Abyss Pt. 2_

 _ **Yay! We finally breached the 300-review milestone! It took us 29 chapters, 129,579 words, and one year, two months, and seven days. And it only took**_ _ **Son of Jashin**_ _ **27 days, and less than half of the same amount of words. People are funny.**_

 _ **Anywho, we're back with the**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **, and this chapter is nothing but a major smack-down between our loveable antiheroic demigod, and the combined forces of the Leaf Village, about a fourth of the Sand Village, an eighth of the Cloud Village, and not one, not two, but**_ _ **five**_ _ **Jinchuuriki (Minato, Naruko, Gaara, Yugito, and Bee) along with a Sage (Jiraiya), an enraged Uchiha (Itachi) a-soon-to-be-Rinnegan-bearing Uchiha (Sasuke), and an Uchiha patriarch (Fugaku).**_

 _ **And who's ready for some deep emotional strife at the end of the battle!?**_

 _ **BTW: On the status of the**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **poll, Boyfriend/Mate is in the lead with 30, and Brief Antagonist/Eventual Friend/Companion coming in second with 23. I also forgot to mention that the poll closes this Thursday.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 6, 1013 A.S._

"Naruko!"

The Jinchuuriki looked behind her, her face immediately brightening at seeing who had called her name.

"Gaara!"

The Sand Team caught up with Naruko and Sasuke, with the red-head on Naruko's left, his siblings behind him, and the Uchiha on Namikaze's right. "Do we have a plan for taking him down?" The Jinchuuriki almost had to yell to be heard of the pouring rain and clapping thunder.

"Yeah! Hit him until he's unconscious!"

The Sand Siblings all collectively sighed at the blonde's overexuberant tone when laying out her master plan. Still though, years ago, when the Hokage met with the Kazekage, and brought his daughter with him, Gaara and Naruko's first meeting had ended with them brawling over something. What it was, was unimportant, but the main idea here was that despite the overwhelming advantage Gaara had with all the surrounding sand, Naruko had just kept coming, and coming, and dodging, and pulling off feats of agility no normal child could ever do, and hammered Gaara in the head hard enough to send him into the land of dreams.

So, hopefully history would repeat itself here, and Shin'en, even with all the chakra he had, and the high-level jutsu he was using, would be downed by a super-powered punch to the head via an irate female Jinchuuriki's fist.

Ah, to be young and optimistic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Incoming force of 36,361 shinobi. Youngest age: 11. Oldest age: 70. Chakra types: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Lightning. Kekkei Genkai detected: Byakugan, Sharingan, Gale Style, Scorch Style, and Mangekyou Sharingan. Weapons: senbon, kunai, shuriken, demon shuriken, windmill shuriken, katana, wakizashi, chokuto, tanto, and assorted spears. Incoming Jinchuuriki: One-Tail, Yang Nine-Tails, and Yin Nine-Tails. Present Jinchuuriki: Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. Overall threat-level: MAXIMUM EXTREME.

"So," Shin'en drawled. "Ei deposed Ay because I took down Bee, and now a ceasefire has been declared by the _Fourth_ Raikage. Because of that, all ninja in the village are racing out to come meet me in combat, and, judging by the emotions I'm feeling via the rain, they're coming for my head…especially Itachi over there. Oh my, I wonder how Sissy Dearest would deal with an Uchiha trying to kill me? She'd probably end up dead, or," the demigod paused, then cackled to himself. "Oh, yeah! _That_ would be really entertaining to watch happen…watch Persephone reach into another person, ripping their water out of their body in an explosion of guts and entrails…"

Shin'en laughed again, his Sharingan spinning rapidly in response to his dark elation. Then he abruptly cut himself off. Time to get serious. Time to get focused. Time to get ready for battle. This was an admittedly daunting task in front of him. More shinobi than he had ever faced in one location…followed by the might of five Jinchuuriki. Granted, two of those Sacrifices were injured and struggling to clear the haze from their head that came with taking a bunch of lasers point-blank, another two of those Sacrifices were inexperienced with their Tailed-Beast almost to a fault, and the final one probably refused to even use his Tailed-Beast…so, yeah.

However, with all this rain constantly refueling his chakra reserves, empowering his body, enhancing his senses, and _expanding his hydrokinetic reach_ , all it would take to kill each and every one of these cancerous shinobi was a fucking thought. Just a gesture. A bit of willpower. A snap of the fingers.

 _BUT WHERE WAS THE FUN IN THAT!?_

Shin'en's serious face broke into a grin that belonged more to a son of the God of Pain than to a shinobi, and he collapsed onto his back in a fit of deranged laughter. His fatal flaw, bloodlust, was mixing in with his severely damaged psyche, and it was creating a persona of madness and death. One that craved battle and bloodshed via the blade, or the fist, as opposed to just ending it quickly and moving on with life.

On the bright side, if that persona was directed at the Titans, there wouldn't be much of a war to fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 6, 1013 A.S._

 _Valley of the End_

Even as far out as to the border of Fire Country and Rice Country, the storm raged violently, though not as severe, with only heavy rain and distant flashes of lightning accompanied by low rumbles of thunder. On the stone head Madara Uchiha stood three figures, all dressed in the same ensemble.

A high-collared black cloak adorned with red clouds.

"Are you sure this boy will be of use to us in the future?" spoke the soft voice of Konan.

"Yes," Madara answered. "The power of the demigod is not to be underestimated. His actions in the Mist are proof of that, and his current battle only further reinforces my opinion that he will be our tenth and final member."

"Assuming he survives this conflict," the deep, smooth voice of Pain said evenly.

"Oh, he'll survive, of that I'll make sure. If he does win, he'll be weakened to such a degree that even that moron Hidan would be able to defeat him, and we'll move in to induct him, and if he loses, Zetsu is already in place to retrieve his body before anything too damaging can happen."

"And how do you plan on keeping the demigod under your control?" Konan asked.

The eyehole of Madara's orange spiral-mask glowed red. He held his gloved hand up, finger splayed out. Sitting in his palm was a ring. A simple trinket, a silver band with a red stone in the middle, with the kanji for 'vermillion' inscribed in black on the stone.

"I have a few ideas," the damaged Uchiha rumbled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 6, 1013 A.S._

 _Three miles outside the Hidden Leaf_

The smoke around Matatabi and Gyuki finally cleared. The Tailed-Beasts were glaring coldly at Shin'en. He regarded them with a sideways glance, his lower face hidden by the high collar of his shirt. His scratched headband was displayed prominently on his forehead, and his slicked-back hair seemed to shine in the lightning-lit night. His Sharingan just gazed upon them with the same amount worry one used when looking at an anthill.

It was a blow to their pride as Tailed-Beasts, the children of the Sage of Six Paths, and as the mightiest creatures on this earth.

"Shin'en!"

The demigod swiveled his gaze downward. Naruko and friends had arrived. The army was probably five minutes out. What was this, warmups before the main event? How about we just move through the peons and get to the game, huh? Shin'en did not waste words on his fellow children, instead opting for a scattering of lasers that blanketed the desolated forest.

He wasn't aiming exactly for them, nor did he pack a lot power into his jutsu, so everyone managed to scramble out of the way and avoid the explosions. However, that was enough for them to shut their mouths and start trying to fight, as comical as it was. The Tailed-Beasts were a bit of a problem though, despite how banged up they were.

Matatabi's fire had been dampened, no longer writhing and lashing around, but doing more of a soft licking at everything. Gyuki was covered in the typical patches of closely-packed black lines that signified someone who had taken a lot of damage. Still, they attacked with ferocity.

Not that it got them anywhere.

Sasuke let a fireball loose, and Temari and Naruko backed it up with Wind Jutsu, turning it into a soaring inferno, that had the effect of becoming steam when it came into contact with an unamused dragon head. Gaara tested his luck, sending a volley of extremely large, extremely heavy boulders of compressed mud at Shin'en, that were all obliterated by a jet of compressed water fired from the maw of a dragon head.

Huh. The damn thing could fire more than just lasers.

Kankuro didn't even bother trying any of his things out. He was a puppeteer for God's sake. Raw power and large-scale destruction were not his thing. His thing was patience, strategy, and coordinated attacks from different sides at once, and from what he'd seen so far, none of that was going to do any good against a relentless attacker like Shin'en. In fact, the only reason he, his siblings, Sasuke, and Naruko were still alive was because the Two and Eight-Tails were doing an excellent job of holding their own.

Shin'en's attention was only slightly split between the Tailed Beasts and the genin. While he allowed two of his semi-sentient thirteen dragon heads to battle with the young ones, he devoted the majority of his attention to the other side of the battle. Just because Matatabi and Gyuki were banged up, did not mean that they had become too weak to fight. To the contrary, they were now tag-teaming the demigod, and it was marginally more difficult than before.

Still, with Shin'en being powered up and constantly recharging due to the rain, he was fresh as when he woke up this morning.

The Tailed-Beasts charged up a conjoint Tailed-Beast Bomb, and Kurama and Shukaku both screamed at their Jinchuuriki to move, and the genin responded by diving out of the way, dragging their siblings and brother down to the ground with them. Shin'en responded to the imminent threat of destructive incineration by loading up ten heads with chakra.

The massive orb of glowing, volatile chakra shot forward like a bullet, leaving upturned earth in its wake.

"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"

Yes, instead of going for large beams of his own this time, Shin'en opted for a massive spread of much thinner lasers. However, each individual beam was thicker than a full Akimichi, and was just as fast as the Tailed-Beast Bomb. There was also about 150 beams. Strength in numbers.

125 beams struck the chakra bomb head on, drastically slowing its movement, while all the rest zoomed around, over, or under the Ball, streaking for the Tailed-Beasts. To their credit, Matatabi and Gyuki took the Laser Circus without much complaint, using their own massive stores of chakra to armor themselves. No, most of the damage they took came from being in close proximity to their own jutsu when it detonated from the strain of going up against so many individual lasers at once.

However, the Laser Circus is a continuous jutsu, and while rattled from the shock and heatwave, Shin'en's hadn't cancelled his technique. Matatabi and Gyuki both blurred to the side as the full brunt of their adversaries jutsu came bearing down on them, but their swift movement was not good enough. Especially against a homing jutsu.

This time, the beams detonated against the Tailed-Beasts' bodies in a dazzling lightshow that left multiple bright spots in the vision of all those that saw the spectacle. Which is to say, many thousands were almost blinded permanently. As for the Tailed-Beasts themselves…well, despite the power in that jutsu, and the damage dealt to their bodies…they were getting pissed off.

A stalemate had been reached, however. The genin were merely a candle compared to the sun that was Shin'en, and the Tailed-Beasts couldn't gain any ground against the boy, and vice versa. Well, not without pulling out the _really. Big. Guns._ Bu that wasn't going to happen, because Matatabi and Gyuki didn't want to accidentally blow up half the Land of Fire.

However, that stalemate was ended with the arrival of over 36,000 men, women, and children ready for battle…or death.

Shin'en's grin couldn't get any bigger. So many shinobi one place…so many of the things he hated with a boiling passion…and he was at 100%, plugged in and charging. As Minato started a speech about the Will of Fire, how what he (Shin'en) was doing was wrong, an ultimatum along the lines of 'surrender or die,' and something about possible amnesty…a revelation was made by the demigod.

Years ago, during the Third Great Ninja War, Ay, the _esteemed_ Third Raikage, had faced off against ten thousand enemy shinobi for three days and nights, using taijutsu and Lightning Armor. The old man had almost died of chakra exhaustion upon his victory, but the medic-nin of the Cloud arrived just in time to save his life. Now, years later, another ninja hailing from the Cloud was standing up against insurmountable odds, only this time the numbers were tripled and the time was cubed.

Still, the odds were stacked against the demigod, and despite his great powers, he was not invincible, and he could be killed, and there were many ways to avoid that. Like so:

"Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

Six beams of chakra, each as wide as one of the heads on the Hokage Monument, shot straight into the black clouds. The sky lit up with a dark emerald light, before fading. However, to those with the right eyes and an acute enough sensory perception, they saw/sensed Shin'en's chakra intensely mingling with the atmosphere.

The demigod grinned, but that jutsu was enough to galvanize the army, so he responded in kind. Against all the Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water and Gale jutsu flying up to meet him, he commanded his dragon to _roar_ , and boy did it respond magnificently. The shockwaves generated by the soundwaves completely nullified all the jutsu, wiping them from existence, but it seemed that the Yamanaka Clan was in everybody's head now, and that a Nara, most likely Shikaku, was doling out orders.

The shinobi scrambled in all directions like ants, and endless sea of greens and browns and some blues. So, trying to divide his attention, were they? A plausible strategy, but there was the possibility that Ei, Cee, and or Darui had spilled the beans on his hydrokinetic prowess. But if that was the case, and Shikaku knew that being connected to the rain like this gave him an extra-sensory perception, then what was the plan here?

And why were Matatabi and Gyuki just standing there, staring at him?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _In this rain,"_ Shikaku stated to every single soldier on the battlefield, even the Jinchuuriki, _"Shin'en's chakra will not diminish no matter how many jutsu he uses, and attempting a sneak attack will never work, but distractions will. Right now, the plan is to assault Shin'en from all sides, split his focus as much as possible, so that Lords Minato and Ei and strike fast and hard with their speed._

" _Naruko, Gaara, I don't know how well you and your Tailed-Beasts cooperate, but right now we need their power. Do whatever you can to get their aid, because we'll need it. My plan is to combine the powers of all four Tailed-Beasts into a massive bomb, and shoot it into the sky. In theory, the resulting explosion should be enough to blast apart the storm, and hopefully give us an edge."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _Well…Shukaku?"_ Gaara mentally asked his life-time tenant.

" _ **You kidding me, punk? A chance to be let out and cut loose against someone like that kid? Fuck yes! Let's go!"**_

Gaara wasn't a very expressive person, but he couldn't help the grin that crossed his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _You up for it, Kurama?"_

" _ **We don't have much of a choice, do we, Naruko?"**_

" _Nope, guess we don't. Just didn't think we needed this many people to beat Shin'en."_

" _ **Against the Abyss…even this army might not be enough."**_

" _You keep referring to him as the 'Abyss.' I know it's what his name means, but still. Why?'_

"… _ **do you believe in gods, Naruko?"**_

" _Not…really, I guess. I mean, gods aren't something I've considered that much."_

" _ **No, I suppose you wouldn't have. To make a long story short, gods do exist, and they can be as restless as mortals, if not more so. Often, though rare as they are, a god will visit this plane, searching for a woman that pleases him, and bed her."**_

Naruko was blushing furiously at this point; talks of sex and such made her hot under the collar.

" _ **Shin'en is the result of such a union. What you face now, what all of you humans face now, is neither man nor god, but a species in between: a demigod. If you're going to beat him, you'll need much more than numbers and a good strategy to win…"**_

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The constant stream of jutsu was beginning to annoy Shin'en, despite his defensive strategy of offense. He fired off lasers at just about every point around him, scaring the earth with his destructive power, yet his tattoo hadn't burned since this campaign started, and he could swear that all the shinobi in the area of the explosion just…moved out of the way.

Not as in dove out of the way, or even put on a burst of speed to streak to one side or the other (Shin'en would've been able to feel their displacing of the rain), but they just…suddenly popped up elsewhere, just outside the blast radius. How that was possible, the demigod didn't know, but it was seriously vexing. Like slapping at a swarm of gnats that kept flittering out of the way of his hands.

"Lariat!"

"You're lucky I'm enjoying myself, Ei."

Shin'en slipped into the head of his dragon, allowing the Fourth Raikage to go sailing past in a bolt of lightning. A head swiveled around to face the falling Ei, and discharged a blast of chakra, only for the large man to disappear, not in a burst of speed, but in a…yellow…flash. Shin'en popped up out of his dragon head, a bewildered and irritated expression on his face.

The shinobi…they couldn't _all_ have…Minato couldn't have given _all_ of them…Shin'en focused harder on his rain. Focusing more on just numbers, chakra, and bloodlines, but on clothes, bodies, and skin-well shit. Every single ninja on this field of battle had the infamous Flying Thunder God sealing formula somewhere on their body. _That_ explained why everyone was seemingly teleporting all over the place…because they _were_ teleporting all over the place!

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Shin'en cocked a brow, unconsciously solidifying a bit of rain behind him to block a fireball, when the area around Jiraiya became shrouded in smoke, and the tears of the sky told the son of Poseidon of…a couple of small frogs sitting upon the Sannin's shoulders…?

What sorcery be this!?

" **RAAAAAWWWRR!"**

And now there were _four_ Tailed-Beasts! Excellent! Now this was a _real_ battle! A conflict to get the blood roaring! The heart screaming! The lungs burning! The muscles aching! The bones breaking! That rhymes! And the dodging of Rasengans! Come and get it, Minato Namikaze!

Lightning and chakra exploded around the demigod in equal measure, forming a shield and spear more powerful than any on the planet…at least at this point in time. Tri-pronged kunai knives were littering the air space, and Minato was coming from above. Shin'en was ready.

The cognitive perception of both combatants slowed to a crawl as their highly superior reflexes kicked into high overdrive. Minato began flashing from kunai to kunai to kunai, disappearing and reappearing in flashes of yellow that would've had all but two other living shinobi thoroughly dazed from the mental strain of having to keep up with the speed.

But not Shin'en. The demigod's Sharingan spun wildly, but its perception was useless due to there being no movement to track. However, Shin'en had far more than just the Sharingan to keep track of things. His own inborn reflexes, for one. Two, all the Lightning Chakra running through him was boosting his brain activity to levels unseen in just about any living creature. Finally, combined with both of those things, was Shin'en's hydro-sensing.

He could feel the water in Minato's body popping up in every direction.

Closer, closer, and closer came the Fourth Hokage, Rasengan whirling and grinding mightily upon itself. The kunai had been thrown from all directions, giving Minato access to an extremely broad range of attack angles. Multiple kunai came dangerously close to Shin'en but none touched him, and Minato just kept flashing away and back in. It was getting annoying.

Then the Rasengan was about three inches away from Shin'en's face, and the look in Minato's eyes was absolute. The demigod's hand shot up, intercepting the chakra orb. Time seemingly sped back to its normal flow, with the rain pouring, the jutsu firing, the Tailed-Beasts gathering chakra, the kunai flying and the horrible screeching of spinning chakra grinding against unyielding chakra.

A whirling spear against an electric shield.

Shock covered Minato's face, and Shin'en had to remind himself that the timeline in which he fired Kirin at everyone during the Chunin Exam had been erased, therefore all those events had never come to pass, so no one had any knowledge of those events, therefore Minato did not know that Shin'en could use his Lightning Armor to block the Rasengan.

There was a flash of yellow behind the demigod, and a Shadow Clone of Namikaze appeared…Sasuke gripping him tightly.

"Amaterasu!"

Shin'en rolled his eyes, and vanished in a burst of highly intense speed, while Minato vanished in a flash, leaving the black flames with nothing to encompass but air molecules…and a water dragon. The demigod rematerialized on another head, and felt his brow twitch at watching the other head sizzle into gas under the heat of the Amaterasu. Gods, those flames were annoying.

If there was a jutsu to counter that damn fire, Shin'en was going to find it, learn it, and modify it into about ten other jutsu. Like he did with Chidori.

Strangely enough, tri-pronged kunai were still littering the air, and Minato still had Clones popping up…with passengers. Might Guy was wreathed in green, his hair flying around him, his skin burning red, and his eyes were _glowing_ red.

"Asakajaku!"

Even with Sharingan, Lightning Armor, demigod reflexes, rain, and his hydro-sensing, Shin'en took…more hits than he would've liked to admit. Still, the fire-fisted assault of the Leaf's Noble Gentleman was only slightly damaging, and the Jonin's fists ended up caught in the 'genin's.' But he was flashed away before Shin'en could start snapping wrists.

What were the Tailed-Beasts doing? Oh, they were charging up Tailed-Beast Bombs…but they weren't aiming for him, but for the…sky? Shin'en's ruby eyes widened considerably when he realized what the plan was: blow apart his storm and sever his connection to literal endless chakra and supreme sensory prowess.

NO!

The demigod didn't even bother with names and titles, just molded the chakra and let it loose. Hundreds of streams of thin lasers erupted from the maw of the S-rank Water Jutsu, and all of them went straight for the surrounding area, causing massive amounts of confusion, panic, and wide-scale destruction. Still, the speed of the Yellow Flash was nothing short of godlike, and the man spent almost a Kage's worth of chakra flashing every ninja on the field away from impending death.

How convenient.

But Namikaze's devotion to comrades came with a cost, and now the man was very low on chakra.

Low enough to where it would be as risk to use the Flying Thunder God any more than five more times.

"Rasengan!"

"Fuck you, Jiraiya!"

Instead of sinking in to his dragon head again, Shin'en countered the incoming Sage with physical force, twisting out of the jutsu's path, grabbing Jiraiya's arm, his Lightning Chakra doing nothing against the Sage Chakra, and spun in a vortex with a speed comparable to a cyclone, and flung the Sannin straight up.

Jiraiya responded, or rather, the frogs responded, with the loudest, most obnoxious sound Shin'en had heard since those swamp ladies from back in the Land of Water. The world went lopsided, and the demigod found himself in a cube of nonexistent water surrounded on four sides by giant toads dressed in samurai's armor.

"Genjutsu," Shin'en observed. "Unfortunately, Jiraiya, illusions don't fucking work on me!"

That statement was as true as it was false. Genjutsu worked as well on Shin'en as it did on everyone else, bar using the Sharingan, but the boy hadn't been able to test that ability out yet, and the Paralyzing Frog Duet was not a genjutsu so easily broken by just fluctuating one's chakra, so conventional methods, or all methods really, were non-viable here. However, the way that genjutsu _did not_ work on Shin'en was for a simple reason.

Genjutsu worked by creating abnormalities in one's chakra flow, which caused them to experience things that weren't there, such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations. In other words, genjutsu fucked with your five senses to screw your poor ass six ways to Sunday. And that's where Shin'en's hydro-sensing made him immune to genjutsu.

See, his ability to sense water was non-chakra related. It was divine, stemming straight from his lineage as the son of Poseidon, and a divine ability like that couldn't be fooled by any shinobi on this earth, not even the Yakumo Clan, whose illusions were powerful enough to bend reality. Fluctuating chakra could not disrupt the ambient water vapor of the atmosphere. Fluctuating chakra could remove the water from any living creature. Fluctuating chakra could not prevent rain from giving Shin'en an overly detailed rendition of the world around him for miles.

Nor did it stop him from hydrokinetically controlling his dragon.

Jiraiya descended with a war cry, a stone broadsword held in his grasp. Fukasaku and Shima were croaking their lungs out with their genjutsu, keeping Shin'en sedated. But, they were all Sages, in tuned with the very force of nature itself, and they were aware of more things about the world than regular men and women would ever be.

So Jiraiya was able to Substitute just in time to avoid being atomized by a beam of laser-esque chakra.

Shin'en whipped around, now free of the genjutsu, just in time to see the Tailed-Beasts, the massive sand-raccoon that was Shukaku, the blue, fire-cat that was Matatabi, the half-octopus, half-bull that was Gyuki, and the behemoth that was Kurama, finish charging a group Tailed-Beast Bomb the size of a small mountain.

The Beasts reared their heads back, launching the gargantuan mass of chakra straight for the sky. Shin'en growled; he wanted to keep this jutsu in his pocket for a longer time, but he _did_ put it in place for a reason, and that reason was presenting itself right now.

Shin'en flared his chakra, and the sky responded by glowing emerald, the clouds being saturated with the demigod's chakra. The clouds above the rapidly approaching Tailed-Beast Bomb glowed particularly brighter, much brighter, almost like a miniature sun was just above them, and the demigod raised his hand, and brought it down like he was holding a hammer.

"Gale Style: Heaven's Laser!"

The clouds glowed with blinding intensity, before they released a highly-concentrated beam of emerald energy straight down for the ground. The gigantic ball of volatile chakra met the beam head on, and it was revealed that the two jutsu were of equal diameter. Now, instead of one struggling for dominance, the Bomb exploded on contact, and it was an explosion the like of which the world hadn't seen in a thousand years…and wouldn't see again for another four years.

The night was lit up like it was day, with fire and light surging out for hundreds upon hundreds of meters in all directions, even up and down. Rain water was vaporized instantly, clouds were indeed scattered, gigantic fissures ripped across the land, and the shockwaves created by the explosions blew away houses, trees, and even weaker shinobi that were unable to stay anchored to the ground were tossed into the distance.

Shin'en crossed his arms in front of him, because the strength of the explosion reached him quickly, and unforgivingly. The shockwaves that slammed into him made his dragon writhe and dance, the control waning out of control, before the heat came, and the demigod's jutsu was undone in a massive spray of steam. Shin'en went flying, but his Lightning Armor and his own heat resistance kept him from being damaged.

Not even the Tailed-Beasts were immune to effects of their own bomb detonated. Perhaps they had it the worst, because they were right underneath the explosion, but perhaps they had it the best, because of their own massive sizes and chakras to keep them protected. Still, though, after the aftershocks dissipated, the limited chakra the Tailed-Beasts had in this transformation ran out, and the four Jinchuuriki were left panting on the scorched earth.

"Do you think...we got him…?" Gaara panted.

Bee snorted. "Hell naw. Shin'en ain't that easy to be beat, y'all. We might've done away with the rain, but that won't stop Shin'en from bringing the pain."

"Bee," Yugito huffed, "shut the fuck up."

The rapping shinobi just grinned tiredly.

"We've got a problem here," Naruko said, concern lacing her voice. "I can sense Shin'en's emotions—I think it's a Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki thing—and he's getting closer, and he's not...well, he's a few kunai short of a full pouch."

"And all of us aren't exactly high on chakra right now," Gaara said. His sentiment was shared by his fellow Jinchuuriki. Tailed-Beast Transformation was not easy, especially for the two that had just done it for the first time in their lives, and the other two had been sustaining the transformation for close to thirty minutes-while using Tailed-Beast Bombs-and that last combination jutsu had sucked a _lot_ out of all of them, especially Naruko, since she contributed most to the  Bomb.

It was a testament to Shin'en's power, and the power of whatever jutsu that was, that he was able to counter a super-charged jutsu made by the weakest and strongest Tailed-Beasts with a single shot.

The tapping of feet was loud as many thousands of shinobi blurred into existence around the Jinchuuriki, with Minato—face pale, clothes sweaty, eyes tired, chest heaving—and Ei standing at the forefront with their respective confidants right behind them. The sky was still alight with the explosion, and it had an absolutely beautiful effect on the clouds.

They were painted shades of orange and red, like the sun was rising in the middle of them, and the kinetic energy of the blast was slowly pushing them outward in a dome shape, but the insides of the clouds were layered and bubbly, much like that of a cake. The light of the explosion was refracting through the water droplets in the air, casting rainbows all across the landscape. It would've been tranquil, if not for the craters, scorch marks, ash, and the burning/crumbling corpse-filled village behind them.

As Naruko looked at all the faces she could, she felt her heart sink. Tired, gaunt, drained, fatigued…just some of the words describing the assembled army. Naruko realized that the vast majority of them had probably given it their all against Shin'en's water jutsu, and stabbed themselves in the foot by burning through their chakra using every jutsu they knew of.

That was a terrifying thought. 36,000 shinobi, all of them bending the elements to their wills and whims, couldn't even make a dent in the dragon. The water construct was just too big, even bigger than Kurama was when he was whole, too powerful, and its very nature had made it almost immune to all jutsu. Water jutsu was just absorbed, no Fire jutsu short of Sasuke's Amaterasu could cause any harm, all Wind jutsu did was make a splash that was instantly regenerated by rain or had no effect at all, Lightning jutsu just seemed to tickle the massive elemental beast, and there weren't any Earth jutsu users present that had jutsu worth using besides barriers, shields, and walls.

And that was nothing about the dragon's offensive capability. Naruko's poor father, in a bid to minimize casualties, had branded everyone present with his Flying Thunder God sealing formula so that he could flash people away from any incoming attacks. No one predicted the ferocity with which Shin'en would strike back with. The night had been lit up with a never-ending stream of lasers. Beams, streams, orbs, blasts, crescents, waves, even a massive overhead destroyer laser (sweet Jesus the amount of destruction something of that magnitude could and would bring…Shin'en's chakra still lingered in the clouds).

It was a testament to Minato Namikaze's strength, speed, chakra reserves, and will power that he had spent nearly the entire battle flashing from points A to Z in attoseconds, literally saving thousands of lives, without dying of exhaustion. However, all good things came to an end. The Fourth Hokage's reserves were almost drained dry, almost to the point where just a few Substitutions would probably kill him, so the life-preserver that was the Flying Thunder God could no longer counted upon.

The battle could've been so different…so different if Uncle Shikaku hadn't held the Tailed-Beasts back so they could destroy the rain-producing storm clouds.

A humorless chuckle escaped Naruko's lips, but it was too quiet to be heard. Here they were, an army of more than 36,000, an army complete with multiple Kage-level ninja _and_ _**four**_ Jinchuuriki…and 90% of the troops were almost too tired to go on, and the opponent they faced was fresh as they had all been before this battle started. What an unfair universe the daughter of Minato and Kushina lived in.

Still, she had promised to beat Shin'en, and she never went back on her word, because that was her _Ninja_ Way!

Ninja…the very thing the demigod had sworn to destroy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **So that's that. The**_ _ **Thirteen-Headed Water Dragon Jutsu**_ _ **has been evaporated due to ultra-intense heat, Minato managed to prevent anybody from dying, but is now basically out of the fight, Hagoromo hasn't pulled his deus ex machina yet, but that will soon change, Itachi hasn't arrived on the battlefield because he's got something else in store for our OP antihero/villain, and that's about it.**_

 _ **This was the battle between the giant creatures, and next chapter will be the one-on-all battle between Shin'en…and everybody else. There will be graphic violence, character death, and more screen-time for the Greeks, since they had**_ _ **none**_ _ **in this chapter. I didn't feel like wasting words on them being shocked, terrified, and Zeus plotting to kill his nephew. But that'll all be next chapter.**_

 _ **For now, I want you all to Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	31. Decent into the Abyss Pt Final

_Decent into the Abyss Pt. Final_

 _ **Good reviews about the last chapter. People excited for the fight this chapter, eager to see how the Greeks are doing, and one person told me about how Shin'en is a water-based Madara. I'm glad I'm not the only one that saw that similarity.**_

 _ **Despite how well-received this story had been so far, this will probably be the chapter that pisses everybody off, if only for the fact that after whipping major amounts of ass, Shin'en will still lose. But, before everyone grabs the pitchforks and torches, just know that there will be a twisted ending to this chapter, but for it to be a twist you have to realize something:**_

 _ **Shin'en spent his entire life working to avenge his family, the children of the orphanage and the matron. After watching them all die, and then being made to watch, in a dream, them die over and over again, he became cold, and resolved himself to never feel again, and to eradicate all ninja.**_

 _ **Then, despite his best efforts, Yugito, Bee, Darui, Cee, Ei, and Ay all managed to take some small place in his heart, getting past his frigid exterior. Further after that, he went off to the Blood War, where he met the members of Yūrei Squad, and saw and did very horrible, very terrible, and very bad things, and the four assassins also bonded with Shin'en, on a**_ _ **very**_ _ **deep level. On a familial level.**_

 _ **And then they were all killed by Yagura, and their severed heads displayed in public.**_

 _ **That event further strengthened Shin'en's resolve for genocide, believing it would avenge the deaths of his loved ones. He's like Sasuke in that regard, that he's an avenger, only on a much more disturbed, brutal, and serious level. His life's purpose is revenge, his every waking moment devoted to the death of the Ninja Way, his very drive and purpose for existing is to commit mass-genocide.**_

 _ **Then, in a moment where the chakras of his deceased families were able to contact Shin'en, they all told him what basically amounts to 'you're a monster, we're disowning you, and fuck everything you stand for because it's insulting to us and our memory.'**_

 _ **That**_ _ **is what shattered Shin'en's sanity, with his sense of logic being completely destroyed, replaced with irrationality and a deep desire for blood, believing that it's all the ninja's fault that his families are dead, and that it's the ninja's fault they turned their backs on him.**_

 _ **Now, ask yourself these two questions: what would happen if Shin'en saw something that completely affirmed everything the matron said to him back in chapter 27, and how was Yūrei's base found if their location was ultra-top-secret, known only by its members and Mei Terumi?**_

 _ **Food for thought if you actually read the Author's Note.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO, or Naruto

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As Shin'en drew ever closer to the army in front of him (they were probably 500 meters that way), a sudden revelation came upon him: he might die today, or rather, tonight.

36,000 was a _huge_ number, over triple the amount the Raikage once battled, and he was known for single-handedly fighting the Eight-Tails. Shin'en had repeatedly battled Gyuki's Jinchuuriki, but not the Beast itself. He did kill Isobu though, so he has that going for him.

Anyway, the rain no longer fell because that damn explosion nearly evaporated all of the atmospheric water. Fucking Minato and his fucking distractions. Now there was a serious risk of chakra exhaustion, and regular exhaustion. Shin'en was not so foolish as to believe that he could take on a force that size and win.

Someone would eventually get lucky, slip under his radar, and land a debilitating blow. With that in mind, Shin'en crossed his fingers, molding chakra into the appropriate configuration for Shadow Clones, when he stopped. An idea occurred to him, a terrible, horrible idea.

The Greeks were here, all of them, well, not _all_ of them, but all of the main ones. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and eleven more, but they weren't important. Shin'en had already displayed his hydro and electrokinetic powers in the form of his Thirteen-Headed Water Dragon Jutsu, and his Lightning Armor, i.e. the powers of Poseidon and Zeus, but what about Hades? Shin'en did not know how to manipulate his shadow (although it probably wouldn't be too hard to reverse engineer the Nara Clan's jutsu), but he did have one card up his sleeve.

A two-part forbidden S-rank Ice Jutsu that froze people…and then brought them back.

Lightning, water, weather, and now necromancy. Shin'en grinned drunkenly, his Sharingan slowly spinning around. He was all Big Three gods rolled into one little over-powered package deal. Ahhh, life was grand.

Now, the demigod didn't have to be like that. He could've just as easily spawned an army of Shadow Clones, or spammed dozens of Gale Style jutsu, or even better, kill everyone with a hydrokinetic shot to the heart, but Shin'en felt like showing off, showing his 'family' just how outclassed each and every one of them was, and make Zeus tremble.

Shin'en didn't know why, but he got a really nasty kick out of making his uncle look inferior to him. Seriously though, when was the last time any of those lazy gods got off their ass and trained, or sparred? Decades? Centuries? Millennia? Perhaps the Greeks wouldn't be so weak if they hadn't let themselves grow complacent in their time of uninterrupted peace-hey!

Now their peace _was_ interrupted! By him! There was no way all of them would go back and forget what they saw here, granted the Fates didn't wipe their minds or that Shin'en didn't go out of his way and wasted his time slaughtering all of them in the most one-sided conflict since Shin'en fought Tetsuo years ago, at the Hidden Cloud Academy. If the gods and their offspring were smart, they would all get serious, and buckle down in their training.

Oh well. If Shin'en came across them, he'd kill 'em all for the hell of it, and if not, then his extended family all got to live happily ever after…until the Titans rise to power, and the tranquility of the world was shattered. Meh, not his problem.

Now, where was he?

Oh right. Showing off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Poseidon clutched onto Sally tightly. The last they had seen before those ninja kids corralled them into this cave bunker was their son standing atop a massive, watery serpent with thirteen heads and necks, and thirteen sets of glowing red eyes. It had been quiet then for a few minutes, before the sounds of a titanic battle were heard.

Explosions, roars, and the trembling of the cave were common place for what seemed like hours, with small bits of dust and debris cascading from the cave ceiling every now and then. There was one explosion, louder and heavier than the others, before silence reigned supreme once more, aside from the cracks of rumbles of thunder.

The parents were worried. Their baby boy, Percy, was on a mass-murdering rampage it seemed, and was the one behind this gigantic super-storm. Poseidon was the Stormbringer, yes, and Zeus was the God of the Sky, yes, but this was a storm almost on a level that either of them could create. It shouldn't be possible for a half-blood to have _this_ much power. And then there was Sally and Poseidon's baby girl, Persephone, who was out and about somewhere in this madness, no doubt on her way to her twin.

From what the distraught parents had seen so far, their son had some very serious psychological issues. Athena could probably write a book series on how many things were wrong with Percy, and that was what was most troubling. Just how damaged was their son? Just what was his life like in this strange world where children were apparently part of an active military? Would he _kill_ his own sister?

So many questions, so many worries…and the suspicious/accusatory looks Zeus was sending their way did not help Poseidon's frazzled nerves. At all. At least Hades was off to the side with his children, Bianca and Nico di Angelo, spending time with them and bonding. The Dark God looked remarkably…happy. The Sea God hoped that his meeting with his son would be so heartfelt…and not involve a fight to the death.

Then the explosions started up again, only this time with the consistency of a grand fireworks finale.

Interestingly enough, despite them apparently being trained soldiers, all of the ninja kids went scrambling for the cavern exit, and the Greeks took that as their cue to go outside and see what the Hades was going on out there. What they beheld made jaws hit the floor.

It was a light show. Fire, lightning, and laser were thrown about like party favors, thousands upon thousands of what was seemingly the elements themselves flying into the massive body of the water dragon, but to no effect. Even more shocking, was the quartet of gigantic monsters.

A raccoon that appeared to be made of sand, with a single massive tail. A cat made out of blue fire, with two tails. An octopus with the upper body of a bull that had human arms and eight tentacles. And a humongous fox that nine tails, rabbit-like ears, and humanoid arms. They all seemed to be channeling energy into a single, massive ball, that was getting bigger and bigger with each passing second.

"Is that...is that _Naruko_!?" Ino screamed over the sounds of weather and battle. "Since when can she do a full Tailed-Beast transformation!? Not even Lord Hokage can do that!"

"Considering the circumstances, is stands to reason that Naruko made a deal with the Nine-Tails regarding their mutual survival against Shin'en, and they are now existing in a symbiotic relationship!"

"English, Shino!" Ino raged.

"I said: _they're working together!_ "

"Can we all take a moment to realize that a single kid is fighting an entire army by himself!?" Tenten said.

"That's no kid!" Shikamaru roared. "There's not a kid on this planet as powerful as that, not even Naruko has this much power, and she's the Jinchuuriki of the most powerful Tailed-Beast alive. Whatever Shin'en is, he's not human!"

Meanwhile, Zeus was already plotting on how to remove the threat was Poseidon's child, Thalia had never been more jealous of anyone in her entire life, Athena was following in the footsteps of her father, Poseidon was thinking on how to keep his son from dying, Ares was thankful that he had fought the girl instead of her brother **(hehehe…)** , Artemis was curious about this Naruko girl, and Luke was sweating bullets at the thought of this kid being an enemy.

There were zero chances in Tartarus of any demigod alive even approaching the amount power Persephone's brother was displaying. From the top, Luke had seen super human strength, speed, agility, and powers, which included, but were not limited to: lightning powers, water powers, extreme hand-to-hand prowess, and laser blasts that were capable of wiping out multiple blocks worth of landscape.

And what had Persephone shown during her time in the spotlight? Not much compared to her twin. The potential to manipulate water to a degree, a little bit of swordsmanship—just barely able to hold her own against a few opponents when doused in water—a healing factor, and subpar intelligence. Seriously, the girl was a bit of an airhead, but she was cute. Luke would admit to thinking the daughter of Poseidon had a degree of charm to her, kind of like a princess.

Technically speaking she was the princess of the sea, but still. If this Percy kid wasn't killed, or didn't join the Titans in the coming war, then all of Kronos' carefully laid plans would be shot straight to Tartarus, if only because there was no one alive besides a Primordial that could match the boy.

Luke took a deep breath to calm his nerves, which went unnoticed by everyone, even the over-observant Athena and Artemis. Yeah, Percy was up against an army of super-people composed of thousands…he would bite it eventually.

The Greeks and genin watched the raging battle silently, all of them awed into silence. However, that awe was broken by the sight of the Tailed-Beasts rearing back, and their small-mountain-sized jutsu being launched into the air. The genin wasted no time in shoving the Greeks back into the cave bunker, but they weren't quite fast enough.

There was an eardrum-destroying sound, a brilliant flash of light, and an intense burning followed closely by a wave of kinetic force. All of hell broke loose about an attosecond later. The explosion tore across the Hidden Leaf Village, almost blowing the Greeks clear off the mountain. Even the gods were nearly lost in the unforgiving blast waves.

However, much like the previous explosion, the genin of the Leaf kept everyone safe…mostly. There was much screaming, and many younger children in need of new pants. This explosion was also the last straw for Zeus, and he rounded on Poseidon with a furious glare, his legendary paranoia now controlling him.

"Poseidon! You sired this boy to depose me, didn't you!? DIDN'T YOU!? I will not stand for this betrayal! When we return to Olympus your son _and_ your daughter will be judged by the council, and you will be held in contempt!"

The Sea God saw nothing but red upon hearing those words, and his hands were gripping the lapels of that blasted pinstripe suit in an instant. "You dare to insult me, Zeus!? You dare to threaten _my_ children!? Arrogant fool! The existence of my son was not but mystery until just recently, so think very carefully about your actions, _my Lord_."

Zeus' electric blue eyes glowed, and while his divine powers were inaccessible due to being in another pantheon's domain, his godly strength was not lost to his body. With push, he shoved Poseidon off him. _That_ was enough to set the Sea God's anger ablaze fully, and he sprung forward. Zeus raised his arms, ready to battle…only for both brothers to freeze in position.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu…complete," Shikamaru said, his voice dull, yet cold as ice. Those present looked at the floor, and saw that the Nara's shadow was stretching from his body, across the ground, and connecting to the shadows of Zeus and Poseidon. Hades looked intrigued, and slightly jealous of what he was seeing. Everyone else was downright terrified at seeing someone bending the shadows like a child of the Underworld…scratch that. _Better_ than a child of the Underworld.

Hades' children had never been able to manipulate their own shadow in any way, even for shadow travel.

The rest of the genin were leveling hard gazes at the divine brothers, much like law enforcement officers at a prison.

"I don't know who any of you people are, or whatever it is that you're arguing about, and I don't care if you're adults. Right now, you're all guests in _my_ village, civilians at that, so unless you want me to detain you until this invasion is over with, settle down and keep quiet." Shikamaru was not in the mood to deal with bickering civilians at the moment.

Ares stepped forward, drawing attention because of his strange attire and snarling features. "Look punk, I don't care how things operate around here, but if you think I'm going to be ordered by a bunch of snot-nosed brats-"

"Hidden Leaf Law states that in a time of crisis, all civilians, foreign or otherwise, are to be placed under the protection of any and all active duty shinobi, which all of us are," Tenten said, eyes narrowed. "Further, in the event that the civilians in question display questionable or violent behavior, the shinobi guarding them is authorized to take measures to ensure the safety and protection of others, at the expense of the disruption. So please. Step. Back. _Sir._ "

Ares did not at all appreciate being talked at like he was just a mere mortal-no, even lower than a mortal. A _civilian_. One that apparently kowtows to mere _children_. To a god of war with an ego the size of a country, being ordered by a punk brat (a fucking _girl_ to boot!) was cause for a nuclear airstrike.

The god took one step forward, before he was doubling over in pain as something exceedingly hard, strong, and powerful violently buried itself in his gut. Ares threw up on the stone floor, and just managed to raise his head to see the bun-headed girl that lectured him not five seconds ago.

Those brown eyes of her were colder than any ice, and harder than any metal. Then Ares' vision went dark as the girl raised her free arm, and brought it down upon the side of his face. The God of War slammed into the ground with enough to force to leave a slight indent. Tenten was holding back. She didn't want to seriously hurt the civilian, even though he was a prick.

Meanwhile the Greeks just watched with jaws agape as a girl in pink Chinese shirt with her hair done up in panda ear-like buns suddenly blurred into non-visible-ness, reappearing with her fist buried in Ares' gut, before knocking him out with a single blow to the head…which left a crack in the _granite_ floor.

"Now," Tenten cracked her knuckles. They weren't even scuffed. "Anyone else wanna be a disruption to the safety and survival of the group?" Cue vigorous rounds of head-shaking. Tenten beamed, her serious attitude doing a complete one-eighty. "That's great!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the genin were silently panning their gazes across the crowd of strange orange-wearing kids wearing strange pants of some kind of blue material, and the adults that were wearing even stranger close, keeping a close eye out for any other dissent among the civilians. During their watching, a bit of their training from back in the Ninja Academy came to the forefront of their minds.

Target identification. The ability to use provided words in the absence of a photograph to piece together the target's face. Also, if the target's face was unknown, and a description not provided, but the faces of _relatives_ were, then a ninja was expected to use those descriptions and mix-and-match facial features until someone matching the target's name and familial position was located.

In simpler terms, being contracted to kill someone's child and then using the target's parents combined facial features to identify the target.

So, as Sakura, Ino, Choji, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Lee looked about the crowd, their minds started making connections. The kids with the blonde hair and blue eyes were all related, but they weren't full siblings; too many jaws, cheekbones, ears, lips noses, hair types, and eye structure differences; perhaps they were all half siblings.

The fat man with the purple eyes was undoubtedly the father of the twin boys standing close to him. The pale man in the black robe was most likely the father of the two black-haired children, considering the eyes and the facial similarities. There was a little girl in a brown robe sitting next to a stern, bitchy looking woman who was looking distastefully at the girl with the freckles, black hair, and electric blue eyes, who looked like the man Shikamaru had restrained with his shadow, but she didn't look like the bitchy woman. Husband and wife with an illegitimate child, perhaps?

The large kids with the rough features that were all glaring at Tenten were most likely the children the aforementioned weapon's mistress had downed with two hits. There was a large group of seriously good looking boys and girls standing around a woman that was way too pretty to be natural. Funny thing was, none of them looked at all related, but they all had the same aura of 'fairy prince/princess'; also, all of them looked like they would run screaming at the slightest hint of conflict. The large group of all girls in silver had members that looked like they were related to some of the other children; perhaps a club or unit of some sort that got its members from the other family groups?

There was another group of children, all of them with different facial features, like the blondes, but the same black hair and green eyes, all standing around a tall woman that also had black hair and green eyes. Sweet Christ, how many men did that woman fuck to get _that_ many children? Another group, this one all with a myriad of facial features and hair, but the same intense grey eyes, like the clouds of a thunderstorm, all crowded around a woman with the same eyes. Once again, how many men did that woman fuck?

There were two other stand-out groups. The first was an extremely large number of children, over half of them with salt-and-pepper hair and mischievous glints in their blue eyes, with the rest bearing either resemblances to other groups, and or no resemblance to any group. However, there was a man in the middle of the children with the same hair and eyes as the majority. Perhaps that was the orphan/undesirable group? The second was a group of extremely burly children, even the girls, all with skin that looked like it had been tanned by a fire, greasy black hair, and clothes similar to that of a blacksmith, all surrounding an absolute behemoth of a man with intense, narrowed eyes, a bald head with a full beard, and hair reaching his shoulders, arms the size of trees, and a chest the size of a sake keg. This man also had the same fire-tanned skin as the children.

It was then that the genin all came to the same conclusion: they were looking at the biggest polygamous family since the time of the Warring Clans. Panning their gaze over the crowd once more, the Leaf's next generation of clan leaders all collectively froze when they saw the man with the green eyes and the messy black hair next to the woman with the brown hair and blue eyes. The people themselves wasn't what made the genin pause, it was who they saw _in_ those two people.

The hair and eyes from the man, the nose and mouth of the woman, temper it with juvenile age and adjust the ears and jaw slightly, and you got a perfect image of Shin'en of the Cloud.

Just who were all of these people?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en sank to his knees, almost as if in prayer. He raised his arms high above him, his chakra building and flowing within his body, and sinking into the scorched earth below. A deep rumbling filled the airwaves, and the ground started trembling. Shin'en's body began to glow with chakra, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

A roar tore itself from his throat as his chakra exploded from him in a wave of emerald fire. Massive wisps of energy erupted from the demigod, reaching out for everything in reach. Shin'en roared again as a secondary surge of chakra ripped through his system, this time accompanied by an explosion of emerald steam that spread fast and wide.

There was a third surge of chakra, followed by another mighty scream. The ground shook as if held in the hands of an angry god, and massive chunks of ice shot up from the earth in sprays of dirt and ash. Shin'en's wildly fluctuating chakra calmed itself, and the demigod looked around with an approving gaze. Inside each of the gigantic icicles surrounding him, were the silhouettes of human bodies suspended in various positions.

Shin'en cackled loudly to himself, and snapped his fingers. The ice glowed brightly, before the air was filled with the sounds of a series of crashing explosions. The smoke cleared, revealing the bodies within. Scores of masked Mist-nin, each of them moaning and groaning under their masks. The crawled out of the broken ice, falling limply to the ground with a wet splat. The resurrected shinobi all eventually got to their feet, and stumbled their way over to Shin'en...where they kneeled at his feet.

The demigod's eyes were closed in though as he remembered this jutsu. Ice Style: Frozen Resurrection, an S-rank Forbidden Jutsu, commissioned for creation during the time of the Second Mizukage in response to Tobirama Senju's Reanimation Jutsu. It was a two-step jutsu, requiring first for the user to encase the selected targets in ice, letting them freeze to death within the frozen tomb, and then summoning the ice back to the physical plane with the dead targets still frozen within.

Resurrecting the shinobi required your chakra only, and a lot of it. With the corpses now achieving autonomous function with your chakra, they obeyed you, and only you, and they were without thought, pain, emotion, or feeling, because their only purpose in their un-life was to follow the orders you gave them. The drawback to this jutsu was that the resurrected shinobi did not possess the logical and heightened thinking they did in life, and once the chakra in them ran out, their bodies disintegrated.

So, like the Reanimation Jutsu, the corpses brought back possessed complete subservience and were unable to be stopped from completing their orders, but, unlike the Reanimation Jutsu, the corpses were not smart, they could be subdued and damaged, and there was a time limit to their service as a resurrected killing machine. But they would serve their purpose well enough.

Shin'en's eyes snapped open, his Sharingan blazing. He tilted his head back, and yelled the name of the one who dared to challenge his judgement of the world.

" _Na~ru~ko~!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Originally, this was going to be longer, but I saw that I haven't been active since four days ago, and that makes me feel bad, so here is the chapter. Lots and lots of talking, I know, and I know you're all getting antsy to see some action, but now that everything has been set up, the battle begins next chapter.**_

 _ **Think of this as**_ _ **Backup Plan's**_ _ **equivalent to the Search for Tsunade arc, because the next one will be the ending battle of Part I, and it shall be emotional and titanic and land-altering.**_

 _ **Also, the votes are in, the poll is closed, and Subject-3 Beta's role in**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **has been decided. With a count of 34-24, Boyfriend/Mate is the winner. Please, do not whine and complain about the results of the poll, because you won't be changing anything. Just like the Trump protesters won't be changing anything by burning flags and skipping class. Dumbass degenerates.**_

 _ **Don't you all know that the government stopped listening to the people back during the 60s?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	32. Depths of the Abyss

_Depths of the Abyss_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's stopped," Naruko said, blue eyes narrowed. Minato was about to ask for more details, before a surge in chakra cut him off. In fact, it cut everybody off, even those that weren't sensor ninja ceased in their conversations. Seconds later, there was another chakra surge, this one larger than the last and accompanied by an earthquake. They could all also _hear_ the screams of Shin'en as he performed whatever jutsu he was performing.

The ground stopped shaking, and the surging chakra calmed down, but the sound of something akin to exploding glass rang loud and true. Then the sensors picked up _dozens_ of new chakra signatures. Ei frowned; he had read a report that Shin'en had frozen an entire battalion in ice using an unknown S-rank jutsu. The Fourth Raikage worried that this was that jutsu, or at least another part of it.

And then Shin'en's voice boomed loudly from somewhere in the dust.

" _Na~ru~ko!"_

Minato's daddy instincts kicked into high-overdrive as he detected a serious threat to his daughter's life. "Naruko, you need to leave right now. And you too, Sasuke."

Both genin immediately began protesting, but it was actually the voice of Ei that brought the arguing to an end. "Surely you can't be serious, Minato. Your daughter is a Jinchuuriki, and the Uchiha bears that stronger Sharingan. We'll need them for this!"

" _No,_ " Minato said, voice hard and unyielding. Memories of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy regarding the Divine Child and the Child of Prophecy were surging around in his head, and based on current events, it looked like Shin'en was heading down the 'annihilate' path. That was _not_ going to happen, fate and prophecies be damned.

Minato was _not_ going to allow his baby to die this night.

"Shin'en is coming for my daughter, but all he'll find is an army ready to kill him. I want Sasuke to go with her the bunker in the Hokage Mountain for protection, and because I wouldn't be able to look Mikoto and Fugaku in the eye ever again if I knew I caused the death of their son." The Yellow Flash levelled a hard stare at his daughter, and borderline-surrogate son.

"Genin Namikaze, Genin Uchiha. As your Hokage, I order the both of you to retreat for the Hokage Mountain, _now_."

The transmigrant siblings almost protested, but they caught themselves and bowed at the waist. "As you command, Lord Hokage," they both said in tandem.

Then they disappeared in twin bursts of speed, untraceable to all but the well-trained eye. Meaning that almost everyone saw them silently streaking away towards the mountain. Minato sensed another surge in Shin'en's chakra, this one subtler and far less destructive. A massive wall of fog stood up high above the dust cloud, and it began to roll in.

There were many calls, cries, and shouts of 'Hidden Mist Jutsu!' from the shinobi behind Minato and the other leading shinobi in the coming battle, as they recognized what the fog really was and warned other ninja.

"Minato, are you sure it's wise for you to be here?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked. "You're extremely low on chakra, to the point that you're critical. If you exert yourself at anything beyond a genin's level, you will die out here."

The Namikaze patriarch grit his teeth, his face hidden from those behind him and to the side of him via the high collar of his haori. His pride and honor as the Fourth Hokage demanded that he stay and fight by his troops, and die besides them if necessary, but at the same time, his logical and rational side were combining with his duties as a father and husband. The Third Hokage was right; Minato was dangerously low on chakra, and running out meant that he would fail his wife, his daughter, and, ultimately, all of his people.

But he just _abandon_ his comrades on the battlefield, even if it was a struggle to remain standing!

Minato's inner turmoil came to an end when the strong hand of his former sensei clapped down on his shoulder in a firm, reassuring squeeze. The Yellow Flash looked at Jiraiya, taking not of the super-pervert's toad-like visage, and the Elder Sage Toads Fukasaku and Shima sitting on his shoulders, also smiling calmly.

"Leave this to us, Minato. It won't do you or anyone else any good if you die out here. Besides, we have an army, an army comprised of most of the world's most powerful shinobi alive. We'll be fine; we might lose a few good men and women, yes, but we'll be fine. Now get out of here. Rest up. If by some act of God Shin'en gets past all of us, you'll be the last line between him and Naruko."

When Minato hesitated, Fukasaku spoke up. "Now, now Minato-boy. Jiraiya is right. Nothing is impossible, and you might very well the last thing between the Divine Child and Naruko-girl."

"Get going, boy!" Shima cried. "You're wasting your time by just standing there. Flies will start circling you before long, and I _won't_ bother trying to snap them up for you!"

In spite of himself, Minato's eyes watered at the faith and devotion being shown to him. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, a grin pulling at his cheeks. He looked at Jiraiya with a the most thankful smile he could produce. "Thank you, sensei!"

The he was gone in a flash.

Jiraiya smiled faintly. _'Tsunade…we did a really good thing that night. You can say you we were drunk and that you don't remember all you want, but when that kid came out of you, you were even happier than the day Dan proposed to you. Why you gave him up is beyond me, but it doesn't matter now. He's grown into an excellent shinobi, and an even better man.'_

Ei looked at Bee, Yugito, and Gaara, all three of them looking just as worn out as Minato. "You three go join him. In your conditions, none of you are worth any significant value to this army. Leave, recover your chakra, and then get your asses back out here. We're gonna need you."

Yugito and Bee didn't argue, but Gaara opened his mouth…but his words would forever remain unheard because the Two-Tails Jinchuuriki grabbed him at the waist, and vanished without a trace. Kankuro and Temari felt simultaneously relived and worried. Something occurred to the eldest Sand Sibling then, but before she could voice her question…

…the fog rolled over the army.

"Everyone stick together and stay calm!" Ei roared, but he was too late. The fog enveloped him mid-sentence, and even he couldn't hear what he was saying. The Fourth Raikage tried to speak, but all he could hear was a muffled rumbling. He raised his hand to his face, just inches away, but all he could see was the light grey of the fog.

This was indeed the Hidden Mist Jutsu, but it was on a level that no human could possibly produce on their own. This was an unnatural fog, powered by otherworldly forces. It had to be. It had to be Shin'en pumping some of his special chakra into the jutsu, because even during the Third Great Ninja War, when Ei had encountered his fair share of Mist-nin, not even a group of ten, one of the Seven Swordsmen in the group, could produce a mist like this.

Visibility was almost zero, hearing was almost zero, smell was almost zero, tasting the air wasn't something most shinobi could do, and touch worked just fine, but damn. The shinobi were running blind, and they were all packed in like sardines. And couldn't even see their own limbs, much less those next to them. This wasn't good.

So Ei did the one thing he thought would fix this situation given the circumstances: he let his chakra erupt from his body like lava from a volcano. It had the intended effect of blowing the Mist, or at least _some_ of the Mist, revealing about 200 feet of the surrounding area, but what was seen made the shinobi pale drastically.

Ei, Jiraiya, Sarutobi, Kakashi, Darui, Pakura and others managed to either Teleport away, Substitute with something, or just dodged altogether, but most were not so lucky. The stream of lasers impacted right in the bulk of the mostly-unaware army, detonating in large explosions that would've made a certain bomber from the Stone green with envy.

Shin'en's tattoo burned with almost vexing intensity as his numbers went up and up as he registered the disappearing chakras and stopping heartbeats of hundreds of shinobi at once. Still, against an army of 36,000, hundreds weren't much of a dent.

That's why the demigod brought back up!

Shin'en crashed down somewhere in the middle of the large force of cancer, and in twin puffs of smoke, for the first time in months, the Lightning Fangs were out and ready to start spilling blood. The swords were thrumming with anticipation, and who was Shin'en to deny his babies their desire?

Shin'en wasn't even looking at faces as he carved straight through man after man, woman after woman, child after child. His Mist Jutsu was still up and running, and his thralls were having a field day elsewhere in the army, chopping people down left and right, and he hadn't felt so alive since his fifth birthday.

See, Shin'en wasn't crazy! Only crazy people said they weren't crazy, and Shin'en wasn't crazy! He had enough intelligence to realize that taking on an army this size head-on with raw power was suicide, even with all of his powers and abilities, so he super-charged a simple obscurity jutsu, super-charged a complex resurrection jutsu, and went to fucking town!

He was also intentionally avoiding any of the more powerful shinobi that were present, because they would've added a level of difficulty that Shin'en didn't feel dealing with at this point in time. There was another reason he was avoiding Ei, Darui, and Cee, but he was too far gone right now to register that reason.

On a very subconscious level, Shin'en was too afraid to face them, not after what he'd done in recent hours. He was too afraid to be rejected again…not by the people he had let in. His subconscious wouldn't be able to handle it.

Moving on from the demigod's deeply hidden abandonment issues, his Sharingan was working _great_. Since he was the one who spawned the Mist Jutsu, he was immune to its effects, and he could see just fine. His swords were nothing but flashes and crescents of light as they carved through body after body after body after body after body after body after body _after_ body, spraying crimson liquid all over Izanagi's creation, sending limbs and organs flying across the battlefield.

Of course, everything he was doing was being burned into his memory for all time by his eyes.

However, so deep in his frenzy was Shin'en, that he subconsciously forgot to keep feeding his jutsu chakra in order to keep sustaining its overpowered level of obscurity. In short, the fog was clearing out.

The demigod carved through another hundred people, most of the Cloud-nin, in two seconds flat, before he dodged out of the way of a very angry Raikage that was wreathed in lightning. Shin'en settled on top of a dead tree, and a fifty-foot wide circle was made around him.

Ei was in front, Lightning Armor dancing and writhing. To his left was Jiraiya, still channeling the power of nature along with the Toad Elders, and to his right was the Third Hokage, decked out in a black bodysuit, a weird-ass helmet, and an oversized metal rod. Further going about the circle, there was Kakashi of the Sharingan, headband raised, Might Guy, gates unlocked and chakra flowing, Asuma Sarutobi, trench-knives glowing with visible chakra, Pakura of the Sand, three white orbs wreathed in fire surrounding her, Chiyo of the Sand, a couple of puppets in the shape of a man and a woman hovering in in front of her via chakra strings, Darui, cleaver out and ready, a pained look on his face, and Cee, hand-seal primed and chakra ready; he was stone-faced, but his eyes betrayed his internal conflict. Behind all them was the rest of the army, although it was considerably smaller than before.

Shin'en's tattoo now read 19,891. A far-cry from his original count of 11,848.

Ei leveled a hard gaze at the boy he would never admit to seeing as a nephew, taking note of the slicked-back hair, the ruby eyes of the Sharingan (did he always have those, and was just hiding them?), and, most importantly, the _scratched-out_ headband. Ei's heart seemed to stop beating for an instant as he realized the gravity of this situation.

Like most Hidden Villages, the Cloud's policy on defecting shinobi was simple: either kill 'em before they become too much trouble on an international scale, or put up a bounty and wait for the undertaker to come calling with a body and a head. Neither was something Ei wanted to do, but as the Raikage, he had a duty to uphold the law of his village.

Beyond that, Shin'en has made it abundantly clear that he intends to kill everyone on the battlefield.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and steel his resolve, Ei stepped forward, taking care not to step on any of the dozens of corpses that were now littering the ground. With another deep breath, Ei delivered his ultimatum.

"Shin'en! You've committed several acts of treason against the Hidden Cloud Village, and its people! You've committed numerous accounts of murder against the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand, violating the Third Great Treaty! Finally, you have marked your headband, signifying your betrayal of the Hidden Cloud, and your accepted status as a missing ninja. As the Fourth Raikage of the Village Hidden in the Clouds, it is my job to decide your fate!"

Shin'en just stared on with a passive expression. The fog had cleared away completely now, and the night was illuminated by the explosion that was slowly beginning to fade away. This was so entertaining, watching as Ei went on with his speech.

"Shin'en of the Cloud…I hereby excommunicate you from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and the Land of Lightning. Following this, I hereby dub you an S-rank missing ninja, with a kill-on-sight order. Following this, I hereby place a bounty of 1,000,000,000 ryō on your head."

Lightning flashed brightly, and thunder boomed with a dark air of finality. It was done. It was over. Shin'en was now the very thing he had wanted to be from the beginning:

The enemy of the world.

The demigod stared at his former teacher unblinkingly, then...he laughed. A loud, raucous, demented sound unbefitting that of any human, much less a child of a mere thirteen years of age. Shin'en's laughter faded away, but the damage had already been done. Those in the army that weren't made of sterner stuff, or were inexperienced, were deeply disturbed and deeply fearful.

Shin'en's Sharingan glowed brightly as he turned his attention to Ei, and the Raikage made a conscious effort _not_ to look into those crimson eyes. "Hurts, doesn't it, Ei? Having to give someone you let inside...a death sentence. Hurts knowing that you have to kill me. I wonder what Yugito will say when she finds out that you gave the order to take my head. Unfortunately, you won't be alive to find out!"

Shinobi across the battlefield tensed up and started molding chakra, but Shin'en wasn't about to go against this many shinobi at once in a fair fight. So he detonated the extra explosive tags he had planted all across the Leaf.

When his Heaven's Laser and the Tailed-Beast Bomb collided and exploded, the shockwaves had wiped out the flames and raging fires that were chewing apart the Leaf, but with this new flurry of detonating explosive tags, a new wave of heat and light presented itself among the denizens of the Leaf.

"We're going to play a game," Shin'en said, drawing all attention back to himself. "The rules are simple: the longer we stay here, the faster the remaining bits of the Leaf burn; currently, the damage is about equal to what the Nine-Tails pulled thirteen years ago, but with those fires, and the rest of the explosive tags I have placed around the entire village, we could be looking at some major destruction. Just think of all the children in the bunkers.

"Your goal is to put out the fires, and find the rest of the tags. How you do all of that is up to you, but best not tally too long here. Oh, and before all of you run off in terror and panic, I've enlisted some rather useful helpers that will be hindering you along your ways, and then there's also little ole me in the mix."

"You're assuming that we're going to let you leave that tree alive!" Kakashi said.

Shin'en barked a short laugh. "Idiot. I'm just a Shadow Clone. The real me has been in the village since the mist covered the army. Oh, and that reminds me: no duplication jutsu, any of you. If there is multiple of one person running around, I'm detonating the rest of the tags, and trust me...there won't be anything left of the Leaf."

The Clone was about to disperse, but Fugaku Uchiha finally made his presence known, coming from somewhere in the crowd of thousands. He was disheveled, his flak jacket, pants, and Uchiha waste-cape were all tattered in torn, yet still functional. His Sharingan was glowing vermillion, and Shin'en noted with great interest that the Uchiha Patriarch's eyes were not occupied with spinning tomoe, but with the tri-bladed form of a Mangekyou.

"How do you have the Sharingan? Answer me you little bastard!" Fugaku screamed.

The demigod just gave a sideways grin, one that mirrored perfectly the one his sister always gave, and said, "A god gave it to me."

Then he dispelled into a puff of smoke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The real Shin'en was standing on top of the stone face of Minato Namikaze. Yes, he could sense the chakras of the clan heirs and their unimportant friends. Yes, he could sense the essences of the Greeks below him. Did he care about any of them? Hell no.

They were unimportant. Insignificant. Worthless. A waste of his time. Not even worth the effort required to go down there and kill them. They weren't even worth the willpower needed to reverse their blood flow.

So Shin'en ignored them.

The explosion in the sky was beginning to clear out, and the light was starting to fade. Darkness was returning to the Leaf, and the light provided was by the 30 or so explosions and subsequent fires. Shin'en had exactly 100 more just waiting for the chakra pulse. If the shinobi did as planned, they would split into approximately 30 groups of approximately one thousand to A) put out the fires, B) fight off any threats, C) find the other explosive tags, and D) find him.

Now, diverting his attention away from rumination, Shin'en channeled chakra into his gut, the place that always hurt whenever he used his hydrokinetic powers. Now boosted, the demigod's hydro-sensing expanded to encompass miles of land. A few years ago, the sensory overload would've short circuited his brain, but now the registered information was easily handled and processed.

Naruko and Sasuke were about 500 meters out and closing fast. Bee, Yugito, and Gaara were about three times the distance and were coming in even faster. Minato had teleported to his estate, where Kushina and Menma were safe behind numerous sealing barriers, to rejuvenate his chakra. And where was Persephone?

Shin'en blinked. His big sister was on a collision course with Naruko and Sasuke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once more, Persephone was running through the collapsing buildings, the ruined streets, and the crumbling dwelling of the Hidden Leaf. Once more, she was too late to get to her brother. Once more, she was on her way _to_ get to her little brother. If you asked her how she knew Percy wasn't on the battlefield anymore, but was instead standing atop one of the statues on that mountain, she would respond with an unsure answer.

Like, it was an internal radar of sorts; _it_ just drew Persephone towards her brother, like he was a homing beacon. In the end though, as far as Seph was concerned, the _how_ didn't mean a damn thing, just that it _worked_.

This time, Seph was going to make it. This time, Seph was going to save her little brother. This time Seph was going to-

BAM!

-get run over by a girl in just as much orange as she was, and a boy with hair similar to that of a chicken's butt. Well, more of the boy than the girl, but still. Persephone groaned from underneath the pile of limbs she had entangled herself in. Christ, was it a couple of kids, or a couple of freight trains?

Finally having the ability to move again, Seph got to her feet, and the first thing she saw when looked up was a rather handsome young man with slightly feminine looks, raven colored (just like hers and her brothers), and blood-red eyes with a trio of commas circling around each orb…orbs that widened, and alit with the flames of fury.

"Shin'en!" the boy roared. Seph barely had time to blink, before she was pinned to a wall by the neck, her demigod reflexes failing her against the speed of a furious ninja. Seph gurgled and coughed as her airway was cut off by intense pressure to her jugular. Cracking her eyes open, she saw the boy's hand crackle with lightning, and that's when she realized who she had run into.

The same kids that Percy had fought right before this whole nightmare started.

She also realized that the boy, Sasuke, had mistaken her for her twin, and was now about to kill her with a Chidori.

Persephone's eyes widened inconsiderably, and for an instant, so many things happened. Her mind no longer registered the lack of oxygen, or the murderous pressure at her throat. She realized that she was about to be killed before she could meet her baby brother face-to-face, and calm him down from whatever emotional breakdown he was going through right now. Persephone's life flashed before her eyes: all the schools she had been kicked out of, all the teachers she had argued with, all the bullies she had fought against, all the ridicule she got for being dyslexic (people always calling her stupid, or a baby because she couldn't do something so simple as reading), but all the good times with her mother also shot across her mind's eye in fast forward.

In the next instant, as Sasuke's lightning-covered hand came forward tearing forward at a snail's pace, another many things happened. Persephone's gut tightened, clenched, and burned with a fury she had never felt before in her life. Suddenly, she was aware of all the water within 300 feet, from the tinniest droplets, to the expansive sewers below. And she was aware of the water inside of the bodies right next to her.

The daughter of Poseidon wasn't even conscious of what she was doing as her powers instinctively reached out, digging through Sasuke's body and obtaining an iron grip on each of his cells, or more precisely, the _water_ in his cells. Persephone wasn't conscious of any of this, because this was her self-preservation instinct, multiplied to a level beyond human because of the divine blood flowing in her veins.

Sasuke's eyes had dilated to where they were just pinpricks of red, while Seph's eyes had dilated to where they were just pinpricks of sea-green. If one were to look closely, they would see the veins on the Uchiha's body start to pule and bulge, and the demigoddess' power was on the precipice of _rippinghimapart_ -!

Naruko was an orange blur, slamming into Sasuke with more force than she had when she accidentally collided with Persephone. The genin went sprawling, while the half-blood fell to her knees, coughing raggedly as oxygen finally returned to her lungs.

Persephone managed to get enough presence to return to her mind to register the argument between the kids her brother almost turned into grease stains.

"That's a girl, you idiot!"

"It's not _my_ fault that she looks like the same guy trying to kill us all!"

"She's wearing _orange_!"

"I was looking at her _face,_ which looks way too much like Shin'en's!"

"That's still a girl! You almost punched a hole through a civilian!"

"Will you look at her face? _Will you look at her face!?_ Tell me she doesn't look like Shin'en to you!"

Naruko turned her head briefly, and turned it back to Sasuke. "I didn't see any-" the Namikaze whipped back around with an audible crack in her neck, and her jaw went slack. "Oh my God…"

Just then, Yugito, Bee, and Gaara blurred into existence upon the nearby rooftop, and, upon seeing Naruko and Sasuke down below, dropped to join them. The poor redhead was still being held by Yugito, and his eyes had been replaced by swirls because of the dizzying speed he had just moved at. He was still a genin, and the Elite Jonin-level speed was new to him.

"Hey, what are y'all doin' just standin' there? We need to get somewhere safe, so we can get back our chakra, and make this fight more fair!"

Neither Naruko and Sasuke responded one staring in awe, the other with a cold glare. Following the genins' gazes, Yugito, Bee, and Gaara slowly turned their heads…and their jaws dropped too. Persephone felt like crawling under a mountain was the best course of action.

The Two-Tails Jinchuuriki didn't recover, per se, but she did manage to mumble out in awe, "You look…just like…Shin'en…if he were a girl…"

All the looks she was getting, especially from _these_ people, made Persephone feel extremely threatened, and hearing Yugito call Percy by something that wasn't his name made her lash out with all the bite of an angry cobra.

"His name is Percy, okay? And he looks like me because he's my little twin brother!" she shouted with all the breath in her body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Up on the statue, Shin'en sighed to himself and palmed his face. Way to go, Sissy, now you've spilled the beans...meh. Makes things interesting.

Speaking of interesting, the closest fire was only 758 meters away, and a group of 897 shinobi were hopping their way over to it. Shin'en smiled, a cruel, twisted upturning of lips and pulling of cheeks. _Victims_ …

He was about to step off and go meet the Cancer of the world, when an idea popped into his twisted head. With a burst of chakra, and puffs of smoke, the fragments of his Yūrei mask were all laying on his palm. Reverently, almost as if in a daze, Shin'en began picking up the pieces, glancing at them briefly, before putting them on his face. Thirty seconds later, and the assassin had completely reassembled his mask upon his face.

The mask was perfectly recreated, but the cracks from where it had been shattered were easily visible. If there was ever an example of symbolism, this was it.

The assassin was having flashbacks to when he was still in the Mist. On numerous occasions, after the Rebels and the Loyalists clashed in either a skirmish or an actual battle, Mei would call Yūrei in to clean up the survivors, making it a technical victory for the Rebellion. Of course, because Yūrei wasn't supposed to be connected to the Rebels, because it would attract all kinds of bad attention to Mei if the general public learned that it was her commanding the demons that were Yūrei, the special tactical and infiltration squad was called upon to wipe out any Rebel survivors too. It gave the illusion that Yūrei were scavengers on no one's side but their own.

With those fond thoughts in mind, the assassin dispersed into a cloud of water vapor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group heading to first blaze was unaware of the assassin's re-coalescing upon the top of a ruined four-story building. The assassin smirked beneath his mask. These fires were created by special explosive tags, tags whose sealing matrixes were designed by none other than an Uzumaki, dead one, now, but an Uzumaki nonetheless.

Turns out that Arashi's black hair was a product of a lot of dye.

On the subject of the explosive tags, though. See, they were more of an incendiary tag than an explosive one, because the heat they generated was constant, as in the sealing formula was _creating_ the flames, and not using chakra as the fuel source. Unless you get to the tag itself, the blaze would continue to dance indefinitely. The limit to these tags was that the flames had a set radius, with the tag's sealing formula limiting the range in which the fire could extend, because these weren't flames that fed on oxygen and material, but were superficially created by the Uzumaki's seal.

Moving on from that, the assassin was hidden above by nothing other than human inattentiveness. However, instead of jumping down and going on a hack-and-slash rampage, the assassin slowly let his chakra trickle down into the building, down into the earth, and spread it around below the large unit of shinobi scratching their heads at why their Water Jutsu wasn't working. His chakra now saturating the concrete and stone for almost a radius of 600 meters, the assassin molded the expansive mass of energy, and whispered the name of his jutsu.

"Ice Style: Impaler…"

897 shinobi had no warning, no hint, no idea, nor inkling of what was happening beneath their feet. 897 shinobi were killed instantly when 897 spires of ice sprang up as if some great beast below had raised up. The assassin's tattoo burned with almost agonizing intensity as the numbers branded upon his skin glowed and smoldered, before settling on a new number: 20,788.

897 shinobi were suspended a hundred feet in the air, all of them impaled on a single spire, creating a forest. A forest in which the trees are white and frigid, and the foliage is red and slowly dying.

The assassin spared a quick glance at the carnage he had wrought, let the fire rage on, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, thirteen figures blurred into existence on the crumbling rooftop, all of them decked out in Mist ANBU gear, masks covering their faces. They did not breath. Their blood did not flow. And their brains did not function. Their only driving force was the chakra running about through their bodies.

Without even giving any type of signal, the assassin disappeared, and his thralls vanished with him. The night was young; the bodies were many; the blood to be spilt would fill a city; and the assassin was out for one simple thing tonight: revenge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Persephone!"

"Ah!"

Seph yelped as, upon entering the mountain bunker after being escorted by the Jinchuuriki and Sasuke, she was scooped up into the deceptively strong arms of her mother. On instinct born of years of being held like this, despite her age, the young half-blood wrapped her arms and legs around Sally, squeezing back tightly.

"I was so worried about you," Sally murmured into her daughter's soft, silky raven hair, before setting her down. The mother instantly had her finger in her daughter's face. "Don't you _ever_ run off like that again young lady, because if you do, I'll tan your little hide cherry-red and make you sit down on a pincushion!"

Persephone paled, remembering the one time her mother actually did spank her. It was a horrible experience filled with pain, screaming, a bare hand, a spatula, a flyswatter, a shoe, a belt, and her own bare butt. But a quick shower fixed her stinging rear with remarkable efficiency, but the memory was still fresh. Bottom line, the daughter of Poseidon just frantically bobbed her head in acquiescence of her mother's request.

The genin just stared at the interaction impassively, already registering the mirror image of a female Shin'en in the girl. How they didn't see that before was beyond them, even Shikamaru, but that wasn't important…technically. What was important was the arrival of Naruko, Sasuke, Gaara, and Yugito Nii and Killer Bee. They all looked rather tired, and _very_ shaken up.

"Naruko! Sasuke! Hey!" Sakura called as she reached her team, the rest of what would later be called the Hidden Leaf 11 right behind her.

"Hey guys," Naruko said tiredly, while Sasuke just grunted. "What's up?"

Shikamaru just snorted, and quickly gave his friend a summarization of what had happened since the invasion had started. "Huh," the blonde said absentmindedly, "that's cool." The Nara, and the rest of his fellow genin could easily tell that Naruko had something really big on her mind, and, looking at him, so did Sasuke. Both of their eyes were slightly glazed over.

Instead of pressing them on it though, Shikamaru asked, "Why are you two here? I figured Lord Hokage would want both of you on the frontlines, especially after that earthquake and all those explosions."

That seemed to knock Naruko out of her funk, because she shook her head vigorously, making her pigtails dance. "Low on chakra. All of us are, actually. Dad wanted me and Sasuke here so we could allow our chakras to regenerate, and the same for Gaara, Yugito and Killer Bee."

Shikamaru nodded. "How long do you think that's going to take?"

Naruko shrugged. "I'm already back to fifty percent, and Sasuke says he's about at seventy-three percent, so a few minutes I guess."

"That's great," Kiba said, "but do you know anything more about that girl over there, Persephone or whatever? She looks like Shin'en."

Naruko's eyes lit up, and after so many parties, sleepovers, family gatherings/dinners/get-togethers, and six years in the academy, those everyone besides Lee and Tenten recognized the Namikaze's 'have-I-got-a-story-for-you' face, but for the rest of Team 9, it wasn't hard to figure out that Naruko was excited about what she had to say.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Huh," Kiba said. "Never really cared much about gods and stuff, and here we find out there's an entire group of them…from another dimension. For some reason, I find myself not caring."

"Probably because it has something to do with how civilian-y they look, and that Tenten downed their war god with two blows," Shikamaru surmised. Kiba just shrugged. Akamaru yipped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where are they!? GLAGH!"

"I can't see-AHHH!"

"There's too many of them! We have to retreat!"

SCHLING

Chaos and disarray had befallen the fourth major group of shinobi tasked with trying to put out one of the fires, and protect against Shin'en, or anything Shin'en had cooked up. However, none of the large force of 549 were prepared for an indistinguishable number of blurs to shoot out of the woodwork and start cutting down men and women left and right like they were just training dummies.

In less than five minutes, only 42 out of the 549 were left standing, and as you're reading this, those men and women were being cut down swift as the wind by flurries of motion, and ripples of space. By now, only ten were left standing, and they were all pitifully weak, all of them chunin that had only ascended to the rank just a few months ago.

They bunched together in a back-to-back formation in a desperate attempt for survival. A black shape landed in their midst, and that was quickly followed by a horizontal flash of light that vanished as soon as it came. Then all ten chunin went flying, their upper bodies separated from their lower halves in sprays of crimson life.

32 shapes materialized around the assassin, all of them human, blood soaked, and wearing Mist ANBU gear. The assassin's tattoo had also changed again, reaching an even higher number: 23,951, and there were still thousands of shinobi left to go. The assassin was still wearing his shattered mask, and his Cloud uniform, but he was _covered_ in blood. Every inch of his body was caked in crimson. Everything from his toes, up to his black hair was blood on it.

The assassin had so much blood on him that it had oversaturated his clothes, and the material was freely dripping with blood, along with his arms and swords. But the night was not over, and the assassin was filled with a burning drive to eradicate all ninja life. He had yet to run across anyone too challenging, unless Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Hana Inuzuka, Pakura of the Sand, and Baki of the Sand counted as challenging. They might have been in a straight fight, but the assassin was an assassin.

Stealth was his sword, the unknown his shield, stealth his bread, and surprise his butter.

He wasn't wasting time on something stupid like a fair fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarutobi grunted as he smashed one of these Mist ANBU things in the face with his adamantine staff, crushing the skull like an overripe fruit, only there was no blood, only a splattering of grey-brown flesh and bits of grey matter. Sarutobi grunted in surprise when the headless thing grabbed his staff, spun him around, and then hurled him away.

Still, the old man wasn't called the God of Shinobi for his handsome good looks, and all he did was substitute with a piece of rubble, and was ready to continue the fight. Only the Mist-thing had regrown its head, but its mask had remained off. Sarutobi had seen many disturbing things during his lifetime, most of them in the labs of his former student, but this thing was definitely in the top ten, easy.

Its eyes were glazed over in a layer of frost. Its skin was frozen and frostbitten, combining into a disgusting mix and brown and grey. Its lips had been frozen off, revealing all of the teeth, which were all a pristine white. Its hair was just fine though. The Third Hokage didn't know what this thing was, but he knew enough to know that it was A) dead, B) powered by chakra that was not its own, C) was created by Shin'en by whatever jutsu he used before the fog rolled in, and D) could not be killed with conventional methods.

With those thoughts in mind, Sarutobi came up with a strategy on the spot for defeating this thing and continuing his search for any hidden explosive tags, when the dead ANBU vanished in a Teleportation. While the movement was sudden and swift, the Professor tracked the chakra easily enough, and whirled around to face where it went...and paled.

There about 50 more ANBU behind him, all of them from the Mist, but in the middle was a figure of short height, wearing a Cloud-nin outfit, was soaked in enough blood to where it freely dripped off of him, and had a fractured mask on his face, most likely held in place by chakra, also dripping with crimson fluid. Sarutobi recognized this figure, even with the mask, and he readied himself for an intense battle. Instead of engaging in banter, the God of Shinobi flung himself forward, adamantine staff primed and ready for combat. Then he froze in midair. Hiruzen Sarutobi gasped in pain, then he popped like a water balloon, his insides flopping and spraying all over the ground and surrounding buildings. Enma the Monkey King wailed in despair, and vanished in a puff of smoke back to the Summon World.

The assassin felt nothing as he killed the legendary Third Hokage. The old man was just a number on his forearm at this point. And the thousands of others would soon follow. Even now, the assassin could still feel his tattoo pulsing as he sensed his thralls eliminating the small search groups of shinobi dispatched to find more explosive tags.

The fireball in the sky had faded a while ago, and now darkness reigned over the leaf, with only the harmful light of fire to provide illumination. The clouds were beginning to break though, and the assassin could see the moon for brief instances as it peeked through the gaps.

The satellite was glowing red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko, Yugito, and Persephone all stood at the entrance/exit to mountain bunker. From their elevated view point, all of them could easily see the devastation that _Percy_ had brought. Raging fires dotted the village landscape, with large columns of black rising into the night. A large number of very tall icicles were standing off to the side, each adorned with red-and-black tip. The scent of blood and death was heavy in the air, even for Persephone, whose nose wasn't quite as adept as the Yugito and Naruko's.

She was a demigod yes, and her senses were better than that of a normal human, but she wasn't as shinobi, a being who was bred and trained for hunting, stalking, and killing like the two blondes.

All three females felt their hearts breaking at what they were seeing. Naruko, because this was her home, and she was firm in her belief that she could've done something more to prevent Percy from becoming this way. Yugito, because this was the boy she had raised, the boy she had held tight in her arms on numerous occasions, the boy who she had seen cry himself to sleep, the boy who only smiled on very rare occasions…the same little boy who had once accidentally called her 'mom' that one time so very long ago. Persephone, because this was her little brother that was doing all of this, killing all of these people (even from way up here, she could hear the faint screams and the ringing of steel), causing all of this destruction, while she was powerless to stop him.

Seriously, what _could_ she do to stop Percy? He wasn't even sane right now, and would more than likely cut her to pieces if she got in his way, and she had no power to speak of when compared to Percy. She couldn't summon storms, she couldn't control water at the same degree Percy could, she couldn't use lightning, and she wasn't fast or strong like he was. She couldn't even keep up with wood nymphs, and she could at least see _them_ move. Her brother's movements could be swifter than the firing of a synapse in the brain.

Talking to him was definitely out of the question, because words would be wasted entirely. Come on, when did trying to calm down the major supervillain with a heartfelt speech ever work in the end? Percy also didn't have anywhere near the amount love Seph had for him, so trying to be siblings wasn't going to work. The daughter of Poseidon felt like crying.

She didn't feel as powerless as this even when she was facing the entire Olympian Council, nor when she faced Hades, nor when she almost fell into Tartarus. Thinking about those moments, and comparing them to how weak she felt now, tears did start to fall from the demigoddess' sea-green eyes.

Persephone froze when someone about her size wrapped their arms around her. Cracking her eyes open, which let more tears fall, the young girl saw a head full of blonde hair, and more orange than what was healthy. Seph let the dam break, and she threw her own arms around Naruko, and clung to the kunoichi with all the strength she could muster in her distraught state.

Yugito watched the two girls share each other's pain with a sad expression. Jinchuuriki led lives of solitude and isolation, alienated by shinobi and civilian alike because of the Tailed-Beast sealed inside of them. As such, most Jinchuuriki were introverts, loners, jades, cynisists, and held a strong dislike for humans, and all people in general, really, but Shin'en?

His life was an endless cycle of pain and torment, and _this_ was his way of relieving stress, of letting out the pain, _this_ was his equivalent to a normal child's temper tantrum, as they got angry and lashed out at the world. Normal children punched, screamed, yelled, hollered, and screamed at the top of their lungs to vent their pent-up frustrations.

Shin'en went on a murderous rampage of mass carnage and destruction, bringing untold amounts of misery and destruction to the people of the world.

As a kunoichi, Yugito had been through many psychological courses and taken many exams. It was a necessity for an assassin; the ability to read a target, their movements, their actions, their words and facial expressions, to understand them, how they think, how they would react to stimulus, what they ate for breakfast lunch and dinner, and so on. To _know_ how a person's mind worked, was to control that person.

To control that person, was to be able to reach out at any moment, and kill that person.

Yugito wasn't a psychologist on the level of anybody from our world, but she understood enough about Percy to know why he was doing this. At the tender, impressionable age of just _five_ , he had awakened his chakra in response to almost being eaten alive by a hungry wolf pack. At six, he watched his entire family of orphans (the boys and girls he had always known as his siblings) get brutally slaughtered by Ameyuri Ringo.

After that, Percy hadn't 'killed' his heart or 'killed' his emotions like he so desperately forced himself to believe. He had just buried them down so deep that he forgot he had them, and experiencing them fully at so many times in his life terrified him. Yugito also knew why Percy had done that to himself.

He was afraid. He was afraid of being _hurt_ again. The pain of watching his family die had scarred his brain down to the atoms, and so his brain shut down that part of him. The part that let people inside, to his heart. However, Percy was still just a child, just a step above being categorized as a toddler, and his brain didn't know how to effectively shut off the emotional control center, and the next four years had been nothing short of traumatic for the little boy.

Months of training, fighting, and _killing_ people, _torturing_ people, and _living_ with people. Living with Yugito. With Bee. With Darui. With Ei. With Cee. With Ay. Percy literally didn't know how to process any of that. One second he's shutting himself off to commit genocide against a mosh pit of things, the next he's trying to reboot himself for his time with Yugito, but he never fully completed the process.

Then, when cracks were starting to be made around the icy shell around his heart, Yugito had been pulled away for a year-long mission, and Shin'en had been forced to attend a class of kids that he had eventually all killed. The cracks sealed back up, and mind forced a hard shutdown of crucial emotions.

It had taken two years for all of Yugito's progress to be made, and just a single year for it all to come undone. By that time, Percy was nine, and there was just twelve short months left to go before he returned to the Mist. During that time, Ay had pushed the boy to, and then pulled him back from, the edge of the abyss so many times it was damaging to Percy's brain. Also during this time, Percy had spent far more time with Ay than with Yugito or anybody else, so there wasn't any chance of trying to reboot his emotions again.

Then time was up.

The Raikage had received monthly reports of Percy and Yūrei's actions in the Mist. The missions they went on, the people they killed, the horrible things they did to people in order to obtain crucial information…Yugito's heart constricted at the thought of the roller-coaster Percy was riding. Whatever Yūrei had been doing, they were doing it right, but it still damaging at the same time.

See, because of the missions, and the nature of those missions, Percy had closed himself off on a level that was near-catatonic, in order to not feel a thing for the people he murdered, but at the same time, Yūrei had been chipping away at the ice around his heart…and _they succeeded_.

They broke through, and became a second family of Percy's. Yūwaku had been the crazy big sister, Arashi the protective, calm big brother, Bullock the silent brother, and Sukina had been the sweet, doting, loving, older sister that Percy had all so desperately needed to save his humanity, and whatever remnants of a childhood that still remained.

And then all of Yūrei had been killed, and their heads mounted on pikes for public display.

Percy's emotions boiled over in the exact same way as when the orphans had all been killed. Lightning, wind, rain, earthquakes, twisters, and more death than what any one child should have been able to accomplish, but Percy had done it, _and_ he defeated Yagura, a Kage-level perfect Jinchuuriki.

But the damage had been done. His heart was now layered in frozen steel, and his emotions buried deeper than the moon was high in the sky. Yugito feared it was now irreparable, and permanent.

Then again, look at what he was doing now. Morbid and horrible as it was, Percy was _active_. He was doing all of this because he had enough emotion in him to feel the desire for vengeance, to bring his admittedly twisted sense of justice bearing down on the world for all the pain it's caused him. If there was enough feeling left in Percy's body to go down such a path, then Yugito will fight to bring her boy back, tooth, nail, and claw.

Persephone's sniffles subsided just as Sasuke and Killer Bee emerged from the bunker. The males didn't say anything, just moved until they were next to their respective female counterparts. Naruko separated from the demigoddess, and used her thumbs to dry the girl's cheeks.

"Please," Seph pleaded, "save my little brother."

Naruko grinned, but it lacked its usual overexuberance. Instead, it was more subdued, serious, and more… _powerful,_ for lack of a batter word. The Jinchuuriki's eyes sparkled brightly with an emotion that Persephone couldn't place, but she felt reassured more by that smile than she did by a promise on the Styx.

"We'll save Percy. That's the promise of a lifetime."

Naruko was so sincere, so calm, so-so _trustworthy_ in her two short sentences that Persephone's very core resonated with faith in the blonde. With one last squeezing of the raven-haired girl's shoulders, Naruko separated entirely, shared a nod with the other three shinobi, and then they were all sailing through the air, leaving Persephone by herself at the entrance of the bunker.

Watching the shinobi race off after her brother, surveying the burning, crumbling landscape around her, hearing the faint sounds of a far-off battle, smelling the rotten stench of death, Persephone clasped her hands together in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and _prayed_.

Prayed not to her father, or any Grecian deity, or any Shinto deity, or any _deity_ for that matter. She prayed to a being that was exalted above all others, a being revered by all of her world as the one true King, the King of Kings.

Persephone prayed to God that He would save her brother.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We won't be able to stop him," Sasuke said gravely, his Mangekyou shining brightly in the night. "We don't have the power."

As much as she was inclined to argue, Naruko couldn't find any valid points to bring up. Percy could manipulate the water in all living things, and last time Naruko checked, she, Yugito, Bee, and Sasuke were all living things. And in all the years Percy had been using his water powers, not once has there ever been a counter to his abilities discovered. It was not favorable conditions that the team of four were speeding into, but Naruko had promised to her fellow big sister that she would save Percy, no matter what.

Now she just had to figure how to do that without dying.

" _Perhaps I could be of assistance in that endeavor."_

Mid-leap, Killer Bee and Yugito both yelped when Naruko and Sasuke simultaneously fell unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darui stared sadly at the assassin, cleaver out and ready for combat. Around him were exactly 83 corpses of assorted Cloud, Leaf, and Sand ninja, along with a burning tree behind him, and collapsing structures on the outskirts of the surrounding area. In front of the Elite Cloud Jonin was the assassin, still drenched in blood, although it had all dried, becoming a crusty cloak of dark vermillion. It looked more black than it did red.

The assassin stood at an angle to where he was shrouded in the long shadow cast by Darui due to the burning tree behind him. The black man was having flashbacks to a time where the world wasn't in danger of being leveled by a child who had been wronged by its horrors, and flashbacks to when he had taught Shin'en the Gale Style: Laser Circus.

To when the mountain lay smoldering and melting, and the molten rock had cast an angry light over Shin'en's young face. Darui had marked that day as the day that one that heralded the end of the world. It seemed that day was finally here. Still, even though it was dull, Darui would not go out standing flat-footed, even if what was against a kid that had beaten him at the ripe old age of six.

However, this wasn't a match of ninja, but a contest of swordsman.

Darui raised his cleaver, shouted a war-cry, and poured every last ounce of chakra he had left in his body straight to every one of his muscles. He shot off like a rocket, tearing apart the ground with his velocity alone. The bones in his legs had been turned into powder and his muscles had been shredded like paper, but he was tearing past the assassin faster than even the Raikage had once moved.

Darui went bouncing across the ground, skipping twice and leaving craters in his wake, and slammed into the ruins of a wall with enough force to not spider-web crack the entire thing. His blood quickly filled the cracked space as his heart stopped beating.

The assassin stared at the dead man from behind his fractured mask, his swords dripping with fresh blood. Darui had been fast, but the assassin had been faster. His Sharingan and godly reflexes made for a deadly precognitive weapon that was extremely difficult to out maneuver. A flick of his blades had Darui spiraling out of control and down into the peaceful Abyss of eternal sleep.

The assassin's eyes stung briefly, but he ignored, just as he ignored and buried the despair and grief that threatened to swallow him in their bottomless gullets. The assassin didn't spare any more looks at the dead man in the wall, and turned his back and sped away in search of his next victims.

Darui's body slipped slightly, before he fell off the wall completely, landing face-first on the ground with a broken splat. The fire dancing about the tree suddenly flared up as if conducted by a god to start playing the finale. In seconds, the entire area that had been filled with bodies and blood was engulfed in the harmful light of the flame.

The scent of burning flesh was drowned out by the sound of a nearby battle, and the screams of the dying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **To date, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I started on Sunday, and obviously finished it today. Originally, this chapter was going to be nothing but a slaughter fest of blood and jutsu and character death. How it became so emotional, at least to me it was emotional, is anyone's guess but here it is.**_

 _ **Out of all my versions of Percy Jackson, even with all their emotional issues and tragic backstories, Shin'en is the one that I feel is the most complex, intricate, and most deserving of tears. The things this kid has gone through, and seen, and done is just unreal.**_

 _ **Lets people in, they die, he feels tremendous pain, he shuts down and closes his heart. He lives like a zombie, starts to let people in, gets somewhat attached, and then he's ripped away from them by a deal that**_ _ **he**_ _ **made. Then he closes his heart even tighter, but people still manage to worm their way inside, dig in, become lights in his dark world, and then they're violently snuffed out.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please.**_


	33. Battle of the Abyss: Part One

_Battle of the Abyss: Part One_

 _ **I think I'm going to call this the 'Abyss Arc,' because every chapter has had 'Abyss' in it. From the title, I'm sure you can guess what this chapter will be about, considering how the last one ended. I'm sure people will be mad at me for doing it, but the only way I could see Percy losing to Naruko and Sasuke is if they had their Six-Paths powers, as in the Rinne-Sharingan and Six-Paths Sage Mode.**_

 _ **This is also where Percy will lose the fight, but not the war. I've got one more conflict to go through after Naruko and Sasuke, and**_ _ **that's**_ _ **when Percy will become underpowered, but there will be valid reasons, because all a suddenly losing power for nothing but my own amusement is stupid, so bear with me.**_

 _ **Now that that's all cleared up, let's get to the battle.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

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"Kurama! Who's the old guy!?"

The Nine-Tails slammed his gargantuan head into the gargantuan bar in front of him, shaking the entire seal-scape. No, he couldn't really fault Naruko for not knowing who the most powerful mortal to have ever lived was, nor should he be surprised with her referring to the Sage as 'old guy,' but damn. Somewhere along the line, Minato and Kushina failed abysmally to teach their daughter manners.

If Hagoromo cared about being called old by a twelve-almost-thirteen-year-old, he did not show it. Instead, his Rinnegan gazed at the blonde child with dire seriousness. "Naruko Namikaze, I am Hagoromo Otsutsuki. You might know me better by my other name: The Sage of the Six Paths."

"Oh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke stared intently at the old man floating cross-legged in the air. Everything was tinted blue for some reason, and it looked like he was in a sewer. The Uchiha's Mangekyou was glowing in the dim light, but for some reason, Sasuke could not see the old man's chakra. That was cause for more concern than anything else at the moment.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, not impolitely, but not nicely either.

The man's strange eyes glowed. "I am Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths."

"Oh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While the flames of his vengeance had been dulled since the battle with the Tailed-Beasts, and the madness of his mind had been subdued as well, the assassin was no less passionate about slaughtering every motherfucker that walked on two legs and held a kunai in reverse-grip.

His thralls were assembled around him, hidden and hiding, lying in wait for the group of shinobi about to come flying through. The assassin himself was just sitting in the middle of the street. The idea was that when he was seen, the incoming squad would freeze in place, and that was when the thralls would attack with lethal precision.

Closer, closer, closer came the ninja, closer to their deaths, closer to ridding the world of their filth...then came the twin surges of chakra that were of enough of a magnitude to grab the assassin's attention. The assassin knew those chakras, and he knew what that sudden surge in power meant. It meant that world maps and landscapes were about to be rearranged.

The assassin abandoned his current endeavor, and let his thralls ambush the stunned battalion, slaughtering them all. The assassin ignored the burning on his forearm as his numbers ascended once more, and took to the roofs, steadily hopping across the Leaf toward the spiraling pillar of gold and purple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The genin guarding the Greek 'gods' were as bored as they were on edge. The bunker was silent, with the gods and their children huddled in their own sitting groups, whispering and conversing among themselves. From what the young shinobi could all hear, the half-bloods were nervous and scared. 'What if Percy comes over here?' was the most prevalent question, which was closely followed by 'what will we do?'

There wasn't an answer for that.

The genin sensed the buildup of the massive chakra about three seconds before the aftershocks of the eruption came howling through the bunker entrance. The Greeks hunkered down and screamed, but the genin all scrambled out side, and almost fainted.

A spiraling pillar of gold intertwining with purple was rising into the heavens. The chakra had split apart the clouds, revealing the impossibly large blood moon above. Seriously, the satellite seemed to have come about three hundred miles closer to the planet, making it appear the size of a mountain hanging in the sky. The genin chalked it up to an optical illusion created by all of the chakra swirling in the air.

Moving on, where that pillar was originating was about the same location Naruko, Sasuke, Yugito, and Killer Bee were supposed to be, factoring in their speed and the distance from here to there. That was definitely their friends' chakras though, no doubt about it. None of them were sensor-types, but the amount of chakra spilling out from that direction was more than enough to amplify the chakra signatures by a hundredfold.

"Oh, come on!" Kiba complained. "Shin'en is a walking power up. Naruko's getting a power up. Sasuke's getting a power up. Where's my power up, huh? Life ain't fair I tell ya!"

"Shut up, Kiba!" was the conjoined response of every genin, even Lee and Tenten.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _So much power!_

Naruko and Sasuke were practically drowning in their own chakra. They were experiencing such a massive surge in chakra that their coils were _hurting_. In all seriousness, it felt like their coils were about to burst! In addition to all of this chakra pouring from their cores, so too came a flood of knowledge given to them by their…did father accurately describe what Hagoromo was to them?

Anyway. Knowledge flooded into Naruko's head. Knowledge of the Rasenshuriken, knowledge of the Planetary Rasengan, of the Tailed-Beast Bomb, of how to use her new powers, how to fly, mold and shape her Truth-Seeking Balls, how to sync with Kurama, and how to _fight_. Fight even better than what she could now.

It was the same for Sasuke, too. His eyes burned with the new powers channeled into them, and his mind felt like splitting at the seams with all of the knowledge flooding in. Knowledge on how to use the Rinne Sharingan in his left eye, and the Eternal Mangekyou in his right. He didn't even know such an eye existed (or how Hagoromo gave it to him)!

Hagoromo powerful voice reverberated throughout Sasuke and Naruko's consciousness. _'You are both inexperienced with these abilities, but do not worry. I will be here the entire time, guiding and teaching you on what to do and how to do it. Also, do not worry about chakra exhaustion. I will read and maintain your chakra levels, replenishing when necessary.'_

' _Thanks Gramps!'_

' _Thank you, sir.'_

' _Save your thanks for when we've prevailed over Perseus.'_

' _Right. Where is he?'_

' _About 83 meters North Northwest and coming in fast, Naruko.'_

' _Thanks, Gramps.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The assassin blurred into existence upon a rooftop (yet again), just in time for the chakra spire to fade away, reveling the forms of Naruko and Sasuke…or their new forms, as would be most accurate.

Naruko's orange jumpsuit-jacket, hair, headband, sandals, and shorts were all now glowing a brilliant gold. On her shoulders were black circles inscribed within black bands. On her back was a symbol similar to the Rinnegan, with nine magatama arranged in a square below the ripple pattern. Her irises were gold, her pupils tuned into crosses, and her whisker marks had thickened into black bars. Her jacket had split open, but everything underneath was covered in a black bodysuit-type garment that had six golden magatama on the collar, and went all the way down to the girl's sandals, giving the impression she was wearing a morph suit with golden shorts and jacket over it. Over her stomach was a golden circle. Finally, floating around behind reincarnation of Ashura were nine black spheres, each one a bit bigger than a baseball.

Sasuke's appearance hadn't changed, clothing-wise anyway. He was still wearing the black shirts, shirt, and sandals as at the beginning of the tournament, but the bandaged and elbow pad had vanished. Everything else though…that was different. His skin was the same as his Level 2 Curse Mark, along with the claws and the fangs, but he was missing the nose-shuriken, the hand-like wings, the lipstick, and the wild mane of blue hair. However, Sasuke's hair had become spikier, longer, giving him a more rugged appearance, one that was accented by the lack of a headband. The eyes though, that was what was most important. The right one's sclera was pitch-black, which made it look like his Mangekyou (which had a new design in it) look like a red start just floating in a void, while his left eye almost made the assassin lunge: Rinnegan, but with six tomoe. Finally, the reincarnation of Indra was surrounded by a purple aura that freely washed over his body.

Something funny though. Sasuke and Naruko's chakras…they had both been drastically increased to ungodly levels, enough to make even the strongest shinobi pause before engaging, but when you added up the girl's to the boy's, they _still_ did not eclipse the assassin's. They came close, yes, very close in fact, but they did not surpass the boy, even after he had used an S-rank, a D-rank, a B-rank, and an A-rank jutsu.

The assassin had a _lot_ of chakra.

The reincarnations looked up, making eye contact with the blood-covered assassin. The life-fluid had dried some time ago, becoming a crimson crust covering his skin, painting his mask, matting his hair, and starching his clothes into a rigid form. The Jinchuuriki also looked up, and grief flashed through Yugito's eyes, while Bee's expression morphed into one of disappointment.

The assassin readied his vermillion blades, but Naruko held up a hand. There was a yellow circle upon the glowing palm. "Not here," she said. "There's been enough damage to my home already. I will not stand for us to do battle here."

Other than having a megaton more chakra, Naruko sounded older…wiser…calmer. More mature. As for taking the battle elsewhere, the assassin was more than fine with that. After he was done with the children, he would just return and slaughter the rest of the shinobi anyway.

Almost as if she could read his thoughts, Naruko frowned in a sad manner, before rising high into the cloudless sky, and zooming off, becoming a golden comet across the heavens. Sasuke was right behind her, levitating through some unknown means, and rocketing away, following his 'sister.' The assassin did not waste time in bringing the water vapor to him, freezing it around himself first as a harness clinging to his back and reaching over his shoulders and around his waist, then as a pair of wings made of ice. Dark emerald chakra leaked around the assassin before lightning flickered around in a clap of thunder.

The assassin spared one last look at the Yugito Nii and Killer Bee, his expression hidden behind his shattered mask, before he shot into the air, going after the transmigrant children, black arcs of lightning trailing after him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All around the Leaf, shinobi halted in their battles with the crimson flames, shinobi halted in their search for more explosive tags, and shinobi halted in their conversations. Two massive chakras surged across the burning village, large enough to where even non-sensors could detect the magnitude of the powers. It brought hope to them, especially when they saw the golden streak across the ink backdrop of the night sky, followed by the purple one, which was followed by the emerald one complete with black electricity.

The trademark of Shin'en.

The shinobi didn't know who the gold and the purple were, but they did know that the one kid that had the power to fight all of them at once from atop an S-rank Water jutsu had just left the village, and that was cause to celebrate…were it not for the undead Mist-nin that descended upon the ranks, cutting people down left and right while also shrugging off kunai, shuriken, senbon, swords, and jutsu. Whenever they were hit, at least.

These damn things were strong, and it was the general consensus of the remaining shinobi that Shin'en was behind this madness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He can _fly_ too!?" Zeus ground out through gnarled teeth.

"And use lightning. And use water. And I think those Mist ANBU down there aren't technically alive…" Ino paused. "Hey, Shikamaru? Do you think Percy can use your Shadow Jutsu?"

The Nara shrugged. "Our Shadow Jutsu isn't a bloodline, so anybody could actually use it, in theory. They'd have to get their hands on our clan scrolls though, which is a lot harder than one would think, but to answer your question: yeah. Pretty sure it wouldn't be hard for Percy to reverse engineer our Shadow Jutsu and use it himself."

"Man," Choji said, munching on chips. "Lightning and flight, water and storms, bringing back the dead and could possibly use shadows…isn't that, like, the three of you guys combined?"

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, shared a look; Persephone, Thalia, Bianca and Nico shared a look; the gods and their children shared a look; Sally had a weird expression on her face. Huh, the had never thought of that. Mulling over all that Percy had done so far, yeah, he was kinda like the Big Three rolled into a package deal.

And that wasn't exactly a comforting thought.

Artemis and her Hunters were collectively fawning over the power of the Namikaze girl. They couldn't sense chakra, no, but they could all feel the immense amount of power that was radiating from Naruko. Being completely honest with herself, Artemis would say that Naruko's power eclipsed her own when in her true form.

The Moon Goddess wondered if it was possible to recruit maidens from other dimensions. The girls here were _powerful_ , as Tenten so eloquently displayed when she downed Ares with two blows. However, once more being completely honest with herself, Artemis was just a tad bit scared of these girls. Say they took the Maiden's Oath, but then broke it with a man, how would the goddess be able to punish the kunoichi? They weren't weak, they weren't weak at all, and it would be foolish for any Olympian to engage in combat with anyone here.

Especially those three: Naruko, Sasuke, and Percy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three admittedly overpowered children soared over the Land of Fire, several hundred feet in the air. Naruko trailed a streak of gold, Sasuke a streak of purple, and the assassin a streak of dark emerald trailing black arcs of electricity. Beneath them was nothing but an endless expanse of trees, all of them saturated in the dull crimson of the enlarged moon.

The destination was unknown, and the assassin was fed up with travelling. So, with a burst of chakra, he accelerated downward like a hawk going in for the kill. Naruko and Sasuke scattered to either side, and the assassin banked straight for the reincarnation of Indra, judging him to be the weaker out of the two, therefore seeking to eliminate the runt of the pack before going after bigger game.

Sasuke's eyes were of little interest to the assassin now, as he focused more on eliminating his self-chosen targets than personal gain. The assassin was prepared for many things, but for Sasuke to suddenly be replaced with Naruko without so much as a hand seal or a fluctuation of chakra was not one of them.

Naruko reared her fist back, and thrust it forward. Transcendental force was what slammed into the assassin's mask, breaking away a single fragment to reveal part of his forehead. The crimson-covered boy shot up, his icy wings folding downwards. Sasuke was behind the assassin in a burst purple, but by then the assassin had recovered from the ringing blow dealt to him by Naruko.

He whirled around midair, slashing at Sasuke with dual precise strokes. The Uchiha was replaced once more with the golden form of Naruko. However, it was expected this time, and the girl's punch was redirected with the flat of a blade, while the other came blazing forward, aiming for the heart.

The assassin's Sharingan spun as his perception of time slowed down. One of the orbs floating around Naruko's form came forward, right in the Lightning Fang's trajectory. The assassin had too much momentum going at the moment, and he lacked the physical control, to properly readjust his aim, so he watched as the tip of his blade met with the orb.

Now, these were the Lightning Fangs, swords imbued with lightning itself, and were able to cut through _many_ substances. There was a very short list of things the assassin knew that they would not cut, or at least, slice through in one cut, and that was Yagura's double-hooked staff, but even that could only withstand a few hits to one area before being cleaved in half.

However, these orbs weren't Yagura's staff—they weren't even close to the metal used for the weapon. They were as far beyond that staff as the Lightning Fangs were beyond regular swords. These were Truth-Seeking Orbs, spheres of chakra imbued with all five elements, Sage Jutsu, _and_ Yin-Yang Style. When the blade impacted the sphere, not only was the Lightning Armor shell completely nullified, but so too was the all of the chakra running through the blade itself.

The Lightning Fang shattered into pieces upon contact.

The world stood silent for a moment, the assassin just inches away from Naruko, wings spread wide, Sasuke suspended off to the side, the crimson satellite glowing brightly, and fragments of a much beloved sword frozen in the air. Time caught up, and the pieces fell to the ground hundreds of feet below. The assassin watched them fall, before looking back up at Naruko.

The girl grinned nervously, a hesitant chuckle escaping her lips.

The assassin punched her square in the face, sending her rocketing down into the trees. Naruko landed hard, dust, dirt, and debris flying for the sky. Sasuke's eye twitched, before he used that neat teleporting jutsu that came with the Rinne-Sharingan to get right into the assassin's guard, a black Chidori chirping louder than usual.

Naruko wanted this to be a nonlethal takedown only, but Sasuke disagreed with sister (technical brother), because he wasn't so naïve to the ways of the world. Minato and Kushina coddled their daughter, even the young Uchiha could see that, whereas Fugaku and Itachi were not so soft in their educating of Sasuke about the nature of the world.

Stories of the Third Great Ninja War, Fugaku's personal experiences, and Itachi's own black-ops missions were what constituted as Sasuke's bedtime stories. With this view of the world in mind, the reincarnation of Indra recognized Percy for the threat he was, and sought to end him for the crimes he had committed, and to prevent him from committing more crimes.

The Lightning Chakra around the assassin sprung up, connecting with the chakra of Sasuke's Chidori. The Uchiha cursed himself for forgetting how chakras of like natures had a tendency to cancel each other out. Then the assassin increased his own chakra output, overpowering the Chidori in a small explosion that knocked Sasuke back with a singed hand.

The burns were healed almost instantly.

The assassin resealed his remaining blade, along with what was left of his other blade.

Naruko came rocketing up, and her speed was too great for even the assassin to keep up with. Wait…no. That wasn't entirely true. The assassin kept up with her, because he was facing her the moment she got within three feet of him, but by then it was too late, and the crimson-covered boy took another blow to the face.

More fragments were knocked off, revealing the left cheek and jaw, and the assassin went spiraling through the air with a thunder crack.

The transmigrants went rocketing after the assassin, but they found he was not as dazed as he seemed to be. Naruko and Sasuke grit their teeth as their punches and kicks were all blocked or dodged as they went dancing across the sky. They were also both inexperienced with midair combat, even with Hagoromo instructing them.

The assassin blocked a punch from Naruko, and his hand went numb, but he ignored in favor of kicking Sasuke in the face, blowing him through the air. Naruko retracted her fist, and snapped out with her leg. The assassin just flipped over the appendage, using the ability of 360-degree space to his advantage to dodge the girl's leg, and slug her in the face right over to her brother. Both went shooting off unto the earth.

They grunted in synch when they stopped tearing a trench through the earth and trees.

' _Gramps, this isn't working.'_

' _I can see that. I had hoped that brute force would be enough to handle this, but that is clearly not the case.'_

' _Any bright ideas then, Gramps?'_

' _A few. They all involve mass destruction of the surrounding area.'_

' _Not surprised. Percy's got the strength to take on the entire village using a single jutsu. Anything less than near-lethal intent would just be wasting time and chakra.'_

' _Yeah, you would know about lethal intent, wouldn't you Sasuke?'_

' _Just because you can't see Percy for the threat he is, Naruko, doesn't mean everyone else in the world can't see it.'_

' _That doesn't mean you can just go out of your way and try to kill him!'_

' _I don't see you trying to save the world!'_

' _I am too!'_

' _Are not!'_

' _Am too!'_

' _Are not!'_

' _Are too!'_

' _Are not!'_

' _Both of you be_ silent _,' Hagoromo broke in, clearly exasperated. 'The two of you are worse than my actual children ever were. Now, to defeat Perseus, we'll need a plan…'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The assassin hovered in the air, content to wait and see what the transmigrants would come up with to take him down. Probably something over convoluted, silly, kind of retarded in retrospect, and might have the slightest possibility to work. Why was the assassin doing this?

He was feeling vindictive after pieces of his mask were knocked off, and he wanted to see the looks of shock and despair and the transmigrants' faces when he completely destroyed whatever idea they had cooked up. The ironic part to this was, water vapor was still present in the atmosphere, therefore everything Sasuke and Naruko were doing (short of their thoughts) was known to the assassin.

So, when the Truth-Seeking Orbs came flying up at him, the assassin was not surprised in the slightest, even with their impressive speed. Still, there was a present unnecessary danger here, the kind that the assassin had learned to avoid at a young age from frequent spars with very powerful opponents, such as Jinchuuriki.

It was a strategy called: keep your distance.

Being swarmed by remote-guided projectiles was not a smart thing to allow to keep happening, especially with the chakra being built up Uchiha's eyes. With a super-charged burst of chakra, the assassin rocketed away, stopping at 100 meters away, covering the distance in less than a hundredth of a second. The assassin noted with great interest that there was a bushel of black fire burning where he was once floating, and that the spheres weren't moving past 54 meters.

Perhaps that was the limit in which the spheres could travel under the control of Naruko, but perhaps that was just a ruse to make him feel better by using false information. Still, 54 meters was filed away for further reference, with extreme caution also tacked on.

Chakra built up in Sasuke's eyes again, and the assassin went streaking across the sky yet again, and, yet again, the sky was alit with black flames. Then the air was thrumming with chakra, intense chakra, and the assassin saw that one of the spheres was now glowing purple, and had multiple blades of compressed wind surrounding it.

 _What the hell kind of jutsu was that?_

The unknown jutsu shot off after the assassin, and his Sharingan widened at the speed, but he angled his body out of the way at just the right time, and the jutsu went sailing off into the distance. The assassin tracked it, and his eyes widened even further at the explosion that rocked the planet.

He could _not_ afford to get by that jutsu any more than twice.

And now Sasuke's eyes were charging up with more chakra, and another sphere had become its own miny tornado. So, was that their plan? Conjoin their Amaterasu and whatever jutsu that was in an attempt to either tire him out, or get a lucky shot in? Either way, the assassin felt that this was a battle of attrition.

The spheres were still darting around the transmigrants' position, so close range was out, and using long range jutsu was difficult when the air was spontaneously combusting. Sasuke's Amaterasu was limited only to what he could see, and how fast his chakra could move to ignite the air with the black flames. The assassin could bend light and mask his position, but that was pointless against someone who was in Sage Mode.

No, the best strategy for now was to avoid Sasuke's gaze, and avoid Naruko's spheres. They wanted to tire him out? That kind of strategy was a double-edged sword. They could run out of chakra too.

The assassin darted through the air at a breakneck pace, swooping, swerving, diving, pitching, rolling, dodging, and avoiding both Amaterasu, and Tailed-Beast Rasenshuriken, as they were officially called. It was taxing, the most physically taxing exercise the assassin had engaged in since his fight with Yagura. There were more than a few close calls in that the assassin was almost lit on fire or blown out of the sky.

The assassin noted a problem: the transmigrants weren't losing chakra. Like him in a rainstorm, or in the ocean, or on any body of water, their chakra was being replenished by an outside source. Considering the Rinne-Sharingan, and the golden chakra shroud around Naruko, it stood to reason that the Sage of the Six Paths himself was indirectly a part of the battle. If that was the case…

The assassin flapped his ice-wings, shooting high into the sky, then higher and higher still. The cat-and-mouse game had lost its appeal, and now it was time to move on to something more destructive. Before Sasuke could use his Amaterasu again, the assassin charged up a monstrous amount of chakra, changing its nature into Water and Lightning, mixing it together into the proper ratio, and then pointed his arms down.

For the first time since donning his broken mask, did the assassin speak. "Gale Style: Reflex Cannon."

His arms glowed brightly, halos of light circling around his splayed hands. The light all came together around his hands, and a single spark shot between the digits, before it widened into a massive beam of emerald energy pointed straight for the ground, and more importantly, Naruko and Sasuke.

This high up, the assassin's hydro-sensing didn't have the range to pick the transmigrants up, so he hoped that the explosion that washed over the planet due to the laser's impact would be enough to wipe them out. He didn't have _that_ much hope though. Perhaps the shockwave would be enough to rattle them both.

Down below, Naruko and Sasuke easily felt the buildup of chakra above, and it didn't take Hagoromo roaring at them to move to make them scramble out of the way as fast as their bodies could move. Which was seriously fast given their levels of chakra. Still, the emerald tube of destructive power fell on the planet with devastating force. Massive chunks of earth were thrown into the air, only to be disintegrated by the shockwave.

Miles of land were destroyed instantly, and the resulting waves of kinetic energy and heat flattened many more miles after that. Luckily, the Leaf was out of the immediate blast radius, but they did experience their fair share of horizontal turbulence as the blast waves washed over them from miles away.

Naruko and Sasuke grunted as they too were hit by the explosion, them not being fast enough to escape the blast. However, they were already a far enough distance away and their bodies at a level of durability that the damage they took was comparable to that of a C-rank Wind jutsu.

' _Well, it was going good for a bit there.'_

' _Yeah. We just didn't expect Percy to be able to move that fast.'_

' _I apologize, you two. My constant underestimation of the boy is costing us more than it should to win this battle.'_

' _Meh, don't sweat it Gramps. Sasuke and I will just go back to Plan A.'_

' _Plan A?'_

' _Beat the ever-living snot out of Percy until his head's been screwed on back to where it should be, and his screws tightened back up.'_

' _An excellent idea. But it's dangerous to do it alone. Here, take this.'_

Naruko and Sasuke both groaned in pain as knowledge on how to bring out their really big guns came flooding into their minds. The Namikaze grinned mischievously at her furry companion. Sasuke just smirked, clearly excited to test out this new jutsu of his. The pair wondered if Percy had anything else like this, beyond the water dragon.

If he did, this was going to get _hectic_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ignoring the green mushroom cloud, the heat, and all of the dust that came with a near-nuclear-level explosion, the assassin dived down fast. The quicker his range picked up on Naruko and Sasuke, the quicker he they could reengage and end this fight already. The assassin grit his teeth as, during his rapid decent, the chakras of the transmigrants surged once more.

The assassin actually paused in his flight at what he saw when he cleared the dust cloud: a gigantic, mountain-sized, golden nine-tailed fox with black markings all over its body, and an even taller, purple, humanoid warrior with a long nose, huge wings, a couple of really big swords, and a pair of beady yellow eyes.

So, the kids wanted to play rough, huh? Well, the assassin could play even rougher…and in a much more ironic and poetic way.

Letting his ice wings shatter and disappear, the crimson-covered boy landed in the forest below. He was at 84% of his full chakra reserves, and for what he had in mind, he would need about 20% of that much to pull this off. With that, the assassin once again molded his chakra, and spat out a tremendous amount of water from within. He was instantly propelled several hundred feet into the air, and the water wasted no time in filling in that distance as wide as it was high.

See the veritable _mountain_ of water coming for them, Sasuke and Naruko leapt back, the ground shaking upon their liftoff and touchdown. The water from the surrounding foliage was also sucked out and added to the accumulative volume, creating a desolate wasteland much like that outside the Leaf. Then, the massive formation of water began to take shape.

The assassin's gut burned from the hydrokinetic strain, even with chakra boosting his powers. The amalgamation first was pushed backward, with the distinct shape of a wolf's head standing prominently in front. Then the body was shaped, with a torso and forelimbs much like that of Kurama; the legs followed swiftly, a simple pair of hind limbs found on a wolf. Finally, came the tail, or rather, _tails_. This was where most of the water was transferred, separating and coalescing into a number of appendages, each one wider than the Hokage Tower. The wolf's eyes glowed hotter than burning coals.

Finally, the construct was complete. Standing before the Nine-Tails and the Perfect Susano'o was a wolf taller than the Fox, but shorter than the warrior, made entirely out of nothing but water, with _ten_ liquid tails splayed out wide behind him.

The assassin stood on top of the wolf's head, staring silently out at Naruko, suspended in Kurama's jaws, and at Sasuke, suspended with a pentagonal space upon his Susano'o's brow. The demigod smirked silently to himself underneath his mask.

There seemed to be a track record of major fights boiling down to conflicts between giant beasts in this world's history. Still, while Sasuke and Naruko might've been using their big guns, that did not mean they knew how to use them, nor did that mean each was as powerful now as they would be in their later years, and the assassin had experience in using his own big guns.

That gave him an edge. One he would be using to fullest extent.

The wolf reared its head back, letting loose a howl that was heard around for tens of miles, and charged at the transmigrants, leaving craters in the ground with each impact of its watery paws. The landscape, already scared by Naruko's Rasenshuriken, and the blunt force each combatant possessed, would be even more horrendously disfigured after this terrible night.

Above it all, the red moon glowed with ravenous delight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Yes, another cliffhanger. Yes, another series of chapters. The only reason this isn't longer than what it is, is because I didn't want to the next update to be another week away.**_

 _ **To recap, Naruko and Sasuke have all the abilities of their alternate, future selves, courtesy of Deus Ex Hagoromo, but with none of the experience or quite the same amount of power, which is why Shin'en is not having to pull out Demigod Mode (where is hair stands up, and his pupils shift into Omegas (go look at chapter 5 for a refresher)).**_

 _ **Next chapter will be even more destruction, and feature more dialogue, as well as introduce the emotional struggle between Shin'en and Naruko. Sasuke will be the 'justice' in this battle, seeking to kill the demigod for all that he's done to the Leaf village. Also, keep in mind that Sasuke doesn't know that over 90% of his clan had been murdered, nor that his compound had been obliterated, nor that his mother is dead. That'll be important later on in the story.**_

 _ **Two story ideas struck me recently: the first, after communing with Lucian Naruto, is about Jason, Nico, and Percy being the human incarnations of the Biblical Ziz, Behemoth, and Leviathan (otherwise known as the sky, land, and sea). Story would follow canon with differences. The second story is a PJO/Assassin's Creed crossover, in which Kronos would use his limited power to hurl an infant Percy into the past in hopes of killing him early, but the Fates interfere, and only Percy's soul goes back in time. He wouldn't**_ **be** _ **all of the assassins from the games, he would be an assassin OC present in every era**_ **right next** _ **to the main assassins, and his soul would eventually make it back to the present day with all of its memories and experiences, making for one hell of an interesting demigod. Thoughts, opinions, inputs, and suggestions?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	34. Battle of the Abyss: Part Two

_Battle of the Abyss: Part Two_

 _ **Good reception last chapter, especially with the fic proposals. People seem to be more excited for the AC crossover, and coincidentally so am I. Although the general consensus is that I should finish one of my other stories first. I agree with this sentiment. So good news:**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **will be the first of my little plethora to be completed!**_

 _ **Right after I finish the Abyss Arc and write about Percy's and Clair's vacation in**_ _ **Son of Jashin**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or PJO**_

 _ **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

The massive, ten-tailed wolf-shaped water construct was upon Naruko and Sasuke's respective avatars far faster than one would expect. The assassin leapt at the Susano'o, a great feeling of satisfaction rolling through him at the loud boom of his paw upon the chakra avatar's purple face. Sasuke went down with a mass shudder.

Naruko sprang at the wolf right next to her, but she was batted away by a number of massive tails. She rolled with the momentum, however, and sprang up with a glowing ball of energy in the Fox's maw. The Bomb flew forward, only for the wolf to separate. The explosion rocked the night from miles away.

The Susano'o rose to its feet. The avatar held it hand back, and an oversized blade flashed into existence. The Susano'o gripped the blade in a two-handed style, and swung with all of its considerable might. The surrounding land was uprooted and/or erased in an arc of mighty destruction. The wolf, however, used its watery nature to merely allow the blade to cleave through without harm, although the assassin did have one hell of a time keeping the construct from being ripped apart by transcendental force.

The shockwaves hadn't even dissipated before the Nine-Tails pounced on the wolf. The gigantic canine reacted by gripping the humanoid shoulders of its enemy, and used the momentum to hurl the avatar up and over by twisting its own body. However, this created an opening for Sasuke to exploit, and the Susano'o charged forward, body slamming into the wolf. The water construct had enough solidity to be knocked into the ground, shattering the earth beneath it.

The assassin grunted, before willing the tails of his wolf to wrap around the Susano'o on top of him, and hurl the entire thing off in a display of extreme strength. The Susano'o, instead of crashing down with earth-shattering force, spread its wings and flapped down hard, shooting into the sky. The Wolf rose, and was immediately engaged by the Fox.

With the limited mobility that came with these constructs, the battle between the two beasts was nothing short of bestial, and cataclysmic. Their paws raked across each other's belly and faces, their teeth sinking into the other's body, and their tails twisted and twirled and batted against the other.

But having an extra tail came with an advantage.

The Wolf deadlocked with the Fox, their large hands clasping around each other with a clap of thunder. They snarled at each other, but the Wolf's tails were quick, and all of the snaked out with extreme speed. However, the Fox was not slow, and it tails lashed out with equal precision, intercepting the tails. Nine, of them, anyway.

The tenth tail wrapped around the Fox's neck like a collar, and squeezed tightly. This wouldn't have had much effect, since the Fox was merely an extension of Naruko's chakra, but the girl was inexperienced with her new powers, and seeing the liquid appendage wrap around her avatar's throat with constrictive intent created a phantom sensation in Naruko's brain, one that made her panic, and experience a shortening of breath.

It was the same principle as when you flinch when you see a fake arm get chopped in half from three inches away from your own, hidden, protected arm.

The assassin attempted to take advantage of his younger adversary, intent on landing a series of blows to cause serious damage, but the reincarnation of Indra was still a factor, one that made itself known with a surge of extremely annoying black fire. The assassin hissed in vexation when he saw that most of his wolf was now being turned into steam from the heat of the Amaterasu, however, that was a problem easier fixed than one would think.

The black flame may be burning away his jutsu, but simply letting the afflicted water go and splash down to the ground, took the fire with it. The Wolf made its anger known by gripping the Fox tightly, spinning around, and then hurling the gigantic chakra construct into the sky.

Sasuke was so stunned that his Amaterasu failed, and that his 'sister' had been thrown into the sky, that he failed to react when the Nine-Tails slammed into his Susano'o, knocking him out of the sky.

The Wolf howled when the transmigrants slammed into the ground, and were slow to get up.

' _Any more ideas?'_ Naruko asked.

' _Yeah. You know how we can combine our_ _Chidori_ _and_ _Rasengan_ _?'_

' _Yeah…?'_

' _Let's do it with our_ _Susano'o_ _and Tailed-Beast Mode.'_

' _Awesome!'_

The Wolf growled when the dust cloud cleared, and he was faced with something...new. It was Naruko's Nine-Tails covered from snout to tail in the purple armor of Sasuke's Susano'o, complete with shoulder plates and a giant chakra sword...standing on its hind legs. Now this was somewhat of a problematic situation. The two were a handful by themselves, but combined like this, with the massive chakra of the Nine-Tails in league with the ultimate defense of the Susano'o.

The assassin grinned underneath his mask. Now this was a battle to be remembered.

The Wolf reared back on its own hind legs, and held its paw out behind. Before the very eyes of Naruko and Sasuke, they watched as water was pulled from multiple areas, swirling together to form a long shaft topped with a fork. A trident. The tri-pronged weapon was then clutched tightly in the watery grip of the Ten-Tailed Wolf, and the entire weapon was frozen solid, becoming a staff of ice that was as clear and perfect as glass. Breaking it would not be easy, even for the Susano'o-covered Nine-Tails.

The Fox roared, flattening trees and hills with the volume, before sprinting forward on its hind legs. The Wolf howled just as loud, and also charged forward. The earth trembled as the two beasts tread upon its surface, and each impact caused the ground to buckle mightily, with dirt spraying into air after the paws were lifted.

The beasts were meters away when the Fox swung its mighty blade, and the Wolf responded by bringing its trident forward. The two gargantuan weapons collided with a flash of light, before fissures and trenches spiderwebbed out for almost a mile, while shockwaves traveled much further than that.

The beats separated, but they did not stop attacking and defending. Over and over again did the Fox's blade meet with the Wolf's trident, and over and over again did the planet splinter beneath them. It became a dance, then, and dances had patterns, and once the pattern was found, could one predict the next step.

The Fox thrusted forward with jab that would've pierced a mountain, but the Wolf stepped out of the way, and the Fox went stumbling forward, its controllers surprised by the sudden movement, and the Wolf thrust its own weapon forward. The prongs of the trident did not break through the armor of the Fox, but physics was not broken. The legs of the beast flew up into the air while its back went down hard. The Fox's blade stabbed into the ground five-hundred meters away.

The Wolf straddled the Fox, and raised its trident high with both paws gripping it, prongs pointed down.

"Sasuke!" Naruko screamed.

"AGHHH!" Sasuke roared as chakra flooded through his eyes, and a veritable wall of Amaterasu sprang up between he and his sister, and the descending trident. The was what his right eye did, while his left eye nearly killed the Uchiha by using Ame no Minaka to teleport himself, Naruko, and their combined avatar. Sasuke had just learned to use that jutsu, and it had been a struggle just to use that on human-sized object. Something as big and chakra-filled as the Susano'o-infused Nine-Tails would've instantly killed him if not for Naruko and Hagoromo feeding him chakra at the same time.

Still, the Amaterasu melted the freezing trident, and the Fox was suddenly gone from the wolf.

The assassin was deeply frustrated with his lack of a successful kill after so much fighting. Yagura hadn't been this taxing, but then again...the assassin had been in Demigod Mode at the time.

Naruko was looking at Sasuke with concern clearly written all over her face. Blood was freely dripping from both of the Uchiha's eyes, he looked sick, his breathing was ragged, and his chakra was behaving in a way that it was not supposed to be behaving.

' _Sasuke, you are in very serious danger of approaching your limit in this battle. All of the chakra you have used already would have killed a hundred normal shinobi. Were it not for me and Naruko replenishing your reserves, you would've died long ago. Your body is not accustomed to such a level of chakra, and it has begun to take its toll upon you. If you try to pull something like that again, I can only save you once more before your body gives out from the stress,'_ Hagoromo said gravely.

' _Okay, so what do we do, Gramps?'_ asked Naruko.

The sage was silent for a moment, before he mentally relayed his plan to his technical children. After he was done, the transmigrant siblings looked at each other.

"You up for it?"

"As long as you and the Sage can bring me back before I die, then yeah."

"Alright. Let's give it a shot."

Meanwhile, the assassin was mentally using every one of his extensive list of curses, jabs, jibes, and insults against the Amaterasu. Not that it had any effect whatsoever against the black blames, but it made him feel better. Anyway, the giant wolf leapt over the suspended wall of fire, landing about ten miles away from Naruko and Sasuke.

They were getting up.

The Wolf made to sprint, but a massive buildup of chakra made it pause and rethink its strategy. Fine; if the Fox wished to go that route, then the Wolf would respond in kind. The ten-tailed beast planted itself down. Limbs spread wide, and tails all angled around its massive, wide-open maw. Gale chakra flooded the entire water construct, faint emerald mixing with the deep blue.

Over on the other side of the battlefield, the armored Fox was charging an oversized Tailed-Beast Bomb, while an extra set of forelimbs was charging up an even bigger ball of rapidly spiraling chakra that was wreathed in spinning shuriken blades made of black fire. That was going to be one hell of a jutsu.

Seeing this, the assassin molded his chakra for a jutsu to help set up the jutsu that he needed next.

"Gale Style: Gale Dragon…"

Contrary to the name, the Gale Dragon did not actually spawn a giant laser dragon. Instead, the molded chakra was pushed out of the user in an intense beam that was typically aimed for the sky. This was a weather-manipulating jutsu that had the effect of what amounted to the summoning of a monstrous storm. Perhaps this jutsu was called Gale Dragon because it created a fierce storm, and dragons were fierce creatures. Anyway.

Instead of shooting the chakra into the moon-lit night sky, the assassin angled his technique to right in front of him, and the storm spawned in the appropriate position, crackling with lightning, roaring with wind, and screaming with thunder. A storm cloud vertical to the sky, as opposed to one horizontal to the ground.

Sasuke and Naruko both lost sight of the assassin behind the storm, but they could both sense him just fine, just as he could sense them with just as little difficulty. With the amount of chakra he was releasing, even academy students all the way back at the Leaf should've been able to sense him. Whatever the assassin was doing, it was going to be one hell of a jutsu.

The Wolf began to crackle with tendrils of Gale chakra, curling and curving beams of chakra branching slowly and hypnotically from its liquid body. The Wolf's mouth opened even wider than usual, the back of its throat glowing with intense radiance. The tips of the tails were also shining with emerald brilliance, lightning up the night with their glow. The storm in front continued to spark and dance with lightning as it grew bigger, wider, reaching up and to the sides.

Finally, the two jutsu were ready.

Together, Naruko and Sasuke shouted, "Scorching Sage Art: Tailed-Beast Nimbus Tempest Exploding Hurricane!" while the assassin merely whispered, as he released his chakra. "Combination Ninjutsu: Heavenly Reflex Kirin."

The Fox hurled the bladed chakra sphere while simultaneously firing the Tailed-Beast Bomb that was hovering in front of it. The destructive jutsu, broke into several smaller spheres, and combined with the fancy Rasenshuriken, turning its center a blazing, volatile orange wreathed in a violet ring of black death.

Likewise for the assassin, a loud, yet faint, howl was heard as the tail-tips and jaws released a total of eleven beams all at once, each laser even wider than the Hokage Tower, straight into the thunderstorm not one-hundred feet away. The clouds lit up brighter than a quasar, and a gargantuan creature came firing out with almost more speed than the soundwaves. The beast was like Kirin, only its body was entirely made up of white energy, while its eyes were pure black.

The two jutsu, each just as powerful as the other, raced across the land, melting and disintegrating and sublimating everything beneath them. Trailing behind the overpowered jutsu was a trench of molten slag, glowing white-hot with heat. The air screamed and hissed, while the planet wailed, and the sky shook in terror as the jutsu came within meters of each other…and then they met.

Words could not describe the amount of destruction released upon the surface of the earth. The light turned made the blind close their eyes, the sound shattered the eardrums of the deaf, the trembling and shaking of the earth was felt even in the heart of the Land of Earth, several hundred miles away. Miles of land were atomized by just the initial impact.

The special Kirin and the special Rasenshuriken fought for absolute dominance over the other, and their struggle was a great one. But the Sage had a plan, and his children were following the plan. What was happening right now was just phase one.

The assassin grit his teeth as he felt his chakra draining from him at an alarming rate. He could feel the supremacy battle raging before him, and gladly poured more chakra into his newest technique. Literally, he came up with this baby on the spot. However, the might of his enemy's jutsu was incredible, and was able to stand up to his own with great authority…then it was gone.

The assassin's eyes bugged out of his skull, and his blood went numb when the water vapor behind him was evaporated due to the arrival of something _very_ hot.

The moon glowed brightly above, bit its luminance was eclipsed by that of the explosion on the earth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, back in the Leaf, the fires were still burning, the blazes creating a scarlet glow across the village, but they had been forgotten, discarded in favor of the monumental battle taking place fewer than thirty miles away from their location. The diversion to attention was also aided by the revelation that the fires weren't burning any further than a certain radius.

All of the shinobi, from Minato, Jiraiya, Ei, Kakashi, and the remaining Jinchuuriki, to the weakest civilian were spellbound by the action in the distance. Flashing lights of emerald, purple, and gold, dull explosions, like a far-off beating of a drum, and small shakes of the ground captured the attention of all like a fireworks display.

When the _big_ explosions came rolling through, brilliant flashes of yellow and emerald, everyone either screamed, grunted, or endured in silence.

Up on the Hokage Monument, Persephone watched in stone-faced silence. She did not react to shockwaves other than squinting her eyes together. It had been hours since she had eaten or gone to the bathroom, but her mind was too focused on the horizon to even be aware of such needs. Her mind was so focused that she didn't even realize that her own mother or father were standing next to her, nor did she realize that Andrew had placed his hand upon her shoulder, _nor did she register_ the return of Yugito and Bee.

However, there were some thing the mind could not ignore, events great enough to break through the absolute threshold despite intense, linear focus. The primary example of this stimulus would be a nuclear-level explosion that lit up the night brighter than Times Square that came with its own set of appropriate shock/blast/sound/light/heatwaves.

Even when Persephone was jerked back into the mountain bunker, her eyes never left the brilliant radiance that sprung up from where the earth met the sky. Her mind was solely occupied on her baby brother.

The Olympians, however, sans Poseidon (who was worried about his wayward son), were all internally freaking out over what was going on around them. Artemis was geeking out over Naruko though. But no, the gods of Olympus were all having flashbacks to the Titanomachy, when they were young gods, freshly powered, and seriously strong. The feats they pulled off, the destruction they caused in their war with the Titans helped to shape the present-day earth, but the current battle was bringing up insecurities.

Zeus _knew_ he was not that strong anymore. Zeus _knew_ that he could once pull off feats of destruction on this grand a scale. Zeus _knew_ that he was, as the mortals say, _out of shape_. How did he know this? Because a bunch of fucking twelve-year-olds, mortals— _babies!_ —were doing what he used to do.

Seriously, those brats were throwing around nuclear-level explosion like party favors.

Zeus wanted out of this twisted world where children were stronger than gods. Zeus wanted to go back to his palace, fuck his wife back into his good graces, and train. Zeus wanted to _train_ , something her hadn't done in literal _centuries_. He wanted his original strength back, and he wanted it back _pronto_.

Then the boy with chicken's-ass hair suddenly popped into the cave bunker…and he did not look normal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Naruko focused her chakra above her, molding, spinning, and shaping it into her desired form. A blue pinpoint of light began shine above Naruko, before it suddenly erupted into a_ _Rasengan_ _easily the size of a house. The reincarnation of Ashura grit her teeth, channeling her chakra out of her body, while simultaneously changing its nature to Wind. Around the oversized_ _Rasengan_ _a ring of bladed wind began to swirl to life, and that too exploded into several shuriken-like blades that whined loudly as they spun._

 _Sasuke looked at the_ _Rasenshuriken_ _, his left eye glowing purple, and then the jutsu's wind blades were replaced with those of the_ _Amaterasu_ _. Meanwhile, their armored Nine-Tails was charging up a massive_ _Tailed-Beast Bomb_ _._

 _When space began to distort around the two oversized jutsu, due to the density of the tightly compact chakra, did Naruko and Sasuke release their technique upon the world._

" _Scorching Sage Art: Tailed-Beast Nimbus Tempest Exploding Hurricane_ _!"_

 _The_ _Rasenshuriken_ _screamed through the air, the bomb behind it split into several smaller orbs that were sucked into the center of the whirling jutsu, transforming the center into a volatile star ready for its supernova._

 _As predicted, the assassin fired his own jutsu, launching it through the storm cloud in front of him. What through the transmigrants for a loop was the size, power, and shape of the jutsu. Even Hagoromo, in his time-space pocket, couldn't shake off the cold that stabbed into his heart at the magnitude of such a technique...and then the two jutsu met._

 _Sasuke and Naruko both grunted at the resulting shockwaves that bulldozed into them from the clash, but they had to hold strong, had to hold fast. Just for a bit they had to put up a struggle. Thirty seconds passed by with the tenure of thirty years as Sasuke gathered the necessary amount of chakra to use for something that big. Finally, the jutsu was ready, and Sasuke whispered, "_ _Ame no Minaka_ _."_

 _The use of the teleportation jutsu triggered a sequence of events that all happened in the span of a nanosecond. One, the_ _Rasenshuriken_ _simply vanished. Two, whatever jutsu the assassin was using, now that it had nothing in front to halt its progress, came streaking forward. Three, Sasuke's eye freely cried blood, the strain of the chakra upon the blood vessels causing them to rupture. Four, Naruko wrapped her arms around her brother, and expelled an absurd amount of chakra out of her body, causing her to emit solar flare-level amounts of golden light. Five, the_ _Susano'o_ _-armored Nine-Tails dissipated into nothingness. Six, Naruko shot into the air, faster than both her father and the Raikage. Seven, the assassin's jutsu barreled off into the distance and exploded (from what Naruko remembered from geography class, there was supposed to be some mountains over there; there were no longer any mountains). Eight, high up into the air, Naruko replenished Sasuke's chakra as much as she could without damaging his coils in an irreparable manner. Nine, Sasuke used his newly refilled reserves to trigger the rest of his jutsu, using the_ _Ame no Minaka_ _to bring back the_ _Rasenshuriken_ _...right behind the assassin. Ten, the jutsu detonated in an explosion on par with the one that occurred a few picoseconds ago._

" _Do you think," Sasuke wheezed, "we got him?"_

 _Naruko didn't respond immediately, but instead focused on her Senjutsu. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. The Jinchuuriki shook her head. "No. We didn't."_

 _Sasuke exhaled heavily. "Damn. What does it take to beat this guy?"_

" _I'm about to find out. You need to get back to the bunker before Percy gets back up. And remember the backup plan."_

 _Instead of arguing, the Uchiha just grunted. His chakra had never been lower, and at this point, forcefully replenishing it would cause more harm than good. Still, he had enough chakra to teleport just himself. With a small burst of power, the reincarnation of Indra simply vanished…_

 _...and reappeared at the Hokage Monument._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed as she rushed over to her comrade. He looked like a demon, he looked exhausted, and he looked like he was about to die. Immediately, the pinkette started applying Medical Jutsu to Sasuke, he hands lighting up with a green glow. Instantly, the Uchiha began looking somewhat better.

The rest of the genin gathered around their strange-looking comrade in arms, as well as Persephone. She and Shikamaru spoke at the same time, "What happened?" They looked at each other, shrugged, and looked back at Sasuke.

The demonic-looking boy grunted softly as he mustered the strength to speak. Gods, his entire body felt like he had just spent seven days training with Guy and Lee, nonstop, without rest or reprieve. Is this what Kakashi felt like after his battle with Zabuza? Questions for later. Strange Sharingan and even stranger Rinne-Sharingan met with the eyes of the other young shinobi...and demigoddess.

"Naruko and I met someone who gave us the power to fight on par with Percy. All those explosions and earthquakes was us trying to beat him."

"And?" Persephone prompted.

" _And_ those last two explosions were our latest jutsu, that is, Naruko and I's, and Percy's, meeting, disappearing, and destroying the landscape. Making that jutsu took a lot out of me, and then using the next two jutsu after that almost killed me. I'm here to start regenerating my chakra the natural way, instead of hyper-regenerating it. So, yeah, Naruko's out there, about to fight Percy by herself. Don't worry though…"

"...Percy's not as strong as he was at the beginning of this nightmare."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko did a good job of hiding it, but she was starting to run on fumes. Even with her Uzumaki genes, and Kurama, and this new form, _and_ the Old Man refueling her reserves...she was starting to run low.

Much like with Sasuke, her body wasn't accustomed to such a monumental level of chakra, and it made her coils extremely sore to be stretched so far, and then filled back up when she was starting to run low. Beyond that, her body was aching with fatigue, muscle tears, and what was probably fractured bones. The upside to the amount of chakra running through her was that A) it dulled the pain, and B) it boosted her healing factor.

Naruko levitated down to the ground, covering her face with a Truth-Seeking Orb (Ha! Now she could say she has more balls than Sasuke) to keep out the dirt and smoke. She could sense where Percy was in this mess, and he had been in better shape before. _Much_ better shape. Naruko made her way through the heat and the destruction to where she could sense Percy-and he was darting off.

Oh, great.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The assassin was in a great amount of pain. The blood that had dried on him had been boiled off. His crusted shirt had been disintegrated, his sandals and pants were in tatters. His mask...his mask still covered his face, or at least, _some_ of his face. His mouth, left cheek, jaw, and chin were all visible, as was the majority of his forehead. His eyes were still hidden, as was his nose, and the rest of his mask covered from his right eye down to his jaw.

The only reason he was still alive was because of his natural heat-resistance, and the fact that he coated himself in a layer of Ice chakra just before the transmigrants' jutsu detonated. His wolf had been vaporized, and he himself had almost received third-degree burns. As it stood, his skin felt tight and leathery, most of his clothing was destroyed, and his chakra…

Pretty sure this was what 27% felt like. There was a large body of water about three miles to the North though.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't take long to reach the body of water that the assassin had sensed. It was just shocking to note that the water came from a waterfall that flowed between two gigantic statues shaped to resemble none other than Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

The Valley of the End.

The assassin could sense Naruko rushing up behind him, probably just 3,000 meters away and closing fast. Without a moment's hesitation further, the assassin leapt from his vantage point of the Valley, soaring through the air, past the statues, and fell all the way down to lake below.

Immediately after submersion, the assassin felt exponentially better. He could feel the water seeping into his body, straight down into his coils, steadily revitalizing him and bringing him back to full strength.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruko arrived too late to stop Percy from taking a dip, and saw the splash of water down below. She sighed in frustration. This fight just got a lot harder. From her history lesson with the Sage, and her conversation with Persephone, she knew that Percy could draw power from water-all forms and sources of water. Him diving in would undoubtedly make him stronger, while she on the other hand was stuck with feeling like hammered shit.

In light of the circumstances, she had no choice.

' _Gramps. I need you to refill my chakra coils.'_

' _You know what that will do to you later, child, and it won't magically make you able to defeat Perseus, and my allotted time for aiding you is coming to an end. My connection is weakening, and acquiescing to your request will be enough to completely sever my presence from here.'_

' _I don't care about that. I_ _need_ _to stop Percy. I need to connect with him, and understand why he's doing these things. I need to help him, and I can't do that if I don't have enough power to knock his screws back into place.'_

Hagoromo sighed, but nodded nonetheless. _'Very well then. I wish you luck in your endeavor, child.'_ The presence of the Sage vanished soon after.

Naruko made a very unladylike noise as she felt her chakra suddenly refill itself. It wasn't a hundred percent, but she could sense well enough that the freshwater below wasn't enough to do the same for Percy. With that, the girl slowly levitated down, using her Truth-Seeking Orbs to keep her decent steady. She could sense Percy down below, and she knew that he could sense her.

How could you _not_ sense her? She was a glowing beacon of chakra, after all.

As Naruko came down, the assassin rose up, calmly breaking the surface of the water without a grand splash, or a loud sound, or a grandiose display of power and might. The assassin noted how the girl's cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink at seeing his shirtless form. So she was sexually aware enough to be attracted to the physique of the opposite gender. Good; her flustered state was the assassin's advantage.

The assassin stood silently upon the dark water. Naruko floated silently above the surface, the crimson moon, abnormally large, glowed brightly above, causing Naruko to cast a shadow across the water's surface, a shadow that the assassin fell within.

The two young ninja just stared at the other, neither uttering a word. The world was eerily silent for all of the pain that had been inflicted upon it, but it seemed right for what was about to happen. A golden goddess of the warm sky preparing to engage in single combat against a black demon of the cold water. The world was eerily silent…until an orchestra of writhing lightning sprang around the assassin.

The demon leapt at the goddess, thunder embroidered across his body.

The goddess leapt at the demon, the light of a thousand suns radiating from her form.

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 _ **Yes, so world maps are being redrawn, Sasuke is 'out' of the fight, Percy and Naruko are both weakened due to extreme chakra expenditure, and Hagoromo is no longer a little voice in the transmigrants' heads.**_

 _ **I hope the fight between the giants was as awesome to read as it was for me to write, and I want to know what y'all thought of those original jutsu that I came up with on the spot. Cool, stupid, ridiculous, perfect, over-the-top, epic, neat…combination of any one of those?**_

 _ **Now, in traditional**_ _ **Naruto**_ _ **fashion, next chapter will be the emotional 1v1 battle between Percy and Naruko, in which the feelings will fly, bonds will be made, and the boy will start to fall for the girl, and vice versa. Think of it as like the ultimate Romeo and Juliet story, especially considering what Percy's job will be after he almost destroys his own body while battling the Third Raikage for the old man's betrayal-oops.**_

 _ **Said too much.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	35. Battle of the Abyss: Part Final

_Battle of the Abyss: Part Final_

 _ **WE HIT 400 REVIEWS! A special thank you to Altair25, the person who hit the final tally, and a great big thank you to each and every person that had reviewed each chapter. As such, this chapter is wholly dedicated to the fans!**_

 _ **Anyway, this is the last chapter of the Abyss Arc, and next chapter will be the end of Part I of the original Naruto storyline, then this will be put on the shelf while I work on Percy and Clair's vacation to the world of Young Justice. That'll be fun. Then I'm going to fucking finish Leviathan.**_

 _ **But enough of the future. Let's get to the present.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

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Chakra.

Chakra is the embodiment of who a person is. It is influenced by one's personality, their lineage, their experiences. Even deeper, chakra is a person itself. Chakra records memories, sensations, knowledge, wisdom, and great powers. When two people's chakra come into contact, they share part of their being.

That's the principle of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The user splits their chakra to create a physical being, and that being's chakra records events and experiences. That's why when, upon dispelling, and all of the leftover chakra returns to the user, the user gains the memories of the Clone.

That's also why it has been said that when two powerful shinobi clashed fists, they could read the other's heart. It's because their chakras are powerful enough, potent enough, and strong enough to connect to the other, briefly showing the other their emotions, and their pasts.

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The demon leapt at the goddess, thunder embroidered across his body.

The goddess leapt at the demon, the light of a thousand suns radiating from her form.

Naruko and the assassin slammed into one another, their meeting creating a loud boom that sent ripples across the water's surface. The assassin had his fist firmly implanted into the girl's stomach, while the girl had her fist firmly pressed into the assassin's left cheek, while their other arms were pressed up against the other. They separated, vanishing from sight.

Small, inverted domes began popping up all over the water's surface as the two children clashed over and over again, each time landing a blow on the other, and each time blocking a blow from the other. The two became visible again with twin flashes of emerald and gold, deadlocking in the center of the lake below them. The shockwave sent a wave of water rushing out in all directions.

The assassin acted first, snapping out with his leg, nailing Naruko in the gut. She shrugged it off and responded by batting away the offending limb with her arm, freeing the assassin's hand in turn. He reared back his fist, but Naruko was faster, even to demigod-reflex/Lightning Armor-enhanced Sharingan.

The Namikaze adjusted her grip on the assassin's other hand, grabbed his shoulder, and spun, flinging the assassin into the cliff wall. The rock-face buckled under the power. Naruko made an eep sound when she registered a large spike in chakra, and suddenly she was the one embedded in the side of a cliff. She shot straight up, a golden streak tearing through stone as if it was mere paper.

The assassin bounded right up at her, closing the distance in a single leap, grabbing Naruko by her golden feet, and slinging back down to the lake, where he shot down after her. Naruko halted in mid air and whirled around, clotheslining the assassin in the gut. Blood flew from his exposed mouth.

Then he punched Naruko in the face, completing her descent to the water below.

She struck the surface with such force that the water couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and the girl created a black tube straight to the bottom, several meters below. The assassin lit on the deceptively calm surface, before he backflipped to avoid the golden meteor that came from below.

Naruko vanished in a burst of golden energy, and the assassin crossed his fists in front of his face, which blocked the Six-Paths Sage Mode-enhanced bunch that sent him skidding across the surface. The assassin felt his bones crack, but the internal water within his body and the water currently soaking him easily fixed the damage.

Naruko went flying after the boy, punching wildly at him, but each strike was met with a defense that halted all momentum and robbed the girl of her power. Eventually, the assassin felt water give way to stone, and then his back was against solid rock. And Naruko kept coming.

Her arms became incomprehensible blurs of gold as the pounded upon the assassin, but there was no damage, or at least, major damage, for the assassin was able to match the girl blow for blow, and either blocked or parried each punch with extreme precision.

Naruko made a mistake, and the assassin made her pay for it with an uppercut to the jaw, and a Sparta-kick to the gut. Naruko rocketed from one side of the lake to the other, slamming into the cliff, in a about .083 seconds. The brief interlude gave Naruko time to think.

This wasn't working. This was just a brawl between two kids with more power than what should've been possible, a super-fast, super-destructive brawl, but a brawl nonetheless. Naruko wasn't getting the connection she desperately needed in order to understand Percy, and that was the whole reason she was engaging the demigod.

She didn't know why he had attacked the Leaf. She didn't know why he hated shinobi. She didn't know why he didn't show outward emotion for his own twin sister. She didn't know why he had gone off the deep end. She didn't know why he suddenly calmed down after putting on that creepy, grinning mask.

And she needed to know.

She needed to understand these things, needed to understand Percy, so she could save him. Save him from his darkness. Save him from his hatred. Save him from his madness. And save him from himself. Even after she beat him, with the things had done-scratching his headband, attacking a Hidden Village, murder of thousands of foreign ninja-the chances of him being executed either by law, by daimyo, or by Kage were severely high. Even if Naruko begged and pleaded with her father, with the Raikage, and even with the feudal lords, the best she might be able to get is life in prison, and that would only serve the purpose of fanning the flames of Percy's rage, making him as bitter as he would be pissed off.

It was then that Naruko realized just how monumentally fucked Percy was in regards to his future...unless he returned to his home dimension with those Greek people...but then there was the possibility of them doing something detrimental to Percy's already dark outlook of the world.

So Naruko needed answers. And at this point, there only one way she knew of how to get them.

She willed one of her Truth-Seeking Orbs to float over her hand, and she channeled her chakra into it. The sphere turned purple, and blades of wind whined loudly around it. Her cross-pupiled eyes stared seriously at the approaching shirtless—admittedly hot—boy.

Upon registering the birthing of his opponent's jutsu, the assassin stopped on the surface of the water, shrouded in emerald energy that crackled and sparked with arcs of black lightning. He held his right hand up, and the entire appendage began to glow with Gale chakra, before it was surrounded in a sphere of pure, concentrated laser.

"Gale Style: Laser Fist."

Perhaps not the most original name for a jutsu, but it was short, sweet, and perfectly conveyed what it's supposed to do. Naruko eyes the jutsu warily, and even Kurama advised caution, but her own technique was nothing to scoff at.

"Tailed-Beast Rasenshuriken."

No sooner had she uttered the name than the assassin blitzed forward in a tremendous burst of speed. Naruko was just as fast, and was moving the microsecond she saw the assassin's muscles clench. Water was thrown back to the opposite shore, and solid rock was splintered and cracked.

The two children reared their hands back, their respective jutsu ready to clash. They were less than a foot away when they thrust their techniques straight at the other's face. Midway did the jutsu meet, and it was midway that two high-level shinobi clashed fists, and it was midway that Naruko finally read Percy's heart.

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The Valley of the End lit up like a solar flare, and the dome of white light generated a shockwave powerful enough to evaporate nearly all of the water, crack both cliff faces, and almost cause the stone statues of the two most powerful shinobi of their age to fissure. Within the dome, a black dot faded into existence, and slowly did it grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger still, until the white dome was completely black, and its destructive effects vanished.

Then the black dome of chakra began to grow in size, slamming against the cliffs on either side of the valley, and pushed against those with great force. The black dome stopped growing shortly, and the Valley was still for a moment. Then, a bright, aurora-like light began to shine at the center of the black dome, and the aurora spread through the dome in lines that bent at ninety degrees, before they reached the edge of the dome, and the entire dome glowed in a kaleidoscope of colors...before it faded away entirely.

The backed-up water came flooding past, but it only filled up the riverbed by five feet, a far cry from its original forty-five.

The assassin and Naruko stood apart at a distance of about twenty meters, almost from bank to bank. The girl had a distraught expression on her face, because now she understood Percy. She didn't see every single event from the moment he was born till now, but she had seen enough to understand him.

What she had seen broke her heart, but it also opened her eyes. No, she had not believed the Ninja World was all sunshine and rainbows and butterflies and unicorns, but what she had seen in the Mist, the things Yagura had done, the things Percy had done, the things Yūrei had done, the things Yagura's shinobi had done, what the Rebels had done, what civilians had done. Naruko understood just what kind of Hell she truly lived in now.

And she understood why Percy was doing what he was doing. His motivation for revenge, his desire for change—a dark change, yes, but a change nonetheless—the pain he had suffered, the atrocities he committed in the Mist. She got how his mind was working, somewhat, and she understood the damage that was there.

Naruko looked at Percy, trying to come up with something to say, but her mind was failing her. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. She wanted to argue that what he was doing was wrong, but she couldn't think of a platform to stand upon that Percy couldn't destroy. She wanted to tell him that not all of the world was like the Mist, but she didn't know that for sure. She had seen the dismal conditions of Wave under Gato's rule, and her only worldly experiences were of her own village and the Sand, and she had only seen smiling faces and received warm greetings.

Percy had seen the complete opposite of all of that. He had only seen the worst humanity had to offer, and considering his current standing against the world, he would not at all be willing to see the brighter side of things, because he _couldn't_ see the brighter side of things. His mind had been hardwired and conditioned to detect lies, deceit, falsehoods, vulnerabilities, weaknesses, openings, gaps, holes, opportunities, and so much more. All of it revolving around death and murder, and the completion of the mission.

Opening her mouth, Naruko attempted to try and either argue or reason with the demigod, but the words died in her throat…when Percy's hand clamped tightly around it in a vice grip from Hell. Naruko stared at his face, and that's when she realized something: his mask was gone. Every piece had come off.

 _And he was seething_.

Knowing what she did now, Naruko was aware of just what that mask meant to the boy currently about to crush her throat. That was his reminder of his third family. Instead of some kind of photo with all of them laughing and smiling, Percy had that mask. It had as much of a psychological value as it did a sentimental one. Psychological as in it carried with it a mentality and a border-line alternate personality, that personality being one of cold silence and even colder calculation, and its sentimental value was obvious.

 _And Naruko had destroyed the mask_.

Percy's Sharingan burned holes through Naruko's head as he glared at the girl with almost the same amount of rage he felt when he engaged Ameyuri and Yagura. He was beyond furious, and the world responded to his ire. The water began to freeze over, the temperature began to plummet, a layer of frost enveloped the rock, and breath became visible as the crimson moon above.

Percy leaned down close to Naruko, almost to the point their lips were touching. "I will _fucking_ murder you…"

The Jinchuuriki chuckled nervously, but it came out as a strangled wheeze. Within the seal, Kurama was uncharacteristically apprehensive. With a flare of chakra, Naruko broke the choke-hold on her throat and zoomed into the air. Percy appeared above her, rage carved onto his face.

With a yelp, Naruko managed to dodge him, and she shot off towards the Leaf. It was a good thing she and Sasuke came up with a backup plan, because now was the time to use it. You didn't need to be a Sage in order to register the fact that a livid demigod was hot on your tail; the amount of chakra he was expelling from his body was off the charts.

Shin'en could've easily blasted her heart, or her head, or her entire body apart with a dose of hydrokinesis, but he was furious. His body was covered in the Lightning Armor, his ice wings were carrying him across the earth, and his entire being swelled with the desire to beat Naruko to death with his bare hands.

The future? The princess coming back and whatnot? Fuck all that. There was no way for the princess to return if there was no one on the _planet_ to bring her back, was there? Naruko would be the first, Sasuke the second, and the rest of the human population third. There would no survivors, of that the demigod would make triply sure of.

Once again, the two children blurred across the earth, one a golden streak of light, the other a comet of emerald and black. The ruined landscape was but a blur to them as they flew, with massive craters, miles of destroyed forest, and deep trenches and fissures dotting the earth's surface. Soon, the Hidden Leaf came into view.

"You want to understand me, Naruko? Understand _this_ ," Shin'en growled lowly. This was extremely experimental, but at the current moment, the demigod didn't care. He mixed his chakra, molding it, and channeled it right into his eyes, causing his Sharingan and sclera to give way to dark emerald light. Then Shin'en let the gathered Gale chakra go.

Naruko yelped when twin beams, each no larger than an eyeball, went flying past her and into the distance. She glanced behind her, noticing how her adversary's eyes were glowing a really dark shade of green, and wondered how she hadn't felt the buildup of chakra. But now she was ready, and dodging Percy's…eyebeams, wouldn't be too difficult.

Granted they weren't fired at a speed almost equivalent to her own.

Naruko weaved through the air, relying on her senses to keep her alive and well. It was harder than she thought it would be, with the beams skimming right past her on more than one occasion, but she was never hit, much like she and Sasuke working together couldn't hit Percy.

The two children blasted right over the Hidden Leaf's walls, and they both took note of how the fires were still burning, and how there seemed to be small skirmishes all over the place. Shin'en's thralls were still active, but the chakra powering their bodies would soon run out.

That was okay though, because the demigod's mind was solely focused on one singular task:

Kill Naruko Namikaze.

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Within the bunker, all was silent as the sounds of heavy battle had faded. The demonic-looking Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, his clawed hands held together in the Ram hand seal, slowly recharging his chakra. Sakura sat on her knees behind him, her hands on his back, glowing green, and she did her part to help heal him.

Sasuke wasn't a sensor by any means, but the new chakra flowing within him gave him enough 'vision' to accurately follow the actions of Naruko and Perseus, even though they were miles away. Then again, their chakras were massive enough to the point where Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised if the rest his comrades around him could sense the battle.

Hagoromo's presence in Sasuke's mind had faded a few minutes ago, which meant the Sage's time had run out, and that Naruko was on her last legs...and currently speeding her way back to here. Alright, so it was time for the backup plan.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, revealing his Rinne-Sharingan, and his Eternal Mangekyou. How Hagoromo was able to give that to him, the Uchiha didn't know, nor did he even know that such an eye existed, or how to acquire it. Irrelevant at the moment, however; there was work to be done.

Standing up, an action that drew the attention of all in the mountain bunker, Sasuke made his way to the entrance, very much aware that he was being followed by almost everyone under the stalactites. Gods, huh? Let's see what they think of this.

Sasuke clapped his hands together, Rinne-Sharingan glowing. He spread his hands apart, and in the middle was a small black orb wreathed in white light. The Uchiha held his palm out, and the orb floated into the sky, right into the middle of the giant moon, where it glowed even brighter. Rays of crimson light bathed the burning Leaf village, and the ground soon began to rumble.

"Planetary Devastation."

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Shin'en felt the chakra rise into the sky, he heard Sasuke say the name, and he saw the red light rays shine upon the rubble, but he was _still_ surprised when gravity was suddenly pulling him in a direction that Naruko was not beelining in. By now, Shin'en was very much aware that thousands of tons of rock and stone were being toward a center of gravity that was not there before.

If there was a consolation prize here, it was that Naruko was being pulled in too.

Shin'en grunted when he slammed into the growing sphere of compressed rock. The damn thing had to be the size of the Hokage Monument by now, and it was only continuing to grow. Slamming into the rock however, did not stop Shin'en from being pulled in further. He grunted louder as he felt his body get sucked into the stones, the solid mass cracking and denting around his form. The same was happening to Naruko. Why that was, Shin'en didn't know, but it made him feel better.

The demigod's eyes widened when a piece of rubble that once belonged to the side of a house came soaring up at him, and slammed right on top of him. Shin'en growled at how not only was he being pulled to the center of the growing mass, but now he was being _pushed_ to the center as well. Shin'en growled even more when he felt multiple pieces of rubble start to rapidly pile on top of him.

Now his body felt like it was being crushed from all directions.

That royally pissed the demigod off.

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Across the village, shinobi, kunoichi, and civilian alike all stared with jaws agape of the miniature satellite floating maybe 3,000 feet above the ground. Across the village, piles of destroyed buildings and infrastructure had vanished, becoming part of the body of the small moon.

On the Hokage Monument, the genin were also staring with wide eyes, while the Greeks couldn't be even more awestruck if they tried. Even Zeus was at a loss for words. Artemis had fainted. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw a thirteen-year-old make a fucking _moon_.

As for Sasuke…his hair lost its wildness, his skin became its normal alabaster, his claws receded back into fingernails, his canines receded, his lips became their normal pinkish and his dojutsu faded from his eyes, returning the orbs back to their original seemingly-pupiless black. Then he fainted from chakra exhaustion, his body finally giving in to all the stress it had gone through in recent hours.

However, just because the boy fell unconscious and his chakra was no longer actively sustaining the Planetary Devastation, that did not mean that the small moon suddenly fell apart into small pieces of rock. No, it stayed together, intact, and perfectly round.

Until both Shin'en and Naruko flared their monstrous chakras, devoting almost everything they had left into a surge of kinetic power that blew apart the satellite in a dazzling display of gold and emerald, and what wasn't outright atomized fell back to the earth in flaming balls of rock. The two twelve-year-olds had destroyed the singularity at the epicenter.

Naruko was struggling to hand on to her Six Paths Sage Mode, and Shin'en was almost on fumes, but that did not stop him from generating his ice-wings, and shooting after the golden girl, slamming into her, and taking her for a harsh flight across nearly half of the village, before Naruko pounded Shin'en's wings with a double-overhead strike.

The ice shattered, and she was freed, but Shin'en had regrown his wings before Naruko had even made it a hundred feet. The Jinchuuriki shot down and pulled up just feet from the streets below, and the demigod was right on her tail. Years from now, Shin'en would admit to enjoying the view, but this wasn't the future. This was the present, and the present involved one very angry demigod wanting nothing more than to beat to death the bitch that had destroyed his mask.

Naruko felt her chakra running out as she blasted down street after street, weaving her way through her ruined home. She probably had less than a minute before she would no longer have enough chakra to sustain her current form. If that was the case, then…

The Namikaze girl suddenly changed directions, and shot straight for the North. Shin'en realized, with no small amount of vexation, that she was heading for the Hokage Monument, and, by extension, his _dear_ sister. Not at all willing to allow that to happen, Shin'en gave chase, his gut burning as he commanded the frozen water attached to him to pull him ahead faster and faster.

Naruko reached the base of the mountain, and shot straight up with a burst of golden chakra. Shin'en followed her up, only his burst was of emerald chakra and black lightning. Naruko blasted straight over the cliff, straight over the audience of Greeks and genin, and Shin'en was right behind her. The combined tailwind of the children almost lifted people off the ground.

When Shin'en crested the cliff, the heightened perception of the half-bloods, gods, and genin allowed them a special view of the son of Poseidon. His shirt was missing, revealing a toned, muscular body that no child should have. His mask was also no longer on his face, revealing the look of abject fury and his crimson eyes. The assembled beings saw the wings of ice upon his back, and the dark aura surrounding him.

Shin'en wasn't even looking at them.

The children's ascension was swift and furious, the winds screaming at them as they flew. Gravity meant nothing here, and all there was, was the rush of flight, and the cold of the height. However, Naruko was getting tired, but Shin'en was running on hatred, fueled by the desire to feel the girl's bones buckle and shatter under his fists.

Shin'en reached out, and grabbed Naruko by her foot. Her eyes widened. The demigod yanked her down, and then grabbed her by the throat with his right hand. He raised his left arm high, his fingers twitching and flexing—one-handed seal, Naruko realized—before her made a fist. Brightly-colored chakra enveloped his hand, and the Jinchuuriki had just enough time to bring her Truth-Seeking Orbs in front of her, and will them into a shield.

"Gale Style: Focus Laser!"

Shin'en brought his hand forward, and released the beam point-blank. Naruko's shield protected her from being hurt, but the force behind the jutsu sent her zooming down to the earth, and continued to push her across the village. A massive trail of dust and debris followed her excursion through the concrete, before Shin'en cut his chakra flow.

A bit of willpower later, and the demigod was hovering over the crater in which a de-powered Naruko lay. Shin'en let his wings dissipate, and he stalked down the side of the spider-web-cracked hole in the earth.

Naruko looked like hammered shit. Her jacket was in tatters, the bra underneath only had one strap remaining, and one of the cups had a tear in it. The top of her right sandal had broken apart, and the left one's sole was loose. Her shorts were remarkably intact, but her legs were covered in a number of bruises and cuts, and likewise for her arms and toned stomach. Her pigtails had come loose, letting her golden tresses fall freely over her face. Her lip had been split, and there was a cut on her right cheek.

Did Shin'en care about any of this? No, he was much more focused on killing the unconscious bitch before him. The demigod loomed over Naruko, and reached down, gripping her by her hair, and brought her up to his level. He was exhausted, his muscles aching, his gut burning, his chakra coils almost empty, and his fury gnashing. He put one hand underneath Naruko's chin, and the other on top of her head…her heartbeat suddenly sped up to someone on an adrenaline rush, and Shin'en was too tired to react fast enough, and he was elbowed in the side, headbutted, punched in the gut, and would've been nailed with an uppercut if he hadn't kicked his ass into gear and blocked the limb.

Shin'en gripped Naruko's arm tightly, and then bent it. The girl hissed as her elbow was broken at the joint, but other than that, did nothing else, except take hit after hit. The demigod grabbed her jacket, yanking her forward and kneed her in the gut, then kneed her in the face, then grabbed her jacket, and threw her out of the crater.

Naruko flopped upon the street, rolling a few times before getting to her feet. With a grunt, she kicked off her ruined sandals, leaving her barefoot on the rubble-filled area. It was okay though, because in spite of her lack of substantial chakra, her body was more than durable enough to handle jagged pieces of rock and glass…or at least she hoped her feet were durable enough.

Naruko reset her arm with a hiss of agony, but the pain was already subsiding, along with the numbness.

Percy crested the crater's high wall, and Naruko steeled herself. Her body hurt all over, her chakra was at an all-time low, and she was weak enough to the point where she couldn't even hear Kurama anymore. None of that mattered, though, not right now. Right now, she had a boy on her hands that had serious mental issues, and was in desperate of both a hug and an ass-whooping.

Shin'en cracked his knuckles, rolled his neck around, and rotated his shoulders. Finally, a chance to end this bullshit and move on with his ambition of mass-genocide. He settled into a loose stance, and mentally buckled down for this taijutsu battle to the death. His chakra was the lowest it had ever been in his recorded memory, and he could barely stand, but it didn't matter. His very soul resonated with the burning desire to see Naruko dead at his feet, and that was exactly what he was going to get.

If anyone got cute and decided to interfere, they would die of heart-failure before they even knew what hit them.

All was quiet for a bit, before Shin'en charged forward, closing the distance between him and Naruko in an instant. He attacked with a flurry of punches, but met with no success. Naruko blocked a haymaker, shrugged through a jab to her stomach, and turned the tables, putting Shin'en on the defensive.

His technique was flawless, and with his heightened cognitiveness granted to him by the Sharingan and his own inborn reflexes, Naruko also could not land a blow. Shin'en grabbed an incoming punch, squeezed the hand tightly, before spinning under the limb and jacking Naruko's arm into an uncomfortable position.

The girl was well-trained in hand-to-hand combat, a broke the hold easily enough, and spin kicked Percy in the face, then spin kicked him from the opposite direction, then spin kicked from the opposite direction yet again, her stopping, planting, and then leaping fee-forward to plow into Percy's chest.

The demigod, broke through the daze of being kicked repeatedly in the head, and grabbed Naruko's legs when the struck him. He raised her up, making her yelp, and then slammed her down, cracking the ground. He scrambled forward, straddling the girl, held her head in place via hand on her throat, and began wailing on her face with his free fist.

Six times did Shin'en strike Naruko, and it was on the seventh punch that Naruko acted. Her hand snapped up, catching the incoming fist. She raised her legs up, looping them around Shin'en's throat. They held that position for a moment, both of them choking and glaring at the other, before the Jinchuuriki bucked, throwing the demigod off of her.

Shin'en landed in a crouch, and just barely managed to get his arms up to block the punch Naruko sent at his face. The girl pulled back before the boy could retaliate, pivoted on the ball of her foot, and smacked Shin'en upside the head with her heel, which slammed him into a nearby wall, which crumbled on top of him.

He burst out not five seconds later with a shout of anger, Sharingan spinning wildly.

Naruko was ready, and had already taken a stance. Her body ached from all of its injuries, but she ignored the pain. She had to win this, she just _had_ to beat Percy, and do her damnedest to get him _not_ executed, or thrown in prison for the rest of his life, because the latter would not at all help matters. Perhaps house arrest with her?

Shin'en was behind Naruko far faster than what she anticipated, and her legs were suddenly no longer attached to the ground. Mid-fall, an elbow slammed into Naruko's solar plexus, knocking out her wind, and the impact made her crack the concrete even more than it already was. Still, while gasping for breath, and her body sore all over, the Jinchuuriki had enough presence of mind to roll out of the way of the leg that splintered the ground.

Naruko popped up, her diaphragm finally releasing itself, allowing fresh oxygen to flood her body once more, and she nailed Shin'en in the chin with an uppercut that lifted the boy off the ground. However, using his momentum, Shin'en flipped in the air, lifting Naruko off the ground with a kick to the chin.

The children briefly flew, before landing in synch in dual crouches. They glared for a moment, _**their eyes locking**_ in a battle of will. Sapphire blue vs. ruby red. Neither backed down, not even when Shin'en spoke did their eyes move away from the other.

"You can't beat me Naruko. You can't understand me either, nor do I want you to. You won't stop me, no matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, and you can't save this world from me, either."

Naruko growled. "I promised your big sister that I wouldn't stop trying to save you, no matter what! And I never go back on my word, because that's my Ninja Way!"

A fuse shorted out somewhere in Shin'en's brain. "Your 'Ninja Way'? Your ' _Ninja Way'_? You don't know anything about ninja!" the demigod roared. "You're the daughter of the Hokage! You're surrounded on all sides by friends and allies, and people that would trip over themselves to have you date their sons! You've lived a life more pampered than an infant, and don't deny it either. I know you took a trip through my mind back at the Valley, but a connection like that goes both ways.

"I've seen your life just as much as you've seen mine, only _I_ can pick out the things your immature mind couldn't. The ANBU constantly surrounding you, the safe environment you grew up in, the dumbed down curriculum at the Academy, the inexposure to just how rotten the world you live in is.

"And don't argue by using the Land of Waves. They were a shinobi-less backwater country oppressed by a midget with more money than he knew how to use properly. That's nothing compared to the Mist, and you know it."

"But killing every single shinobi on the planet!? I can understand hating the Mist village because of what Ameyuri and those Mist ANBU did, but blaming every shinobi alive for the death of your family is—" she didn't want to say _stupid_ because that would not end well, so she settled for—"isn't right!"

" _Then what would you do!?"_ Shin'en howled. "What would you do to change this fucking cesspool of a world we live in? Huh!? What will you _do_!? Tell me!"

The demigod launched himself forward, tackling Naruko to the ground, rolling through the dirt and the dust. Shin'en threw her off, the strength behind his arms sending Naruko to the top of a three-story building. She scrambled to her feet, just in time for her back to bump up against Shin'en's.

" _Tell me!"_

Naruko whirled around with a backhand, the demigod ducked, uppercutted her, slammed his foot into her gut, grabbed her by the bra before she could go flying off the roof, slung her back around into an air-conditioning unit, denting the machine. Shin'en leapt up, and Naruko rolled away, and the AC unit was completely smashed to pieces.

Her foot was grabbed before she got far, then she was weightless, then her wind was knocked out of her (again) when she met the harsh concrete that made the building she was standing upon. The roof cracked beneath. Shin'en gripped her throat, but not hard enough to choke, and raised the girl up to where her bare feet weren't touching the ground anymore.

"How will you change the world Naruko? Do you even want to, or are you content to live with your fantasy of rainbows? Give me an answer…I'm waiting."

Shin'en threw Naruko to the roof. She did not get up. Instead, she laid there, on her back, staring blankly up at the night sky. It was beautiful. The millions of stars, the massive nebulas and clouds so many trillions of miles away, the ruby-colored moon gazing down upon the earth like a silent deity…all of this shining against the primordial void of endless cold and darkness.

Just like this world that she lived in. Everything seemed so pretty, and perfect, and clean, and shiny…but it was all gilded. Among all of this that seemed so good, among all of this beautiful light, there were still malevolent shadows that lingered silently.

Perhaps Naruko was just in denial about the world. She _knew_ that shinobi were murderers. She _knew_ that shinobi were supposed to have no honor. She _knew_ that shinobi weren't supposed to have emotions. She _knew_ that shinobi were expected to be cold-blooded murderers on the field of battle, not sparring a glance at even the youngest of enemies, only dispatching them and moving on to the next soon-to-be corpse. Most importantly, Naruko _knew_ that Jinchuuriki, that _she_ , was supposed to be an unstoppable, unkillable, uncompromisable mass-murdering killing machine whose only purpose in life was to be pointed at the enemy, and unleashed to go eradicate every living thing until nothing remained but a burning crater of ash and death.

That was the nature of the world as a whole, but Naruko's personal world…it wasn't like that.

She was the daughter of Kushina and Minato Namikaze, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki and Red Death, and the Yellow Flash/Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She was loved and respected by all of the village (or at least, she had never met anyone that hated her), she had friends in all of the major clans, and she had an adopted little brother that absolutely adored her. She had frequent playdates, sleepovers, and parties with all of her friends when she was younger. She recalled fondly the times she, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata all played House together, with the four of them alternating between being the Mom, the Aunt, the Big Sister, and the Baby.

As for Percy's question, 'how will you change this fucking cesspool of a world we live in,' she _didn't_ have an answer. She didn't know how to change the world. She didn't know what was wrong with it, per se. She knew that the Mist had delved into a complete, bloody, chaotic mess due to information provided by Zabuza and Percy's memories, but surely the rest of the world wasn't like that. Naruko couldn't assume that, however.

She needed to travel. She need to _see_ the state of the world. She needed to grasp what kind of reality she lived in, free from the brightness of her name and village. She needed to explore the dark corners of the map; the Lands of Earth, Lightning, Water, Wind, Fire, and the smaller provinces. She needed to see firsthand the kind of hatred that plagued the world.

But she couldn't do that if she was dead.

With steel in her veins and conviction in her heart, Naruko rose up, standing tall and proud. The light of the red moon shone brightly behind her, while Percy stood strong, the dark of the night acting as his patron.

"Well? How will you change our world, then? How will you rewrite the system? _Tell me._ "

"I don't know yet, but I will find out how. I'll travel the world, see for myself what's wrong with the system, and when I return, I'll prove to you that my way _will_ be better."

Shin'en stared at her for a long time, before he began chuckling. His chortles got progressively louder, and more high-pitched, before he was full-on raving, back arched and everything. It deeply disturbed Naruko. Shin'en's body was racked with heaves as he calmed back down, but he eventually got himself back under control. He wiped a tear from his eyes.

"Such a naïve answer from a naïve little girl who's been coddles her entire life. Your mother is so _doting_ I'm surprised she didn't keep you out of the shinobi system altogether. But, speaking of systems…you know the best way to fix a system that's broken? You eradicate it. Destroy it. Obliterate it. Erase any knowledge of its existence…and then you build upon the ashes." Naruko had already grown used to this type of mentality, and was not surprised by Percy's monologue. Instead, she looked at him with sadness.

The demigod continued, "It's kind of pointless that I asked for your answer on how you would change the world, and it's rather ironic that you wish to travel the continent to witness firsthand the horrors it will bring. Why is it ironic, you ask? Well…you're assuming that I'm going to let you walk away from here _alive_."

Naruko just grit her teeth…before the Shadow Clone she had spawned after her final impact dispelled, and transferred all of the natural chakra it had gathered to her. The Jinchuuriki's eyes turned yellow, her pupils became horizontal bars, and orange eyeshadow appeared on her face.

Shin'en growled. There was no way she could have gathered natural chakra that quickly, so she must have made a clone at some point, but even so, how had he not sensed its entering the world, or its departure from the battlefield into a secluded area outside his hydrokinetic sensing range?

Naruko might've been putting on a good show of strength, but her clone had only managed to gather about another 30 seconds' worth of natural chakra, so she had to act fast, strike hard, and hope that Percy would go down, and that he wouldn't be executed or imprisoned for life after this.

Too bad she hadn't heard the Fourth Raikage's decree earlier.

With a battle cry, her body now fueled by the power of nature itself, Naruko sped forward, catching the wary demigod off guard with her speed, and nailed him right in the face, sending him flying over rooftops.

 _25 seconds_

Naruko appeared underneath him, but Shin'en was ready. He flipped, and twisted, his leg snapping out in a vicious spin-kick. Naruko blocked with a single forearm, grabbed the offending limb, and flung Shin'en through the roof of whatever building this was, down to ground level.

 _20 seconds_

Shin'en dove out of the building, and Naruko leapt down from the roof. She landed feet and fists first, cracking the ground with her curled fingers. She was too slow to avoid the punch that hit her square in the side of the jaw. If not for her Sage Mode-enhanced body, that strike would've knocked her out instantly. As it was, it just jerked her head to the side.

 _14 seconds_

Naruko looped her around the one embedded into her cheek, pulled up, making Shin'en grimace as his arm was bent in a way that it wasn't supposed to bend. Naruko brought her free fist up and around, but Shin'en blocked with his own fist, but the impact between the two fists made the demigod pull away with an even bigger grimace. His fingers were no doubt cracked, or at the very least, bruised. Naruko brought her fist back around, striking Shin'en's collarbone, _definitely_ cracking it.

 _11 seconds_

Naruko slid to side, loosening her grip on the demigod's arm, but she gripped his wrist when her hand reached down that far, and she yanked Shin'en towards her, headbutting him and breaking his nose with a spurt of blood. Still gripping the boy's arm, Naruko flipped him over her back, but her planted his feet down, halting his downward movement.

 _8 seconds_

Shin'en rolled himself around, which changed the way Naruko was gripping his wrist. The demigod freed himself, and snapped his leg up, nailing Naruko in the chin with his own tibia, which probably cracked the bone, hurting him more than it did the Jinchuuriki. Naruko slapped Shin'en's leg back to the ground, and slammed both of her fists into his sternum, making him slide back across the street, his bare feet digging shallow trenches through the street.

 _5 seconds_

Mentally calculating how much time she had left before her Sage Mode ran out, Naruko hastily made a Shadow Clone, held her hand out to said clone, and began to expel her chakra from her body, and the clone began to shape it. Nanoseconds later, a blue Rasengan was whirling loudly above her hand. The clone dispelled, and Naruko ran forward.

 _2 seconds_

Naruko was a foot away from Shin'en, when she thrust her arm forward, aiming for the demigod's solar plexus. The demigod liquefied himself when the spiraling sphere was less than an inch away from his skin. Naruko went flying through his entire body, with his form liquefying to allow her passage.

 _Times up_

Naruko collapsed. Using Sage Mode, even when she was at Mt. Myoboku always ended with extreme exhaustion when she exited the state, and right now, after hours of having her chakra coils stretched, drained dry, refilled, and then repeat for multiple times, she had nothing left in the tank. She was at the bare minimum for required vitality. Beyond that, her entire body was unresponsive. Each of her muscles ached, her bones felt like paper, her organs felt like each of them had ruptured. She was so tired at this point that she couldn't even consciously keep her bladder closed. _Beyond even that_ , she was so exhausted that her brain didn't even produce the chemicals necessary to create feelings of shame, embarrassment, or humiliation.

She couldn't find it in herself to care about anything anymore. Her hopes, dreams, ambitions, goals, friends, family…she didn't care. She had failed. Any damage she dealt to Percy was merely an illusion, just a trick to give his enemies a false sense of hope and security. Simply turning his body into liquid, and then reshaping himself, was enough to heal all of his wounds. Any bruises, broken bones, internal damage…al healed with a bit of water.

It was the realization that all she had worked for, all that she had planned to do, all that she had strived for…was for nothing, in the end. Not even the promise to Persephone, the promise of a lifetime, nor abiding by her Ninja Way, spurred any flame inside of Naruko. This had never been a fight. Percy could've liquefied himself at any point, and merely allow all attacks to pass right through him.

Naruko's Will of Fire had been snuffed out.

Shin'en stood over Naruko battered form with an air of absolution. His body was perfectly fine, with no visible damage at all, nor was he internal injured. He stared down at his adversaries broken form without visible emotion. He didn't even react to the dark stain on the back of her shorts or the puddle that had formed beneath her. Everything was trivial at this point. All that mattered was that he had _won_.

Shin'en rose from his crouching position, a ghost of a smirk on his face as he walked to the frozen and still-crouching Naruko. Her blue eyes were glazed over and her heart rate was steady. Little fool. She had stared deep into the vermillion pool that was the Sharingan, and had been pulled into his deep, soothing waters.

Shin'en stood behind his genjutsu-induced opponent, took about three seconds to freely admire her ass, then he placed his hands on her head, one on her chin, the other on her crown. He paused suddenly, as an insect came running onto the scene.

"Get away from my big sister!" Menma roared at the top of his little voice. His left eye, once blue, was now slitted and red, while his black eye was also now red, but with a curious little comma-like marking spinning around the pupil. Shin'en's theory was confirmed: Menma was the result of what was most likely an illegal experiment regarding an Uchiha and the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"I won't let you hurt her anymore!"

Shin'en raised his hand, stopping Menma's downward, reverse-grip kunai attack with minimal effort, lifted him off the ground with almost as much effort as it took to stop his pitiful attack, and threw him away like a piece of trash. Undaunted, Menma sprang up and attacked again. Shin'en kicked him in the face, his hand still on the frozen Naruko's head.

Menma refused to give up, and charged forward again. Three times was always the magic number, because this time Shin'en was annoyed, and abandoned Naruko altogether. The boy ran forward as fast as little legs could carry him, kunai raised, and war-cry tearing from his throat. He got close to the demigod, but the vastly superior boy sidestepped, causing, Menma to lose his balance, but a punch to the gut that made blood fly from his mouth quickly fixed his problem.

The force behind Shin'en's blow lifted Menma off of the ground, and in the few microseconds he was in the air, the demigod grabbed the child's head, slammed him skull-first into the street, adding a new crater, and then brought Menma up into a chokehold.

The child was still conscious and struggling, but pressure to his jugular caused him to still.

"Why do you persist in saving someone not related to you, _boy_?" Shin'en hissed lowly.

"I don't care if she isn't my blood sister. She's still my big sister, and I'll do everything I can to protect her, even if it means fighting a monster like you!" Menma answered, hatred ringing clear in his voice.

The boy's response struck a chord in Shin'en, and his face scrunched up in pain as a feeling akin to a hot iron being pressed into his skull racked his body. _Big sister…protect her…big sister…protect her…big sister protect her…big sister…protect her-big sister protect her-big sisterprotectherbigsisterprotectherBIGSISTERPROTECTHER_

Shin'en shook his head to rid himself of the screaming voice in his head. It seemed to work, because he was no longer being assaulted with the migraine-inducing mantra. He turned his attention back to Menma, the boy still silent and still due to the impossibly-muscled arms wrapped around his head and throat, ready to snap his neck at a moment's notice.

"What do you want to be when you are older, Menma?"

"I want to be a great ninja, like my mom and my dad, and like my big sister!"

"Foolish child…I should kill you now, and spare the world another murderer—" Menma's blood froze in his veins—"but I won't. Instead, I'll leave you with a much more severe consequence for your choice in life."

Shin'en struck Menma on the head, and the boy fell limp, his heartrate dropping to a speed appropriate for one that was unconscious. The demigod dropped the boy, and made his way back over to Naruko, and placed his hands upon her head one more time. Checking one more time to make sure there were no more immediate threats in the vicinity, Shin'en detected none. So, without any further hesitation, Shin'en snapped Naruko's neck like it was no more than a dry twig.

Her limp body fell to the cracked and cratered ground with a dull thump…and then was replaced with log in a puff of smoke.

Shin'en rolled his ruby eyes with a growl of annoyance, especially at how Naruko attempted to sneak-attack him. By charging silently up from behind with a sword, then jumping the last five feet. A puff of smoke later, and Shin'en was holding his remaining Lightning Fang in an icepick grip. He whirled around, parrying Naruko's crimson-bladed katana with effortless ease, and then pointed his free hand up at the suspended girl.

"Chidori Stream."

A torrent of emerald-colored lightning burst from the demigod's hand, with every arc zooming at, and electrifying, the defenseless Namikaze that was about two feet away from Shin'en. The son of Poseidon cut the stream of chakra to his hand, now running on just a mere 8% of his full strength, grabbed Naruko's jacket, knocked her katana from her hand, stabbed his own blade into the ground, hauled the dazed genin up into the air, and struck her in the middle of her chest, denting her breastbone inward.

The force of the impact sent Naruko flying through the window of some building, and out to other end of the structure. She wasn't getting up. Shin'en wiped the bottom of his nose, before stalking forward to the building's door with the intent to kill the girl on the other side.

The building itself looked like it had been the center of a battle, with the outer walls scorched, holes upon the walls, like someone had tried to punch through the stone, and the sign above the door being nowhere to be found. Actually, now that Shin'en thought about it, he was pretty sure he had placed on his incendiary tags on this building.

Huh. For the life of him, he could not remember what this place was. Oh well, he had far more important things to do than wonder where and why he had put an incendiary tag on some random, no-name building. With that, Shin'en pushed the door out of his way, and walked in.

Then he saw the _bodies_.

The small, _child-sized_ bodies.

The small, _smoking_ , child-sized bodies.

The small, smoking, _fried-skinned_ child-like bodies.

The remains of young children, boys and girls in uncountable measure, all of them burned, blackened, and smoking. Their skin was cracked and smoldering, the scent of burnt flesh still heavy in the air. This had been recent, their deaths occurring not any more than just 30 minutes ago.

Shin'en's eyes darted from body to body in rapid succession, his Sharingan recording everything in perfect detail. He began to hyperventilate, his breathing becoming ragged, panicked, _outofcontrol!_ He had been here- _here!-_ seven years ago. He had seen this- _hundreds of times!_ -in a dream. A bad, bad, bad- _bad!-_ dream so long ago. Bodies-children-dead-burned-scorched-fire-lightning-orphans-brothers-sisters- _family!_ -deaddeadead! All DEAD!

Shin'en slowly stepped back out of the building, trembling, pupils dilating rapidly, breathing jerky and uneven, mind shattering and spasming. His foot struck something, and her tripped over it. No sooner had he landed on his butt, than he was about scrambling over to what had tripped him. It was a wooden plank covered in ash.

Desperately, feverishly, _reverently_ , Shin'en began to scrub the ash away, revealing letters and more letters and eventually words.

H…

I…

D…

D…

E…

N…

L…

E…

A…

F…

O…

R…

P…

H…

A…

N…

A…

G…

E…

Percy _screamed._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Elsewhere in the Village_

" _Bee!" Ei roared. That fucking does it! The future Fourth Raikage completely ditched his fight with Jiraiya, and zoomed right up to his father, Ay, and delivered the father of all haymakers right into the current Raikage's temple._

 _The veteran shinobi was caught so surprised that his own son would strike him in such a way, that he took the full brunt of the punch…and he kind of blacked out due to the force behind the punch, his brain doing a hard reset. Ay went flying across the village, just a blur as he careened lifelessly through building after building, tearing a trench across the village interior, before crashing somewhere a few hundred feet shy of the towering wall, his momentum depleted by friction._

Now, Ay was finally coming to, having missed out an all the action, and had luckily landed in a part of the village that was untouched by both jutsu, incendiary tags, ninja, and battle, however, there was a very _serious_ problem.

The Third Raikage was _old_ , very old by shinobi standards, having lived well into his seventies. Now, chakra did wonders to the human body, such as increasing bone and muscle durability to levels capable of withstanding thousands of pounds of force, but the Raikage was still _old_.

He had taken a haymaker, a haymaker powered by raw muscular power, an extreme amount of chakra, the Lightning Armor, rage, and the element of surprise. It only due to Ay's ungodly amount of chakra that his head hadn't been blown apart like a grape, but he was still _old_.

And something that came with being old, was the increased susceptibility to all kinds of damage…brain damage, to be exact. Ay had been totally blindsided by his own son, a man capable of bench-pressing several tons, and then had went careening through half a village's worth of housing and business.

In short, Ay had a concussion, a major one. He had a concussion severe enough to where it altered his perception of the world, and his understanding of events.

His son…Ei…was a traitor…The rest of the Cloud ninja…were traitors too…they stood by…aided in the insurrection…they were traitors…And the Leaf…and the Sand…enemies…needed to die…all enemies and traitors…needed to die…Shin'en…failed experiment…needed to die…needed to cover up…failed experiment…needed to…erase all evidence…

Something clicked in the Third Raikage's mind. The haze cleared from his eyes, he wiped the drool from his mouth, he squared his jaw, and he activated Orochimaru's gift. Ay's eye bugged out of his head as his muscles swelled and his veins bulged. The Raikage began to grow, his muscles expanding, his bones enlarging, his entire body getting bigger.

The cloth that served as his headband busted, and fell to the ground. His mane of hair became rigid and spiked. His one-strapped vest came undone, and fell to the ground, joining the headband. His sandals burst, becoming useless. At the end of the transformation into a hulking behemoth of muscle, only the Raikage's pants remained, but even they had their fair number of tears and stress-rips…and a conspicuous bulge at the crotch.

Ay stood at nine feet in height. His chest was bulging with enormous pectorals, his abdomen occupied by a four-pack with each ab as big as a watermelon. His biceps, triceps, shoulders, and forearms were almost being split apart by the amount of muscle underneath. His legs were beefed to the maximum, and proportionate to his arms.

The strangest thing was that the Raikage didn't look hideous. He looked like what humans would look like if they were all nine feet tall and worshipped a gym. Veins were not bulging, muscle was not overly defined and sculpted, in fact, it looked completely natural.

Ay took a breath, only pausing to admire his new physique for a moment, before he set off for where he could smell people.

The Leaf…the Sand…enemies…the Cloud…traitors…Shin'en…failed experiment…all must die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Three days and almost 10k words. I think that is a record for me.**_

 _ **Percy is having what amounts to a seizure as he comprehends that he just torched an orphanage full of children without even realizing that he had put a tag there. This is a big deal because this is exactly what Ameyuri did to his orphan family years ago. For someone with a pathological hatred of shinobi to do**_ **exactly** _ **what the catalyst for his psychosis did to him is… mind breaking.**_

 _ **He hates shinobi for burning his family alive, and now he finds out that he committed his own act of arson in the exact same way…don't try to put yourself in Percy's shoes. You won't like how they feel.**_

 _ **But the mind-shattering has only just begun, with the Raikage delivering the final nail in the coffin next chapter. Speaking of Ay, to get a more accurate idea of his new, Orochimaru-enhanced form, look up Raoh from**_ _ **Fist of the North Star**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Tune in next time for Awakening Pt. 2: A Demigod's Sorrow, the next thrilling chapter in the epic saga of**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **!**_


	36. Awakening Pt 2: A Demigod's Sorrow

_Awakening Pt. Two: A Demigod's Sorrow_

 _ **This is it, folks. This chapter is the equivalent of Naruto and Sasuke's first battle at the Valley of the End. This chapter is the end of Part I. This is the chapter in which Shin'en is depowered, and it won't be because he's defeated and sealed/imprisoned. This is the chapter in which the Third Raikage dies, and he delivers a bomb to Shin'en that will**_ _ **shatter**_ _ **the demigod's emotional fragility.**_

 _ **The seriousness of this chapter is not to be taken lightly. In all honesty, this is probably the most serious chapter I've ever written. There won't be humor, there won't be jokes or quips, and there won't be any cameos of the Greeks dropping their jaws and feeling inferior to a bunch of children.**_

 _ **Shit gets real here.**_

 _ **That being said, this will be the last chapter of**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **for a while, as after this I'll divert my time to SoJ's vacation chapter, featuring the madness that is PercyxClair, before either binging**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **till it's completion, or cranking out a chapter for**_ _ **Ghoul**_ _ **and**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **. Haven't decided yet, but have patience.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Awakening, otherwise known as Demigod Mode.

It is a divine state, much like Six Paths Sage Mode, only this state is unique only to demigods born with the power of a Shinto God. In simplest terms, Demigod Mode is Percy's Super Saiyan, his Bankai, his Avatar State, his 4th Gear, his Dragon Force. It's his overpowered form that activates when under extreme emotional stress.

Like watching helpless as his first family was blown up, or as his third family's heads were mounted on spears and raised high up for all to see as a madman gave a speech.

The visible traits of Demigod Mode are obvious. Percy's messy black hair, arranged and clumped together in dozens of thin strands, stands straight up as a crown of thorns. His pupil shifts from a simple dot in the middle of his eye, to a capital Greek omega that spans almost the entire iris. Finally, extreme weather blows in from nowhere, bringing with it a power that redefines the Fujita Scale, and is strong enough to level almost an entire Hidden Village.

Percy has entered Demigod Mode only twice prior to this day, August 7th, 1013 A.S. The first time was on his birthday, August 18th, 1006 A.S., after he watched his orphan siblings get brutally murdered. At six-years-old, with only basic genin-level taijutsu and Jonin-level chakra, he had _slaughtered_ an entire battalion of A-rank Foundation ninja, and a high A-rank kunoichi who also happened to be one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. His first Awakening also activated his latent hydrokinetic powers, and generated a storm powerful enough to be felt all the way into the heart of the Land of Fire.

At the tender age of six, Percy had mopped the floor with a force that even the likes of Kakashi Hatake would've had difficulty facing alone.

The second-time Percy Awakened, was on May, 25, 1013 A.S., after he witnessed Yūrei's heads be mounted on pikes in the Mist Village's central square. A similar thing happened. Huge explosion of chakra, thorn-hair, omega-eyes, all-encompassing rage, thousands of dead people, miles of devastation, and a slaughtered opponent that should've been too powerful to beat at his current age. Yagura had been Kage-level, even without his Tailed-Beast, but in the end, not even a Kage Jinchuuriki was a match for an enraged and despairing demigod.

Percy had been far stronger on that day than when he was six, and the environmental damage clearly reflected that.

Currently, Percy wasn't experiencing extreme emotional stress, per se. He was struggling to comprehend what he had done to an orphanage, and that was causing more of a panic attack/seizure/mental breakdown/identity crisis than an emotional overflow. Of course, that wasn't to say Percy wasn't going to completely lose it and go berserk, either.

The wild card here was the Third Raikage, whose concussion was having a severe adverse effect on the man's psyche and decision making skills, to the point where the old shinobi was viewing everyone around him as an enemy to be killed, regardless of nationality or allegiance. If Ay had a lapse in judgement, and told of Percy of how Yūrei's base was found, the boy would know a rage and sorrow so deep, that all of the world would be swallowed by its depth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en heaved in huge lung fulls of air. His body shook and trembled. His heart slammed to and fro against his ribcage. His blood roared in his ears. His pupils dilated from one extreme to the other, dozens of times a minute. He stared at the wooden plank in his hands, unable to comprehend what he was reading.

 _Hidden Leaf Orphanage_

Orphans-family-brothers-sisters-matron-family-reason-drive-revenge-vegeance-turnedtheirbacks-falsecause- _not the boy I raised_ -bodies-burned-smoking-charred-scorched-blackened-crispy-dead-dead- _dead-DEAD_.

 _ALL OF THEM WERE DEAD BY HIS HAND_

The world shifted and inverted, and Shin'en saw his old home, burned and destroyed. It was still night, the red moon still shined, and the smell of burnt flesh was ever-present. Drawn forward in a daze, the demigod entered the ruins, and beheld the same sight that made him kill his emotions. All of his big brothers and big sisters, all of his little brothers and little sisters…dead. Burned. Smoking. Blackened. Unrecognizable.

But they were recognizable. Shin'en recognized them, all of them. Even through the cracked flesh and smoldering layers of muscle and skin, Shin'en could identify all of his dead siblings. Kazuma, Hinami, Arashi, Kyoko, Hideo, Yoshio, Komaru, Onihime, Rinkuro, Kaze, Kaede, Natsumi, Aino, Hideki, Same, Shiro, Asuka, Reio, Kyouka, Amon, Touki, Setsuna, Kazuka, and Toshiro.

Then the voices started whispering.

 _You did this…_

 _You killed us…_

 _We're dead because of you..._

The mantra repeated over and over again, the words and phrases getting jumbled together in cacophony of tumbling sounds that rang louder and louder with each repetition. The phrases melded into a single, roaring, incomprehensible shout that had Shin'en curling into a ball on his side, squeezing his hands over his head as tight as he could.

They had to be lying, they had to! He would never do anything to hurt them, much less _kill_ them. He wasn't fast enough to save them, but he wasn't the one who had killed them! He had _killed_ their killer, Ameyuri Ringo! Then he had sworn to kill the entire shinobi system, so that no one else on this earth would experience the same pain he had, and that the planet would finally be free of the virus that was ninja.

But...but-but he had set the tag. He had triggered the fire. He had been the one to start the blaze. He had been the one that listened with deaf ears as his family burned alive, and pounded on the windows and walls in a desperate attempt to flee the fire. Did he kill his family? Did he? Did he die that night too? Had he?

Was Shin'en even real? Did he exist? Or was Shin'en just a persona, a mask—a mask to hide the raging emotional turmoil that belonged to Percy Jackson?

Was what he was doing even right, anymore? Kill all the shinobi on earth, eradicate the system, then what? Chakra would still exist, someone would stumble upon ruins, or weapons, or scrolls, and then there would be one more shinobi on the earth. After everything was gone, then what? Build an empire, a kingdom, a civilization, or go with his sister to her world?

The what would he do there? He was a blight against that dimension. Their laws and codes and regulations perfectly contradicted his entire existence. He could easily find mercenary work, taking out politicians, finishing childhood grudges, smuggling drugs, protecting shipments, or do the opposite of all that as vigilante or something…but when would it end?

Shin'en's devoted his entire life to what boiled down to genocide, but it was here, at the midpoint, where a revelation was made: he was the one who killed his family. He had set the tag, he activated the sealing matrix, he was the one to have started the blaze, he was the one to have taken the lives of all his orphan brothers and sisters.

The demigod's eyes burned and stung, and he let them. He didn't know why his eyes were burning and stinging, having forgotten what the Mangekyou Sharingan was and how it was activated, but he knew that whatever happened, whatever pain he suffered…he deserved it.

He had killed his family. He had struck them down with fire and lightning. He was a murderer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown_

Percy stirred, awakening from what felt like a century's long slumber. Cracking open his eyes, he yawned, only it was of a much higher pitch than what it should have been. Groggily, the demigod got to his feet, grass rustling beneath him. He rubbed his eyes a bit, then looked around.

Blue skies with sparse clouds, bright, yellow sun hanging high, an endless field of wildflowers, tail mountains in the far distance, and a hill with a large oak tree standing mightily upon it. The tree was tall, wide, green, and powerful, but that wasn't what Percy had focused on. He was focused on the young woman leaning against the trunk, wrapped in the shade, a cigarette burning in her mouth.

In the warmth of the windless day, Percy's face brightened as a gasp of delight came from his mouth. "Sukina!"

The six-year-old ran forward on his short legs, laughing and squealing in absolute joy. Percy tore across the field, ignoring how the flowers and other plant life nipped at his bare feet for interrupting their peace. Percy charged up the hill, and leapt into spread arms of his _real_ big sister.

Sukina spun him around with a laugh, before collapsing back against the oak tree's trunk, and sliding down to the cool ground with a happy sigh. The orange-haired girl sat with her knees bent, and Percy was resting in the crook of her waist and legs, a dopey grin on his face. He giggled, before snatching the cigarette out of Sukina's mouth and putting it in his own.

The assassin's eye twitched. "You sneaky little imp." Percy just giggled around his cancer stick. Instead of trying to take her cigarette back, Sukina reached behind, and pulled out another from somewhere. She held it up against the one in Percy's mouth, using the existing flame to light her own, before putting it in her mouth, and took a drag. "Oh yeah," she said, "that's the stuff."

Percy wriggled around, positioning himself to where he was laying against Sukina's left side. He nestled against her, a true, peaceful smile on his young face. "I've missed you, Big Sister."

Sukina wrapped her arm around the young boy, who she indeed saw as a little brother, but her eyes were vacant, sad, empty. She was dead after all, and what was happening now was one god or another was playing with the afterlife, and was creating a bridge for her soul and Percy's soul to temporarily meet, but this wasn't a social event. Sukina had a message to deliver, one that would hopefully set her little brother straight.

The assassin sighed sadly, causing Percy to look up at her, confused. "You can't call me big sister anymore, Percy. You have a real big sister who loves you more than I ever could."

"Who?" Percy demanded, deeply hurt by what Sukina was saying. "Sephy?" the boy didn't even realize he had just called his biological sister by a childish pet name, but Sukina did; she just chose not to comment on it yet. "She wasn't ever there, not like you always were!"

"Because of you, Percy. You asked Susano'o to block any dreams your sister would have of you in the Mist until you got back to the Cloud. That was probably the best decision you've made in your life so far, you naughty brat." Sukina dug her finger into Percy's stomach, and wriggled it around. Percy's cigarette fell out of his mouth as he squirmed and giggled.

Sukina continued tickling Percy for a few more seconds, before she stopped, and let Percy get his breathing under control. His cigarette burned, forgotten, at his feet.

"We did a lot of very bad things together, Percy. Us and Arashi, Bullock, Yūwaku. We killed a lot of people, sure, but we never wanted to kill everyone, not like you did." Percy remained silent during the whole speech. "I think that, over time, we started to break you out of that goal. You started smiling smore, actually laughing at some of Yūwaku's crappy-ass jokes, and started being human. You were letting us in, whether you want to admit or not…and then Yagura somehow found us, and we both know how that story ended."

"With me avenging all of you."

Sukina sighed deeply. "That, Percy, is exactly what the problem is. Your vengeance doesn't stop at the people directly responsible for taking away those you've loved. It seeks to encompass everything and everyone. The entire world isn't to blame for our deaths, Percy. Those that took your loved one's lives have all already perished.

"Ameyuri Ringo destroyed your orphanage, and you killed her. Danzo Shimura supplied the ANBU, and you killed him. Yagura attacked us while you were on a mission, and you killed him, too. There's no more reason for you to continue your crusade, Percy."

"It goes beyond all of them, though!" the demigod rebutted. "Ringo, Shimura, Yagura, all of them were jut bi-products of a corrupted system that needs to be destroyed, so that no one else has to go through what I did."

"Ahhh, that's just it, isn't it, Percy? All of those shinobi you're talking about killing…they're just like you. They all have families, friends, loved ones, siblings…how do you think they would all feel if you took all of that from them, hm? They'd be hurt, just like you were, and now you'd be the bad guy in the world."

"I don't care," Percy said petulantly. "I'll just kill of them, too."

"And what good would that do, little brat? You kill ninja, they'll come after you, you'll kill them, more ninja will come, and you'll kill them too until there's nothing left. There'll be no more ninja, and then the daimyos will step in with their armies of samurai—" Percy snorted at the thought of _samurai_ fighting against him— "and you'll kill of them, too. Now you'll have to contend with all of the distraught wives, husbands, daughters, sons, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins of all the samurai and daimyos that you've killed. And then what? Say you kill all of them, and wipe out almost all human life on the planet…what then, Percy? What will you do as one of the last people on this earth?"

"I don't know," Percy mumbled after a moment, glaring at the ground.

"Well you better figure something out," Sukina suddenly snapped. "Because with the way things are going now, that's _exactly_ what's going to happen!"

Percy stared at her, wide-eyed. Eons of silence passed by slowly, before the demigod did something he hadn't done in years: he sniffled. His lower lip began to tremble, his face began to turn red, and his eyes started watering. Sukina picked the boy up, setting him into her lap, pressing his small head against her bosom. Percy wrapped his little arms around her tightly, and the floodgates opened.

In this special world, where time and space meant nothing, age, of all things, still held value. That's why Percy was merely six. He didn't have the mental constitution of his thirteen-year-old self, otherwise he would've taken Sukina yelling at him with a dull expression. However, as a six-year-old, Percy's emotional barriers were nowhere near as strong, and that's why he was openly sobbing into Sukina's chest.

The orange-haired assassin let Percy cry, cradling at softly humming to him. He needed this, more than he would ever know. He had been robbed of his childhood, and then subconsciously forced himself to lock away his emotions, only they hadn't been locked away; they had been built up. When they finally broke free of the trunk Percy stuffed them into, they always did so with near-cataclysmic force.

Percy tainted himself with the self-made lie that he was cold and unfeeling, and getting him to detox involved emotional words and the soft embrace of one of the women he had to associate with on a deeper psychological level. Yugito had subconsciously come to fill the role of 'mother,' while Sukina had subconsciously come to fill the role of 'big sister.'

Percy's sobs subsided, turning into quiet sniffles for a time, before he fell into silence. One might've thought he was sleeping, but it was impossible to sleep in the afterlife. Sukina gently rustled him, and the demigod raised his head up. It was the perfect picture of a six-year-old who just got finished crying.

Red cheeks, puffy eyes, snot coming out of his nose, and tear streaks staining his face. Sukina smiled, wishing she had a camera in order to tease him about this later, but alas. She had no camera, and their meeting time was growing short. Using her vest, she cleaned off Percy's face.

"How?" he whispered, barely audible even with their close proximity.

Sukina didn't need to ask what he meant by 'how,' she just knew what he was talking about. Call it a big sister's intuition. "I can't tell you that, Percy. You'll have to discover the answer for yourself. Perhaps talk to Naruko; she seems to have the right idea."

"Travel the world and understand people? I don't _want_ to understand people. You have to let them in to understand them, and everyone I let in gets…they get…" Percy struggled to find the right words, but they came to him soon enough. "…everyone I let in gets taken from me," he whispered.

Sukina's eyes widened as a revelation appeared before. _There_ was the fundamental flaw of Percy Jackson. _Loss_ was his issue-no, not loss. It was the _pain_ of loss. Now, one might argue that we lose people all the time; friends that move away, friends that are no longer friends the next time you meet, grandparents, parents, and the key to remedying that pain was time and mourning.

It wasn't so simple for Percy.

He had been _six_ when everyone he had ever known and loved was ripped out of his life. Just _six_ , a mere child, someone's whose brain wasn't anywhere near developed enough to cope with such a monumental loss of loved ones. Then, as time progressed, and he began to slightly open up again, he had been forced to leave behind his pseudo mother, opening up a new void in his heart, and deeply scrambling his emotional control center.

Them, even further, that void had begun to fill back up with the Ghosts of the Bloody Mist. Mission upon mission, breakfast upon breakfast, lunch upon lunch, dinner upon dinner, _bedtime song_ upon bedtime song as Percy's inner child began to emerge after months with Sukina. But it all fell through in the end.

Percy had been assigned a solo mission by Mei, and Yagura had struck from out of nowhere. If Yūrei had been given the mission to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, with only an hour for planning and preparation, they could've come up with three different plans with all of them having less than a fifteen-percent chance of failure. As it was, they were caught off-guard, and they were outmatched.

Each member of Yūrei was powerful, especially Percy and Arashi, but Yagura was in a class all by himself. The battle itself had been short, sweet, brutal, and ended with four-fifths of Yūrei's heads removed from their bodies. The revelation of what Percy's greatest fear was made everything clear to Sukina.

But there was a flaw with Percy's flaw, and the assassin _knew_ that pointing it out would fix the broken child in her arms.

"Oh, Percy," Sukina said soothingly. She began to softly rub his head and back. "You poor, poor boy. You don't want to connect with your sister because you're afraid she'll be taken from you. Percy," he looked up at her, "no one's been taken from you, you silly child. You've only pushed us all away."

Percy's lost and broken look caused Sukina to elaborate. "We never left you, Percy. Me, Yūwaku, Bullock, Arashi, the matron, and the orphans…we've always been right _here_ ," she pressed her hand to Percy's chest, "only you've done your damned hardest trying to keep us out because you _refuse_ to let your emotions flow.

"You've pushed us out the same way you pushed Yugito and Bee out. You chose to fought them because they wanted to help you do the opposite of what you've wanted to do for years now. You're hurting so much right now, Percy, because you won't allow yourself to _feel_."

"But why should I feel!? All feelings have ever brought me is pain…"

"Because that's all you allow to pass through your barriers. Think, Percy, _think_ about all of the good things that've happened in your lifetime."

"What good things…?"

Sukina smiled slightly. "Here. Let me show you…"

And so she did. Percy sat quietly, eyes wide as memories flashed across the sky. His memories. Memories of all the things he did with his brothers and sisters, memories of the times he spent with Yugito curled up on the couch, unconsciously leaning into the Jinchuuriki's warm body, and memories of the time spent with Yūrei. Times that weren't occupied with killing and torturing people, anyway. When the sky returned to its previous clear blue, Percy had rare tears of joy slowly streaming down his face.

"See, Percy? Not everything was always darkness, there were a few bright spots here and there. You just have to go and find them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en stirred, and his reactivated consciousness immediately did a check on everything around him.

Naruko: unconscious, seven meters west of current position.

Menma: unconscious, fourteen meters south south-east of current position.

Number of bodies in immediate area: twenty-one.

Age range based on size of bodies: three months to nine years.

Immediate threats: zero.

Running internal diagnostics: internal damage: zero, external damage: minor bruises, minor abrasions, minor lacerations. Chakra level: 30%.

Abnormalities detected: strange chakra detected in eyes, optic nerves, and occipital lobes.

Shin'en uncurled from his self-made ball, and slowly got to his feet. He looked around, and couldn't help but notice how much sharper and clearer everything was to him.

 _Emotions aren't a weakness, Percy. Don't be afraid to_ _feel_ _. You might only be half human, but you're still human enough, and part of being human is to experience emotions, and not burry them down deep. As for what to do now…that's for you to decide, Percy. Just remember that we're always with you, if you let us_ _be_ _with you._

"I'll…try, Sukina…"

 _Good boy. Remember what I told you, Percy. If you don't want to lose anyone else, fight to keep them with you. Now, be sure to get to know your sister, or I'll come back from the dead and make you two have tea together!_

A ghost of a smile crossed the demigod's lips, but it vanished when the presence of Sukina vanished as well. Shin'en sighed. He was at a complete loss as what to do now. Staying around here for too long would result in him being spotted by one group of shinobi or another, and he didn't have the drive, will, or motivation to fight a genin at the moment, but leaving Naruko and Menma unconscious on the street in waning hours of night wasn't the right choice either.

 _Rumble_

Shin'en paused as he registered a tremor in the ground…and then another, and another, and many more after that. Channeling chakra to his ears, he heard the sound of screaming and dying men and women. Odd, his thralls should've all collapsed by now, and there was no way Ei would suddenly turn on the Leaf, especially not after what had happened tonight. Perhaps the Stone was trying their hand at invasion? But that theory was dashed as quickly as it came; there was no way the Stone knew of this invasion, and there was no way any messenger in the world was fast enough to get from here to the Land of Earth, and then get the Tsuchikage to amass a sizeable enough army, and then that army get all the way down to the Leaf…well, not within the span of twenty-four hours, at least.

So what gives?

Shin'en channeled chakra into his gut, and boosted his hydro-sensing to its current maximum of 3,000 meters to check on the surrounding area.

…

Oh. That was…bad. Ay was not supposed to be nine feet of solid muscle brimming with tainted chakra, a chakra much like the one present in Sasuke when he uses his Curse Mark. Perhaps the old man had an earlier appointment with Orochimaru. Anyway, the Raikage was slaughtering all in his way, regardless of what was on their headband, and was heading straight for—Shin'en's eyes widened.

Due to his expert level in using water to sense things, the demigod could tell where the Raikage was looking based on what direction his pupil was pointed. Beyond that, following the line of sight, Shin'en found it awfully coincidental that Persephone happened to be in the general area of vision.

Okay. Save his dumbass sister first, then figure out what to do with his life. And get Menma and Naruko somewhere off the street.

Shin'en grabbed the boy first, and leapt to the orphanage roof, calmly setting him down. The he hopped back to the ground, picked Naruko up, and leapt back up to the roof, intent on letting her rest next to her adopted brother. He set her down, but she stirred.

"Percy…" Naruko mumbled, before rising into a sitting position, arching her back. A loud series of pops burst forth. Shin'en noted how her body had healed remarkably well during her nap. Looking at the moon, the demigod determined that three hours had passed since the last time he had seen it.

"Woah, Percy, your eyes…!" Naruko gasped.

Cocking a brow, both at the outburst, and the lack of a desire to fight, Shin'en unsealed his broken sword, and looked at the blade, polished enough to serve as a mirror. So, that abnormal chakra he had sensed within himself, the stinging he had felt earlier…he had awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan.

The new design was similar to Sasuke's, being that it was a red pattern on a black backdrop, but where the reincarnation of Indra's eyes was three red ellipsis overlapping to form an atom-like sigil, Shin'en's pattern was of three red triangles overlapping to form a nine-pointed star. Perhaps there was a cosmic joke in that the design was of _three_ , three sides polygons that made a shape with _nine_ points.

Three as in Poseidon.

Nine as in Naruko.

Shin'en wouldn't lie; the girl was attractive.

"You don't want to continue fighting me? Don't want to 'knock some sense into me'?"

Naruko shook her head, her blonde tresses swaying. "Nope, and I think someone already did that for me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your emotions…after connecting with Kurama, I gained the ability to sense emotions. Yours used to be all raging and out of control, but now they've flatlined, like _you_ don't know what to feel."

That was the truth. Another rumbling made the Leaf tremble slightly.

"What was that!?" Naruko bounced up, but immediately collapsed with a groan of pain. Inexplicably, Shin'en was right there to catch her before she hit her head on the roof. She clutched her chest in discomfort. The demigod felt something try to worm its way into his being, but he quickly destroyed whatever it was. "Owieeeeee…"

"I cracked your breast bone. Sorry."

"Thanks," Naruko said with a pained breath. "But seriously. What was that?"

"That was the Third Raikage. There's a bruise on his brain, most likely a concussion, and it's most likely impairing his decision-making abilities."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's making a beeline for my sister."

"We have to help her-ow!" Naruko tried to shoot forward, but she collapsed back into Shin'en's arms when the annoying pain flared up in her chest again.

"No, I'm going to help her. _You're_ going to stay here and rest next to Menma while your body heals and your chakra regenerates." Shin'en set the girl back down, and she seemed to realize that she would only be a burden, because she didn't argue. Without another word, the boy made to leave and put an end to the madness that he caused, but Naruko called out to him, making him pause.

"What is it?"

"After you save Persephone…what are you going to do next? Are you going to continue trying to kill everyone?"

Shin'en looked at the horizon, his new eyes glowing in the darkness. "I don't know."

"I'll stop you if you try."

"You're not strong enough. You'll fail."

"I'll get stronger."

"So will I."

"Then I'll get stronger than you!"

"Impossible. You don't have enough time in your lifespan to reach that achievement."

"Watch me!"

"Yes, I'll watch you fail."

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will."

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will."

" _No_ I won't!"

" _Yes_ you will."

 _RUMBLE_

A larger than average tremor shook the Leaf, and a cloud of dust rose in the distance. Shin'en looked at Naruko one more time, crimson-on-black staring deep into sapphire blue. The demigod took a step forward, before Naruko called out to him again.

"Wait!"

" _What?"_

"Will you…" Naruko blushed faintly, but she kept her gaze locked with Shin'en's. "Will you—after this is over—will you… _stay_ with me? I-I-I mean, stay in the Village, as in close to me-but not too close, haha, because that would be weird and all, but-"

"Naruko," Shin'en said sharply. The seriousness in his gaze made her tongue still, but the sadness in those red eyes made her heart sink. "After all I've done tonight, with all the people I've killed…I don't think I'll be able to stay anywhere on the earth for more than a week."

He disappeared in a burst of speed, despite his low amount of chakra.

"I know," Naruko whispered. "Just thought I'd try anyway."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Earlier_

Ay walked through rubble of the Hidden Leaf, intent on locating the scents he smelled, and end them all. Enemies and traitors must die. He soon found them, a large collection of chunin from three different villages. Those from the Cloud were shocked yet relieved to see their leader unharmed but his new physique threw everyone for a loop.

Then he vanished and all of the shinobi didn't have heads anymore. Enemies and traitors must die.

Ay continued on, searching for more enemies and traitors that needed to die. He found them, lots of them, but no one worth mentioning. Ay slaughtered them all without hesitance or mercy, regardless of gender, age, and nationality. They screamed and fought back, but their jutsu were ineffective, their weapons bounced off his tough skin, and their taijutsu was absolutely abysmal to the Raikage. He simply batted away and smashed all that crossed him, destroying their bodies with casual taps of his fists.

Ay lost count of how many enemies and traitors died, but after a mentally-calculated few hours had passed, he just happened to glance up…and he saw something. Looking back at what he saw, and focusing chakra into his eyes to boost his vision. The Raikage grunted in acknowledgement of the location discovery of Shin'en, and made his way to the Hokage Monument, casually slapping enemies and traitors into bloody paste during his journey.

Shin'en was a failed experiment, and he needed to be eliminated before he spiraled out of control any more than he already had. Enemies and traitors and failed experiments needed to die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en didn't know what his new eyes could do, but he didn't feel like experimenting with them right. He was just going to prevent his sister from dying at the hands of the Raikage, kill the old man because he was clearly insane, and then high-tail it out of here for the nearest ocean so he could think about what to do next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ay snarled at the sight before him. His son, Ei, Bee, Cee, Yugito, Minato, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Might Guy, and more than a lot of no-name shinobi stood between him and Shin'en at the top of the mountain. Strange, he didn't remember Shin'en having hair that long. No matter, however. There were enemies and traitors and failed experiments that needed to die.

Ay stomped forward, his massive weight cracking the ground with every footfall. Shinobi came at him from all sides, but he never broke stride. His arms just wheeled about, smashing the swarm of enemies and traitors to bloody pieces. Soon, the swarm stopped, because the insects realized they were no match for the Raikage, and they were just wasting their lives. Now the only one willing to stand against him were the big wigs.

Ei struck first, covered in the Lightning Armor. Ay didn't blink as he activated his own Armor, and his already mammoth-like power increased tenfold. The Third Raikage batted the Fourth away like an annoying insect, sending the younger man crashing through buildings. Might Guy, Kakashi, and Bee tried their luck, with Cee using a jutsu that created a blinding light. Undaunted, the Third Raikage, a man that had defeated 10,000 shinobi, a man that had fought and repeatedly subdued the Eight-Tailed Beast, casually punched and beat all three men into the ground.

Cee cancelled his jutsu, and Yugito leapt in, even faster than Ei had been, claws extended, blue tail sprouting from her ass. Her head was grabbed, and then she was slammed into the ground, cratering it, then stomped upon. Yugito did not get up after that.

Ay had yet to break his stride towards the Mountain. Cee, knew he stood no chance against his former Kage, and wisely leapt out of the line of fire. Minato took his turn, blurring in with a Rasengan. Ay struck at the man, but he disappeared in a yellow flash, and reappeared behind the behemoth of a Kage, and his face was suddenly enclosed by a meat glove. Minato was savagely thrown into the ground, cracking it much like Yugito had, only the Raikage kicked Minato away instead of stomping on him.

The Fourth Hokage slammed through building after building, before enough of his momentum was lost, and he cracked the wall of one house, and fell limp to the ground inside it.

Just like that, the Third Raikage had brutally carved a path of death and destruction from the Village's outer wall straight to the Hokage Monument. The remaining members of the Nara clan tried their hand at the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Multiple shadows streaked across the moon-lit ground, latching on the Raikage's shadow. The man halted in his movement for about a whole second, before he flared his chakra with a grunt, and the hold was severed. The backlash sent the Nara tumbling backwards.

Now there was nothing left to stop the Raikage from killing the failed experiment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Totsuka Blade."

Shin'en was more annoyed than surprised when Itachi Uchiha finally decided to make a move after sticking around him since the main battle with the water dragon and everyone else. The demigod easily dodged the fiery sword the came from below, and landed gracefully on a nearby rooftop. A blur shot up from the alleyway, and Shin'en was already moving again to avoid the volley of kunai, and then was moving again to dodge those same kunai whose trajectory was altered by more kunai, and then the demigod was moving once more to avoid the black flames that seemingly sprouted from nowhere.

His traps his avoided, Itachi lighted on the rooftop across from where Shin'en was standing, blood trailing from his right eye, but a look of anger adorned his face. The Uchiha took note of the demigod's Mangekyou, and snarled ferally, "Where did you get those eyes?"

"A god gave them to me."

"Lies!"

A red skeleton surged to life around Itachi, and clutched in its right hand was a sake jar. From the top of the jar shot the Totsuka Blade in all its glory. Something clicked in Shin'en's mind, and his eyes glowed a bright red. "Susano'o."

Around the demigod sprang an emerald skeleton the same shade as his eyes (when his Sharingan wasn't active). The skeleton itself was unremarkable, until you got to the skull. Narrow, slanted eyeholes, all-canines for teeth, and three horns—two sprouting from the temples, curving forward like a bull, and the third coming from the forehead, angled up and curving down slightly.

The next major difference between Shin'en's Susano'o and Itachi's Susano'o was the size. Where the Uchiha's was around twenty feet in height, the demigod's was probably upwards of _thirty_ feet. The bones were bigger, wider, and noticeably thicker. It made sense. Shin'en was the champion of the very god this jutsu was named after, he was half-god himself, _and_ he had part of this god's chakra circulating through his system. It was only appropriate that his  Susano'o would be superior to any others.

The Totsuka Blade surged forward, but it intercepted by an emerald, skeletal hand as if it was just a normal sword. Itachi's bleeding eyes widened, both at the speed of the enemy Susano'o, and its appearance. No matter though. This boy was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Itachi's comrades, his mother, his clan members, and his fiancé. Shin'en would not leave here alive.

Shin'en's Susano'o made a growling sound, before rearing back its free fist, and thrusted it forward. Itachi's own warrior used its free hand to try and block, but the demigod's strength, even weakened as he was, was not to be trifled with. The green fist impacted the red, smashing it into the ribcage, and cracked the chakra bones.

The Susano'o reared back for another punch, but Itachi abandoned his jutsu, letting it dissipate, and the fist completely caved in the roof, and the entire building crumbled. Itachi landed some distance away, prepared to counter attack, but no attack came. Looking up, he saw that Shin'en's Susano'o had vanished, and the boy was just staring at him.

Itachi paused. He didn't detect any malice, or insanity, or bloodlust. Instead he saw…confusion, irritation, and…lost? As in Shin'en didn't know what emotions he was supposed to be expressing or feeling. It threw Itachi for a loop. The ANBU captain straightened up, but he didn't let his guard down.

"You're different than before. You don't seem calm…so much as confused about what to do."

"I had an emotionally traumatic experience that has completely toasted my entire sense of purpose. Right now, the only reason I'm still here is because the Third Raikage is trying to kill my sister."

"I…see. Do you expect me to believe that after all you've done, you've magically seen the light and want to repent for your sins?"

A rueful smirk appeared on the demigod's face. "There's no such thing as 'light,' only varying levels of darkness. As for repenting for my sins…there aren't enough good deeds on this earth to perform in order to save _my_ soul."

Itachi continued to eye the demigod. "So am I supposed to let you go free, after you've killed so many of my loved ones?"

A look crossed Shin'en's face, as if he had heard those words before, but it was gone before Itachi could make a final decision on what he saw. "No," he finally said, "not let me go, but now is not the time to fight either. We share a common enemy. Ay has murdered many of your fellow shinobi already, and he seeks to kill my sister too."

"Are you proposing a truce?"

"A temporary one, yes. We help each other take down the Raikage, and then, if you still have the strength, you can after my head as many times as you like, until one of us dies."

Three-bladed pinwheels spun slowly. "I'll be sure to hold you to that."

"Do we have an accord, then?"

"For now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Practically flying across the village, Shin'en began pondering the situation. He did not have enough chakra to face the Raikage head on, and using the Susano'o had only taken more of his reserves. Only two percent, but still. Shin'en still had chakra lingering in the atmosphere, not enough for a Heaven's Laser, but there was enough for at least three Kirin's. All of Shin'en's thralls had run out of chakra, so there was no possibility of surprise backup, unless some of the present shinobi grew some balls.

Then again, chakra and such was meaningless. The Raikage might've been extremely powerful, but he was still an organic lifeform. His body was still seventy-five percent water, only he was nine feet tall now, made nearly entirely of muscle, bone, and organs. Ay might've had the same water _percentage_ of a normal person, but his massive size meant that he more water _content_ than a normal person.

In other words, there was zero need to worry about anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ay snorted at the fact that people thought they could be safe if they were up high. A slight bend in his knees, a bit of chakra, and the gargantuan man was soaring through the air. He landed on top of the monument with earthquake inducing force.

He snorted again when everyone inside of the mountain bunker came streaming out like ants did when their nest was disturbed. The old shinobi did fins it odd how Shin'en was running with the pack, and was wearing strange clothes, instead of coming up here to fight. Oh well, perhaps the boy thought he could blend with the crowd and wait the storm out. Unfortunately, he was a failed experiment.

And failed experiments needed to die.

Ay leapt back down from the top of the monument, cracking the ground upon impact. There was no one beneath him, otherwise they would've been crushed into paste. Everyone froze upon his rearrival to the ground, staring at him with wide, fear-filled eyes. Ay ignored everything around him, focusing solely on killing Shin'en.

Ay drew closer to the paralyzed demigod-hold up. The Raikage stopped walking midstep, and scrutinized Shin'en…that was not Shin'en. It looked exactly like Shin'en, but it wasn't. The hair was longer, the body shaped slightly off, and the eyes. They were too bright, too full of life—and fear—to be Shin'en's eyes. Ay snarled. He did not know what kind of ruse this was, but he would not tolerate it.

Failed experiments needed to die!

Ay stalked right up to the Shin'en-lookalike, wholly ignoring the children in orange and the strangely-dressed adults among them, and reached down, plucking the imposter up in his large hand. There were many shouts of protest and alarm, and one woman even tried attacking his leg, but a flare of chakra knocked the woman back and she bowled into the crowd. A man with eyes like the Shin'en-lookalike's howled in rage, but he was met with the same fate as the woman. Now that _that_ was over with, Ay turned his attention back to the thing in his hand.

He sniffed it a few times, and scrunched his nose when he determined the imposter was a female. A fake that looked like Shin'en, but was a girl? Siblings, perhaps? Or just a coincidence? Well, no. Her scent lacked the cologne of death, but was unmistakably sea-like. Just as Shin'en's scent was like that of the sea.

Ay growled. Regardless of what it was that he was holding, it was too much like Shin'en, therefore it was a failed experiment. Failed experiments needed to die, so Ay began squeezing. Whatever this thing was, it was fragile, because with just the bare minimum of his strength, it was already screaming and kicking and flailing. Just a few more pounds of pressure before it would pop like a grape…

Ay dropped the thing, leaping backwards as black flame ignited where he was just standing. Before the thing could hit the ground however, something blurred forward, catching the thing. Ay snarled at the blur from across the wall of fire, and saw that it was Shin'en.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

More gasps rang out at the sudden appearance of the one responsible for this _entire nightmare_ , but none were more shocked than the Greeks. The son of Poseidon was shirtless and shoeless, with his pants torn and ripped in multiple areas. He was maybe 5'1, but his body was…unnaturally muscled. From their viewpoint, the Greeks saw an extremely well-cut back, defined arms, and defined legs. They also noticed how his air had been arranged into thin strands, and pushed back, with a white cloth tied around his head.

There was also the aura he radiated. Everything seemed to grow colder at his presence, an invisible weight pressed down on everything, and the neutral power he seemed to ooze made even Zeus start sweating. And this was the son of Poseidon at less than a third of his full power.

For Persephone, though, things were different.

"Percy…?"

"I thought that older siblings were the ones to protect the younger ones…not the other way around."

Shin'en set Persephone down, and the girl looked at her brother. "You're different."

"Thank you. You are the third person to tell me that."

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it."

"We're meeting each other for the first real time, and you're going to blow me off? Jerk."

"A simple 'thanks for saving my life' would do just fine."

"I would've been fine."

"Do tell me how you 'would've been fine'?"

"…shut up."

"Thought so. You all need to leave."

"What? Why? You just got here!"

"Fine. Just don't lose your lunch." Shin'en looked at the Raikage, focused his will on the water inside the man's giant body, and ripped it all out-Ay disappeared. "That's a _big_ problem."

"What is? What just happened?" Persephone asked frantically.

"Being children of _him_ ," Shin'en lazily jabbed a finger at Poseidon, "we have the innate ability to control water, no matter how small or large, or in what area. That includes the human body." Those that were listening started to turn pale and/or green. "The plan was to just make the Raikage explode, but it turns he's fast enough to outmaneuver my will, so that brings me back to this: you all need to leave. _Now_."

"But-"

The Greeks were _gone_.

Shin'en could've sworn he felt something akin to sadness at his sister's sudden departure back to her world, but it was for the best. The demigod honestly didn't care about either of his parents, and he would tell that to their face, and the rest of his overly extended family held the same value to him as the dirt he walked on, but his sister? Maybe in time he would come to truly love her, but as it currently stood, she was a person he didn't want to see hurt. Now that she was gone, there was no chance of her being hurt here.

The ninja that were staring openmouthed could also collectively go fuck themselves.

Also, now that his sister was gone, he could reactivate his Mangekyou.

No sooner had he channeled the chakra into his eyes, then did the Raikage's voice come thundering from all directions. "SHIN'EN! YOU ARE A FAILED EXPERIMENT AND YOU WILL BE TERMINATED!"

"Bold words old man. Are you sure you still have the power, or has senility finally set in?"

"Impudent brat," Ay said, two inches from Shin'en's ear. The hulking man punched down, but the demigod dispersed into a cloud of water vapor, and reassembled at the top of the Hokage Monument.

"Come, old man. I think we've brought enough devastation to the Leaf."

The Third Raikage said nothing, opting instead for a mighty leap straight for the mountain. He landed with cratering force, but Shin'en had already dispersed again. Growling, Ay rocketed off to where he could see the brat. He was gone again, and Ay was rocketing off after him. The old man was so focused on chasing down Shin'en, that he didn't even realize he was being led away from the Leaf.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile, on Olympus_

The Greek all reappeared in the throne room, with the gods being plopped down in their thrones and the half-bloods being plopped down on a smattering of really comfy pillows. It was silent as the individuals processed what had just happened, but the silence was shattered with Persephone's scream of absolute despair and frustration.

Poseidon immediately shrunk down to human size, and hoisted his daughter into his arms, gently rocking and cradling her, whispering soft things into her ear. Sally was strangely absent, meaning she was probably back at her apartment, but a trickling of divine power brought the woman to Olympus, and, more importantly, to her distraught daughter's side.

However, attention was soon diverted from Persephone and Poseidon and Sally to the gigantic, circular 'window' that popped into existence in the middle of the golden doors. What was in this window, you ask? Why, none other than the ensuing battle between Percy and the Raikage, of course.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi's eye twitched, not from pain, but from the absurdity of what he just watched. Those people just vanishing, Shin'en turning into mist without chakra or hand seals, reappearing on top of the Hokage Monument, the Raikage giving chase. Just what the Hell?

Another thing Itachi realized was that Shin'en was now gone, which meant that the 'accord' he and the Uchiha had was null and void. That also meant that Itachi's original plan of taking both Shin'en and the Raikage out at the same time when they were both substantially weakened was now ruined.

Damn brat, he had to have planned that from the beginning. 'We've brought enough devastation to Leaf,' yeah, bullshit. More like 'I don't trust Itachi not to stab me in the back, so I'm going to lure you away.' Shin'en wasn't wrong, but it was still vexing knowing that his (Itachi's) original plan was now shot straight to Hell.

However, Itachi was an ANBU Captain, and there would no doubt be a kill-capture order on Shin'en's head soon, if there wasn't one already, and the Uchiha fully intended to collect.

Shin'en's days were numbered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **I did not at all expect this chapter to be so long. I would've been surprised if it was longer than 4k words, but damn. However, I did say that**_ _ **this**_ _ **is the final chapter of Part I, and so it will be. Therefore, on with the show!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en kept popping in and out the visible spectrum as he repeatedly dispersed and reassembled his body. The great thing about his hydrokinesis was that it didn't require chakra to use, so his reserves were perfectly fine. Shin'en wasn't just vanishing and popping back up at random location just for his health, though (technically speaking).

He was heading for the ocean.

It was abundantly clear that the Raikage's speed was better than Shin'en's hydrokinesis, because each time the demigod reached in to rip the old man apart, he blurred away the second Shin'en tapped his internal water. It was a phenomenon that the demigod found both alien and annoying.

Because he couldn't kill Ay the easy way, he was following his backup plan: go to the ocean, dive in, and kick ass. Short, sweet, and simple, but it was a plan that worked, and it adhered to Shin'en personal life creed: always have a backup plan.

The Land of Fire was large, and it didn't help that Hashirama and Madara decided to build their damnable village in the middle of the country, but Shin'en made it to the beach within thirty minutes of vapor traveling. He need to work on that some more; he should've been able to stay disassembled for longer than just .83 seconds, and move farther than just 300 meters a half-second.

Irrelevant now, because Shin'en dove in just as the Raikage came barreling out of the trees, turning the sand into glass. Instantly, the demigod felt tremendously better. His muscles relaxed, his bones no longer ached, his fatigue vanished, and he felt his chakra refill itself quickly. Unlike the water at the Valley of the End, freshwater, this was the _ocean_. This was saltwater. This is what Shin'en's body was truly compatible with.

Now feeling completely refreshed, eyes glowing a bright crimson, the demigod shot out of the water, nailing his former teacher right in the chin. Ay's head snapped up, but that was far as the damage went. The behemoth of a man backhanded Shin'en across the body, and the boy went skidding across the beach.

He didn't get a chance to recover before Ay was on him again, batting him back into the forest, where the speeding demigod knocked down several trees. Shin'en still didn't get to recover, before he was flying up into the air from another blow courtesy of Ay. The relentless assault was not over, and the Raikage materialized above the demigod, and axe-kicked the boy in the gut, and he went rocketing back to the earth.

Shin'en impacted with tremendous force, kicking up a massive cloud of dust, uprooting several trees, and causing massive chunks of earth to be destabilized and raised higher above the ground than what they should've been. However, he impacted with so much force that he _rebounded_ off the surface of the planet, and rose about forty feet before Ay came speeding down from the heavens, and Shin'en met the earth once more, and an even deeper crater was added to the earth's surface.

"Don't worry boy. Your death will be swift." Ay didn't expect a response, but he got one anyway, and it didn't sound at all like a defeated opponent, "Don't count on it, old man."

Ay was so stunned by how alive and well Shin'en sounded, that he failed to react in time to the skeletal fist that was bigger than his upgraded skull to smash into his face, breaking his nose and knocking out teeth, and sent him flying towards the beach about a mile away. Shin'en rose from the crater with a smirk, and allowed his partial Susano'o to dissipate. As much as he disliked the god himself, Shin'en had to admit: that jutsu was damn awesome.

Ay popped his nose back into place from his position in the surf. Shin'en appeared before him, looking no more injured than when he had twenty-four hours ago. Before battle could resume, however, Shin'en asked a question, "You said I was a failed experiment. What did you mean by that?"

Ay smirked something sinister, and launched into an exposition. "When I found you that day seven years ago, I could already see how much power and potential you had, so I decided to capitalize on that. As time wore on, I had another idea come to me, inspired by Danzo Shimura and his Foundation shinobi. The Leaf ninja's underlings were powerful and calculating, more so than average ninja, because their brains did not register the burdens that were emotions, and so functioned at a different and higher level than others around them.

"That was what I intended for you. I began to emotionally condition you to where you would be desensitized to all feelings. Of course, you yourself already gave me a good basis to build upon, with your juvenile mind retreating in on itself to escape the pain of losing everybody you had even known and loved at just six years old.

"If I could've made you like Danzo's underlings, I would've had the perfect weapon to use against the world. One more powerful than any Jinchuuriki, any Kage. The nations would've fallen to my might, and the world would've known an era of true peace with me as its ruler, and you as my enforcer. Alas, it seems that's impossible now, seeing as how I've failed to completely erase your emotions."

A lull fell over the battlefield, with the only sounds being that of the waves washing onto the sand in the night. The red moon was beginning to reach for the western horizon. No birds, no animals no life. Just the waves. As Shin'en digested this new information, he did feel something die inside him. It wasn't his emotions, but perhaps it was a hope—a hope that he had been more to the Raikage than just a tool to be used and disposed of at a moment's notice. Perhaps it was a hope that he had found some kind of family in the Raikage. Whatever it had been, it was dead now.

However, something dark crept into Ay's damaged mind. A black serpent dispatched by the darkest of forces. An idea occurred to the man, a twisted web of synapses of neurons woven together by an evil spider. A plan was formed, a plan that would (hopefully) be enough to break Shin'en down into nothing, and truly rob him of his emotions.

 _Ay had a lapse in judgement_.

"Hey, Shin'en?"

"What?"

"Would you like for me to tell you how Yūrei's base was found?"

The demigod's crimson eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. "How would you know this?"

"You didn't answer my question," Ay grinned savagely. "Would you like for me to tell you…how Yūrei's base was found?"

Shin'en could feel himself nailing his own coffin, but he _had_ to know who sold out his third family. He had to know so he could find this person, or persons, and eradicate them from this plane of existence, so he nodded his head once. The Raikage's grin was more sinister than the Devil's.

" _You_ _told Yagura where to find it."_

…

…

Shin'en's face slowly morphed into one of horror. His lips parted and his jaw widened, silently screaming. His irises and pupils both dilated to the point where they were barely visible in the white of his eyes. The Raikage watched with no small amount of amusement as he saw the wheels in Shin'en's mind not only shut down, but completely cease working. Finally, they seemed to come back online, because the boy's face regained a semblance of normalcy, but it still looked like he was struggling to breath.

"W-what…?" Shin'en managed to squeak out.

Ay was more than happy to comply with a more detailed explanation. "Three years ago, when I gave you the Black Lightning Tattoo, I also implanted a secondary seal, melded and hidden within the visible one branded on your shoulder. The underlying seal was originally designed as a sleeper seal, given to deep-cover operatives on otherwise illegal missions. I installed you with it with the motive of killing your emotions.

"Heh. You think it was coincidence that Mei assigned you to the squad whose profession was what you hated most? I knew you would be vehemently try to keep them out and distance yourself from them, but they would all eventually get inside that cold heart of yours, and that would make their bond so much sweeter.

"I was given monthly reports, by Mei, on all your activities, missions, and your emotional state. When I determined that you had finally come to accept Yūrei as a family, I had Mei assign you a solo mission that just so happened to be within three miles of Yagura's field base. When you were out, I activated the seal on your shoulder, and the preinstalled directives of 'reveal assassin base to Yagura' took full effect. You fought mightily against the seal, I remember, but you succumbed to its power in the end, and the rest is history," Ay chuckled darkly. " _Dead_ history."

" **Σκάσε."** _Shut up._

Ay blinked at foreign word. "What was that?"

" **Είπα,"** Shin'en raised his head, and his Mangekyou was gone, replaced by the signs of the End, **"** _ **Πεθαίνουν!"**_ _I said: DIE!_

Ay had no warning before something small, fast, and hard smashed into his face, sending him flying across the ocean for _miles_. Back on the beach, Shin'en screamed as he went full into Demigod Mode in the most violent eruption of chakra since Kaguya merged with the Ten-Tails. His hair immediately stood at attention, his headband was atomized, and his pants and underwear were disintegrated by the flood of energy that spilled out of his body.

More chakra than any human would ever, _could_ ever, have came flooding out of Shin'en and into the world as a violently churning and bubbling aura with all the consistency of plasma. Behind the boy, hundreds of feet of trees caught were lit up with emerald fire, before they were flattened and blown away by winds exceeding three-hundred miles per hour. The beach was turned into glass, glass that was shattered and sent spiraling into oblivion.

The ocean in front of Shin'en was pushed out and evaporated, and the things revealed by the absence of the water were either caught on fire, and then blown away, or were blown away instantly and atomized. All of the above was just the immediate physical effects of Shin'en's mind and body collapsing in on themselves as fast they were built back up.

The moon and stars were scooped up and hidden away as a blanket of sickly green sewn together by the hands of an emotionally unstable godchild. The earth shook as if it were a toy in the hands of an elated toddler, and fissures that were meters wide and miles long began to randomly appear across the whole of the Elemental Countries. The storm cell reached for the four corners of the known map, carried forth on legs of twisters, typhoons, cyclones, tornadoes, and lightning.

The ocean churned and boiled, and any ships on the waves were instantly capsized. Water spouts and hurricanes raced and surged over the waves, but the sea life beneath was not safe. Currents were supercharged and increased in number. Countless whirlpools captured everything from plankton to whales, violently spinning and whipping the creatures around like ragdolls. Underwater cliffs and such shook as if they were on land, and the sea was filled with much dirt and dust and the undersea geography was altered.

As for Shin'en himself…something horrific occurred. When Hagoromo had given Naruko and Sasuke their inheritance, he had only been able to give them about a fourth of their full power. This was because the two were still children; their chakra coils had yet to fully develop and they were not at all accommodated to such high levels of power. In other words, Hagoromo regulated the amount of chakra Naruko and Sasuke had…so that their coils wouldn't _rupture_.

Shin'en did not have the luxury of an otherworldly power regulating his chakra for him, and while his coils were more accustomed to a large amount of chakra, more so than Naruko, they were still not accustomed to _this_ much chakra. Shin'en's out-control rage and sorrow mixed horrendously with his chakra, and his coils couldn't handle the strain of so much power.

Shin'en's chakra network ruptured, spilling raw, unrefined, unregulated chakra into every facet of his body. Now, you could be asking why that's a problem because shinobi channel chakra through their bodies all the time. But that was _it_. Channeled meant controlled, under wraps, conscious, molded, refined.

Chakra was much like a sword, and sword-making. When chakra was molded for a jutsu and expelled from the body, it was like the finished product of a blacksmith's proudest work. However, when it was running through coils, when it was being generated at the Source, when it was being mixed at the Center…chakra was like molten metal. Bright, hot, searing, and very, very dangerous. And Shin'en experiencing this firsthand.

His raw chakra flooded through his body, into his muscles, his bones, his nerves, his blood vessels, and his organs. Cells were killed off by the thousands, and while most where instantly destroyed, some were deposited in the normal areas. Shin'en's hair slowly lengthened, and his nails slowly became like claws. As his chakra ran rampant through his body, there was external damage as well.

His skin was blackened and burned from _beneath_ , and the smell of burning flesh would've been strong in the air if not for the high winds blowing the scent molecules away for miles. The flesh bulged and rippled, like many small creatures were crawling around underneath. In some place, the skin was torn apart, and sea-green energy began to spill slowly from the wounds.

Nitrous tears of pain and sorrow spilled from Shin'en's solid-green eyes, burning his face, while nitrous blood escaped from his nose and ears, further destroying the skin upon his skull. Then, a sharp pain came from his right shoulder. The Black Lightning Tattoo was glowing with the same sheen as lava, and tendrils of the corruptive chakra were trying to spread from the seal to cover all of Shin'en's body.

Whether the Raikage was trying to control or do something else was irrelevant.

With a savage howl, the demigod gripped his arm, and tore the entire limb clean off his body in a spray of fluorescent green. The marks of the offending seal disappeared as their source was removed. The stump at Shin'en shoulder dripped with bright green blood while a bright green vapor billowed from the open wound. With a grunt, the demigod launched his severed limb into the sky, and a bolt of lightning descended from the clouds, striking the arm.

It exploded into a cloud of ash.

Growling, Shin'en looked out over the ocean. He could feel the Raikage on the water, balancing on top of the waves. With a final roar that enough intensity to temporarily rob the world of all color except for a violently writhing black and white, Shin'en exploded across the ocean. His bones splintered and his muscles were torn to shreds, but being on the ocean, his injuries were instantly healed, but not even the ocean had enough power to heal the lethal internal damage the demigod's chakra was doling out.

It wasn't even a fight. With an appearance more appropriate for something that belonged in Hell, with spiked hair standing straight up, blackened skin, multiple lacerations that oozed fluorescent green energy, clawed hands, pure-green eyes, green spilling from his nose and ears and eyes, and a missing arm oozing more fluorescent green energy, Shin'en gripped the massive Raikage by his massive face, his momentum carrying him for more miles before finally skidding to a stop atop the waves.

A massive rooster-tail of white followed the demigod, carried by kinetic energy.

There were no words said, no barbs exchanged, no heartfelt final messages, not even a curt goodbye. Instead, Shin'en just whipped himself around in a circle, and the kinetic energy created a whirlpool around him, but its pull was wholly ignored. When he felt he had built up enough power, Shin'en launched the Raikage with a loud boom, straight up into the churning sky at speeds exceeding that of sound.

Lightning Armor or no, the friction on Ay from the passing air was far too much for any human to handle. Like a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, the legendary Third Raikage, the man who had defeated 10,000 shinobi at once, the man who had repeatedly subdued the rampaging Eight-Tails, was burned up into oblivion.

A final roar escaped the mouth of Shin'en, this one tearing his vocal cords, before everything ceased. The winds stopped howling, the earth stopped shaking, the ocean stopped churning, and the planet was still once more.

Shin'en dropped out of Demigod Mode, and out of consciousness, his chakra stopped flowing wildly, and it stopped oozing out of his body. Unconscious, the demigod sank beneath the rapidly calming waves, and the ocean automatically went to work, but the damage was _extensive_ , and there was only so much the water could do, especially when its influence was restricted by a god.

Instead of regenerating Shin'en's arm, the water closed the wound, leaving a stump. The water healed his vocal cords, and sinuses, and his inner ears, and his eyes. That water seeped into his body, but it could not fully heal all of the damage. Shin'en's chakra coils were restored, but they were not made whole; his organs were repaired, but only to the point where he would not die from basic use. The ocean left the boy, but it did not fully repair the many lacerations from which the chakra had burst out of. Instead, no less than a hundred small scars now littered his body.

That was all the ocean could do physically. Mentally, however…it was still powerless. Shin'en sank, deeper and deeper, burdened with the knowledge that it was _he_ that had betrayed his third family. Deeper and deeper did the boy sink into the dark abyss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Okay,**_ _ **this**_ _ **is the longest chapter I've ever written. I said at the beginning that shit would get real, and I hope I made it real enough, because damn that felt intense to write.**_

 _ **It was my plan from the very beginning to have Shin'en betray Yūrei. It was always my plan from the beginning to have the Raikage pulling the strings. It was always my plan to have Shin'en damage his body beyond almost all repair, much like Darth Vader in that respect, and what happens next was also always part of my plan.**_

 _ **That being said, I am leaving**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **on this dark note. Expect**_ _ **SoJ**_ _ **to be updated next, with Percy and Clair going on vacation to the world of**_ _ **Young Justice**_ _ **. Expect lots of unnecessary character death and dark humor. After that, I'm binging**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **till its completion, and then I think I'll start brushing up on my**_ _ **Assassin's Creed**_ _ **history.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review, please. I want to know about what you thought of this chapter, and I am curious as to whether anyone can guess what happens next. I did hint at it in chapter 30, for those that are feeling adventurous.**_


	37. The Interregnum

_The Interregnum_

 _ **Okay, for those that wanted**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **to be continued, I am sorry. For those that wanted**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **to be updated, here you go. Now, for insight into my mind. I'm thinking that after this chapter, I'll go back to**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **to finish the Huntress Arc (which will take a while), before beginning work on the**_ _ **Assassin's Creed**_ _ **crossover…title still pending.**_

 _ **As for the chapter, I want to address many issues that were brought to my attention via review. One) Shin'en's depowering will not be permanent; in fact, I already have it lined out how he will get his power back. Two) Shin'en is not 'helpless,' as in so weak that his distant cousins could now beat him. Three) someone said that Shin'en was 'Vader Nerfed' and I agree, but look at how fucking powerful Vader was in Legends and other media. Four) No, Shin'en will not be the ultra-OP badass he used to be, but he will still be…on top of things. Five) I recall reading several reviews saying that Shin'en had 'seen the light,' and 'had been converted' from his dark path. Um, no.**_

 _ **In his final conversation with Itachi, Shin'en said,**_ "There is no such thing as 'light,' only varying levels of darkness," _**and that was before the Raikage revealed that he made Shin'en betray Yūrei.**_

 _ **Expect a cool, calm, intellectual, smart, and moderately strong Percy Jackson with the Mangekyou Sharingan, and the skills of a ninja assassin.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

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 _August 7, 1013 A.S._

The Shinobi World had never seen devastation on a level such as this. There were reports coming in from around the world of mass destruction, and death tolls climbing into the multi-thousands. Combined property damages were estimated to be over one trillion ryo and still climbing. Relief efforts from the daimyos themselves were flooding in from even the smallest countries, and it almost seemed as if the world had reached a bastardized peace in the wake of Shin'en's sorrow.

Speaking of the demigod, his whereabouts were unknown. He was last seen fleeing the Hidden Leaf Village, the deposed and exiled Third Raikage following him. The next events to occur happened just minutes later, when the Wrath of the Gods befell the earth. However, it was undisputed that the fireball that ascended into the clouds was directly linked to the sudden, abrupt ending to all of the planetary phenomena.

While marked as an S-Ranked missing ninja of the Village Hidden in the Clouds, there were no search parties to be launched, for there was hardly any manpower available to locate the boy. No, instead, all available ninja the world over were called into service to clean up the mess, and mapmakers were called to redraw the atlases. New mountains had risen, new canyons were gouged into the earth, new rivers had torn pathways to the ocean, and the ocean itself had risen and fallen in places, both retaking land, and giving it away.

The less said about the lack of forested area, the better.

However, despite the world being in ruins, and shinobi all over being dispersed to repair what they could, save what lives remained, and identify the bodies that could be found, it was the Hidden leaf that felt the most suffering, as it was the closest to the epicenter of the Wrath of the Gods.

Naruko sat alone in her hospital bed, the room empty. She was mostly fine, of course, except for a case of chakra exhaustion and minor injuries here and there. All of that was meaningless to the almost-thirteen-year-old. After the battle with Shin'en, and she had become exponentially closer to Kurama, she had gained the ability to sense negative emotions.

On a very serious note, the backlash of so much negativity in one place was making Naruko have suicidal thoughts. It was severely detrimental to her health, and Tsunade couldn't come up with an explanation as to why her goddaughter was barely more than a vegetable now. The overwhelming negativity had such an effect on the inexperienced child, that her body had simply shut down, shut down to the point that she wasn't even conscious of her body's excretory functions.

 _That_ was how bad the emotions were running in the Leaf.

While the air was extremely saturated with the grief and rage of the loved ones of the ninja that had died at the hands of Shin'en, there were people feeling so much of those two emotions once, people that Naruko held dear to her heart, that their impact on the young girl's fracturing psyche was more devastating than that of the Leaf's other denizens combined.

The body of Choza Akimichi had been found, and Choji knew hatred and sorrow.

The body of Shibi Aburame had been found, and Shino knew hatred and sorrow.

The body of Hana Inuzuka had been found, and Kiba knew hatred and sorrow.

The body of Yoshino Nara had been found, and Shikamaru knew hatred and sorrow.

The bodies of Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno had been found, and Sakura knew hatred and sorrow.

The body of Inoichi Yamanaka had been found, and Ino knew hatred and Sorrow.

The ruins and bodies of the Uchiha Clan had been found, and Sasuke was consumed by the Curse of Hatred.

The bodies of Pakura, Baki, and Rasa had been found, and all of the Hidden Sand knew hatred and sorrow.

The remains of Sarutobi Hiruzen had been found, and all of the Leaf knew hatred and sorrow.

Naruko's heart slowly beat inside of her chest, becoming ever slower. The negative emotions…the hatred…the despair…it was too much. Too much for a twelve-year-old to bear. Too much to cope with. Against her will, Naruko registered her life fading, her soul being dragged into an endless abyss of boiling grief and howling rage. Her sapphire blue eyes began to dim, her lids slowly easing themselves shut…

 _Pathetic. All of that talk of saving me from the darkness, all of that boasting that you will surpass my power, and this is the extent of your will?_

"I…I can't…" Naruko murmured, barely audible, barely moving her lips. "It's too much…I can't handle it…"

 _Clearly. It's also clear to me that you are weak. If you cannot even control your own senses, then my investment in you is wasted. I take my leave, and go in search of someone better that I can test myself against._

"No…" Naruko moaned weakly, desperately. "I can control it…I will…"

 _THEN DO SO! CEASE YOUR MOANING ON THIS BED! STAND! STAND AND FIGHT! FIGHT FOUR YOURSELF! FIGHT FOR YOUR VILLAGE! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! FIGHT FOR YOUR PROMISES! FIGHT TO DEFEND YOUR_ _ **NINDO**_ _!_

Naruko's eyes popped out of her skull as her soul exploded with life, her Will of Fire now burning with the intensity of a hundred suns. With a start, the Jinchuuriki leapt off the bed, tearing off her soiled undergarment (she was going to _kill_ whoever put a diaper on her) midair, landed, and promptly plowed the door over. Not stopping, ignoring the shouting medic-nin around her, Naruko was a typhoon as she blazed a relentless trail up to the roof of the hospital, and didn't even pause as she blurred through the air in a streak of white and blonde.

Not even the ANBU that tried to intercept her could stop Naruko's singular path of determination for the highest point she could get to.

Bounding across the village, no doubt attracting copious amounts of attention, Naruko alit on top of the Hokage Tower, crouched low, and rocketed off the roof with enough force to crack the stone. Naruko sailed high and true into the sky, soaring freely, her medical gown fluttering around her like the cloak of an angel. Gravity took hold, and Naruko twisted in midair, landing lightly upon to head of her father's stone face.

As Naruko stared out over her village, taking note of the destruction, the rising smoke, and the massive grouping of body bags, a new fire ignited within the reincarnation of Ashura. Shin'en was right; shinobi were monsters. They were conniving, selfish, ruthless, remorseless creatures of shadow and darkness…but she would change that. Naruko resolved herself then, resolved herself to be the shining beacon of light in this dark world, and then, one day, when she was strong enough, her light would shine over all, eradicating the darkness, and all that it hid.

As Naruko stared at the rising sun, the image of a red, nine-pointed star faded from over her blue irises.

There was a flash of yellow behind the Jinchuuriki, and before Minato could even get a word out his daughter rounded on him. The Fourth Hokage was shocked into silence at the pure determination in his daughter's eyes. With the sun rising behind her, the only thing that could be seen of her face were eyes, and those bright, blue orbs burned a searing hole straight through to Minato's soul, setting it ablaze with an unexplainable passion.

"I need to leave, Dad. I need to see the world for what it is, so I can see what needs to be done to change it. If you try to stop me, I'll just leave on my own, and-"

"There'll be no need for that," Minato said evenly. "Master Jiraiya has informed me that he plans on leaving soon to check on his spy network. He says that it will take about three years. Maybe you can talk him in to letting you go with him."

Instead of leaping for joy, cheering in happiness, or making a face at the thought of being with 'Pervy-Sage' for three years, Naruko nodded sharply, and leapt off from the stone head, intent on locating her godfather.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, _Jiraiya~,"_ Kushina sang melodiously.

The Sannin gulped. "Y-Yes, ma'am?"

The Uzumaki woman sidled up to the Sage, a very sweet look on her face. "My baby girl is almost 13, so I know that _all_ you're going to do to her is train her and protect her from any threats, right~?" Kushina suddenly grabbed Jiraiya's balls, squeezing them tightly, making the white-haired man wheeze.

"If I find out that you touched my baby, or took her to a whorehouse, or talked to her about anything that I haven't talked to her about, or rob her of her innocence, or do anything even remotely _sexual_ ," Kushina squeezed harder to emphasize her words, her words coming from clenched teeth and a sultry smile, "these are coming off."

Kushina let go of Jiraiya, and the Sage wheezed heavily.

"Pervy-Sage! Can we hurry up already!?"

"Just a minute," Jiraiya squeaked, before clearing his throat and standing strong. "I mean, let us depart for the world, my young pupil!"

"Yeah!"

Jiraiya turned into a blur, and Naruko vanished with a yelp.

With the blonde no longer present, the Rookie Twelve all dispersed, their goodbyes already said, their mood now somber, their eyes clouded with shadow, even the ever-innocent Hinata did not have her usual cheery/shy disposition. Minato did not pay attention to this however.

Instead, he was looking at his shorter wife. "You think Master Jiraiya would do any of those things to Naruko?"

"I put nothing past that man."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 15,2006_

 _Camp Half-Blood_

After being teleported back to their home dimension, the Greeks found that somehow, a month had passed in the few hours they had been in the Shinto World. Witnessing the destruction and power wielded by Perseus, Persephone's younger twin, had...effects on the large family.

Against Poseidon's vehement opposition, the Olympians voted that if Perseus should ever come to their world, he would be hunted down and destroyed. Predictably, this had a downhill effect on the half-bloods, who emulated their parents by speaking of ill of Perseus, calling him monster and freak. They were all subconsciously masking their abject terror with false feelings of disgust and hatred. This, also had the predictable downhill effect of alienating Persephone, which had...dark consequences.

The daughter of Poseidon had locked herself in her cabin for days after the return, not coming out for meals or activities. She ignored anybody that knocked on her door, even Chiron. When forced entry was tried, the magic of Cabin 3 threw away the centaur. He got up back with broken bones. Persephone was left to her own devices afterwards.

Eventually, she did emerge, but she was a changed girl. Her eyes had lost their shine, becoming dark and ominous, almost like her brother's. Her movements were precise and measured, like she was constantly planning how to successfully kill everybody around her. Any conversation had with the sea child was short, clipped, and to the point. Further changes to her new personality were evident in contests of a physical nature.

In the arena, for sword lessons and wrestling practice, Persephone _dominated_. Her level of combative prowess outstripped even Luke and Clarisse, with her sword skills pushing the son of Hermes to the brink and beyond, and her hand-to-hand skills making any child of Ares suddenly hesitant to fight her...especially after Persephone almost _killed_ Clarisse for a remark the war child made about Percy.

Chiron attributed this sudden, darker change in Persephone Jackson to exposure to her brother.

He was not wrong.

The relationship between the children of the Big Three was strained, especially between Persephone and Thalia. Simply put, the daughter of Zeus was _highly_ jealous of Percy's power, and she took out her frustrations at her inferiority on Seph, much to the sea child's ire. The two girls did not get along at all, and most likely never would. Especially with Thalia's decision to join the Hunt (much to Luke and Andrew's consternation), thereby shifting the weight of the prophecy to the shoulders of the Jackson twins-not that the elder sibling knew that.

The relationship between Persephone and the di Angelos was also strained because the sea child had found out about Nico's homosexuality...and how it was directed at her own little brother. As a big sister, Seph did not like that. _At all_. Call it overprotectiveness, but Persephone Jackson was not allowing Nico anywhere near her younger twin, and had verbally _condemned_ the boy...in front of Bianca.

When Nico broke down, it sparked the protectiveness of Bianca. With her protectiveness sparked, Bianca attacked Persephone. When she attacked Persephone, Persephone defended herself. When Persephone defended herself, Bianca got hurt. Badly.

Now, a new feud had started.

Zeus was standing by his daughter's side, if only to one-up Poseidon and make it clear that Perseus was persona non-grata. Hades was standing by his children in defense of Nico and support of Bianca, against his niece, who had hurt both of his children. Seeing this, Zeus and Thalia had technically joined sides with Hades and the di Angelos. That left Poseidon and Persephone to stand alone against two-thirds of the Big Three in defense of their son/little brother.

Ironic, isn't it? The Greeks had been shown the angel of their salvation, but now they were pushing him towards becoming the demon of their damnation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Today was the final day of camp for the Summer. Seeing as Persephone was not a year-rounder, she was leaving today. Her mom should be here relatively soon, so the girl packed the things she felt she would need into a bag, and left her cabin. Anyone around immediately scrambled out of her way. Seph just scoffed at them.

As she passed the arena, she heard the sounds of a swinging sword. Her ADHD took over, and she couldn't help but go see what was going on. Upon entering, she saw that Luke was shirtless, his upper body rippling with toned muscle, and glistening with sweat. With her budding hormones, Persephone found herself staring. The son of Hermes was using a sword she had never seen before-looked to be one-half steel and one-half celestial bronze on the other-to slice apart training dummies.

Anyone else would've been impressed, but Persephone tracked the slashes and swings with relative ease. Honestly, she thought what she was watching was incredibly slow. Eventually, Luke noticed that he had an audience, and he stopped slicing apart straw.

"Hey, Persephone," he said somewhat hesitantly. The girl's now-dark reputation proceeded her. Luke grabbed a towel, drying himself off as best he could, before putting on a tank top. "I was just getting in some last-minute practice before seeing the others off. Hey," he said suddenly, and pulled a six-pack of cokes from somewhere, "if you're not too busy, want to join me for some last-minute monster slaying?"

"Are you trying to ask me out?"

Luke blinked. "Uh...no?"

"Okay. Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _30 minutes later_

Persephone was sitting on top of a rock, calmly drinking a coke, while Luke was sitting next to the rock, also drinking a coke.

"So," Castellan started, "your brother...how do you think he would handle being...here?"

"He'd murder anyone that pissed him off, and not lose an ounce of sleep over it."

"Ah." Luke was silent again for a time, before he asked, "How powerful do you think he is?"

Persephone looked at the son of Hermes. "You were there, dumbass. You say him rip his own arm off, and throw that man hard enough into the sky that the air friction caused him to burn up. You _know_ how powerful my little brother is."

"Yeah..." Luke said distractedly, trailing off. "How do you feel about our parents' decree that Percy is to be killed on sight?" After he said that, the son of Hermes could _feel_ the anger that blossomed in the younger half-blood. Beyond that, he felt the temperature drop, the pressure raise, he saw the creek bubble, and a cold breeze whistled sharply before dying silently. The look etched onto her features spoke volumes of her opinion of the decree.

Luke smirked. Time to go in for the kill.

"What if I told you that...there was a way to avoid Percy being killed? What if I told you that there was a growing faction that could easily protect him, and you, from Zeus' Bolt? What if I told you that, with yours and Percy's help, this faction could dethrone the Olympians, and usher in a new age of peace, freedom, justice, and security?"

Seph's cold eyes bored into Luke's glinting ones. The son of Hermes glided to his feet, and the shadows caused by the noonday sun cast an evil look over the man's face. "Well, are you interested?"

"You have my attention."

Luke almost grinned like a devil. Instead, he smiled like an angel. "The Titans, Persephone, the parents, aunts, and uncles of the gods. A race of beings more powerful than them, wiser than them, stronger than them. They are rising, Persephone, and the gods will be defeated in the coming war. You and Percy, leading us, victory will be guaranteed, and you could have anything you could ever want. _Anything_."

Persephone was silent as she digested Luke's speech. Then, "You're the Lightning Thief."

Luke's smile never dropped. "Indeed I am."

Persephone blew a heavy amount of air from her nose, and began to inspect her nails. "So...you are the one that almost started a war, dragged me into this mythological nightmare, and exposed my brother, which resulted in him receiving a death-order from Zeus, and the rest of the Olympians, sans my father."

Luke's smile was steadily dropping.

"And now you're telling me that an actual war is about to take place, a war between the gods and the Titans, and the winner decides the fate of the world, and your incentive for getting me and my twin to join you is protection from Zeus, and the offer of anything we could ever want." Persephone chuckled lowly, before looking back at her nails.

"The gods...the Titans…" the daughter of Poseidon fixed Luke with a gaze that could've froze the Underworld, "can all go _fuck_ themselves."

Luke scowled, and snapped his fingers. A ring of fire burned off to the side, and a pitch-black scorpion came crawling out. Persephone gave the creature a sideways glance, before dismissing it completely, returning to her degradation of Luke and his ideology.

"The gods want my brother dead, and you and the Titans just want to _use_ him to further your own goals. You think Percy needs _protection_? He's stronger than anyone on this planet, and when he comes here, there won't be a single entity alive that can beat him. So, you run to your Titans, Luke, and tell them about my brother, and tell them how monumentally screwed they all are when this war starts, and Percy's on the opposite side of the battlefield."

The scorpion was crawling up Persephone's leg, making its way for her thigh. The creature was ignored. Luke glared at the girl something fierce. "You will regret this…but I wonder what Percy will say to this offer."

The scorpion reached Persephone's thigh, and the daughter of Poseidon's hand shot out so fast, that Luke couldn't follow the motion. One second, Seph's hand was by her thigh, the next, it was gripping the pit scorpion, holding it up at eye level, the damn thing's tail being pressed to its body, its stinger useless. Persephone began to squeeze, and the wriggling creature went rigid from the pressure. The girl's eyes closed.

"I think that Percy will…" Persephone's eyes snapped open, making Luke gasp at what he saw, and the pit scorpion exploded in a shower of exoskeleton and goo. "…refuse."

The son of Hermes was quick to pull his amulet from his back, and teleport himself as far away from the sea demon as he could.

After Luke was gone, the red, nine-pointed star faded from Persephone's eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Manhattan_

Sally pulled into the designated parking space her husband had reserved for his vehicle, the current being a crappy jalopy compared to the Camaro, but it still got from point A to point B without breaking down, so all was good. Technically.

Sally looked at her daughter, who had been remarkably quiet during the entire ride over here. The woman knew why, though, of course, with her mother's intuition pointing her straight towards her wayward son. After having him so close, after having _touched_ him, and then subsequently ripped away from him, that had left a scar on Persephone's psyche, a deep, dark one if Chiron's reports were accurate, and Sally had no doubt they were.

Stories of how Persephone had locked herself away, and emerged as someone new, stories of how her swordsmanship had suddenly improved by leaps and bounds, easily able to go toe-to-toe with the Camp's best, stories of how she had brutally beat Clarisse la Rue in a wrestling match, putting the daughter of Ares into a coma(not that Sally cared; little shit deserved it), and stories of how Persephone had butted heads with all three of her cousins, and came out on top in each situation(which made Sally proud).

Now, usually, the mother of Persephone would not approve of this behavior, and would be swift to rectify it by breaking out an assortment of spanking equipment. However, in light of the Olympians condemning her son, putting the death penalty on his head on the grounds of being 'too dangerous,' Sally didn't give a flying fuck about any brat her daughter beat into a pulp for speaking ill of her son.

Sally was not happy with her baby boy being taken from her, she was not happy with the way he had been forced to live, she was not happy that he killed people, she was not happy that he had been sentenced to death, she was not happy that he had been close enough to touch only for her to suddenly pop back into her apartment.

However, all of that was irrelevant at the moment. Right now, what was relevant, was Persephone's new personality. Sally had no doubt in her mind that her daughter was going to do something unspeakably horrible to Gabe, for all the things the fat, smelly excuse for a man had done to them in the past (especially so once Seph found out that Gabe had been hitting her (Sally)). The thing that made Sally's insides twist the most though, was that she _wanted_ her daughter to get rid of Gabe.

But, as good as that sounded, it would be detrimental in the long run. Gabe brought in money, plain and simple. He put food on the table, he put water in the pipes, electricity in the wires, and clothes on Sally's and Persephone's backs. Granted, he did a terrible job of it, but he still contributed enough to where the Jacksons' lives would fall apart without his financial contribution. That, and his human stench still helped to mask Persephone's godly scent.

"Sweetie," Sally said gently, placing a hand on her daughter's knee, gaining her attention, "I know that Gabe has been horrible to us in the past, but you can't do anything to him. He still provides for us in a way that we need, and if he disappears from our lives before I have a means to make enough money for the both of us, we'll be in serious trouble. So please, put up with him, for now."

Seph's countenance never changed and never gave anything away, but her eyes did darken when her mother asked her to spare Gabe, but at the explanation as for why the smelly oaf was still needed, Seph's ire was soothed, if only slightly. Oh, yes; Persephone fully intended to _kill_ Gabriel Ugliano as soon as she walked in through the door via her improved hydrokinesis.

It was a testament to how much the girl had changed after having her brother ripped away from her. The bright and cheery little tyke had evolved into a cold, frigid young woman that refused the company and warmth of anyone save for those buried inside her heart…like her mother, and borderline her father.

As Seph and Sally made their way up the stairs to their floor, an idea suddenly popped into the demigoddess' head, an idea that would've made her twin proud. "Hey, Mom?"

"Hm?"

"Gabe has life insurance, right?"

"I would think so, yes."

"And if he died, the insurance would go to us, right?"

"Yes…"

"I got us covered then."

Persephone casually strolled forward, leaving Sally to stare at her daughter's back, a whirlwind of emotions running through her. Her daughter, her little angel, her sweet and bright little princess…was about to somehow kill a man to collect his life insurance. The worst part was that Sally not only _wanted_ that to happen, but she was _eager to see it_ happen.

She was eager to see her daughter murder someone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meeting Gabe again had been less than stellar, and the revelation that the bald-headed freak had been _hitting her mother_ almost made Persephone kill the man on the spot, but she restrained herself, if only to not make a scene in front of Gabe's poker buddies. However, that night, the daughter of Poseidon had committed her dark act.

When she had locked herself in her cabin, she hadn't been wailing into her pillow, or shutting down to the point she was a vegetable. No, she had been _training_ , giving herself into her darker emotions, and honing her powers over water. She found that, despite how Sith-like it sounded, her hatred and rage and despair and sadness and sorrow gave her a focus and control over her hydrokinesis that might have rivaled her brother's. She couldn't have told you just how powerful Percy was when it came to water, but she liked to think that she was the more powerful, if only because she was the big sister.

That night, Persephone sat crossed-legged on her bed, her room cast in complete darkness. Her face was scrunched up in focus, focus as she called upon her fury and sorrow; fury at Gabe, at Thalia, at Nico, at Bianca, at Luke, at the gods, at the people that took _her Percy_ away from her, and sorrow that she and her brother had been separated, were still separated, and would continue to be separated for God knows how long.

As the daughter of Poseidon gathered these dark feelings, centering them in her gut, where her power originated, Persephone suddenly became _aware_. Aware of all water within the vicinity of a hundred meters. Every pipe, every droplet, every toilet, every shower, every leak, and every _body_. Persephone felt extremely proud of herself with achieving this accomplishment, but she would've felt downtrodden if she ever learned that Percy could do this exact same thing when he was _six_ , only at a much greater range.

Persephone ignored all irrelevant sources of water, and instead focused on the two right down the hall from where she was. The girl was immensely disgusted to feel the movement of the water in Gabe's body matched perfectly with one whose hands were roaming across where they didn't belong. Namely, Sally's chest and crotch area.

Persephone's eyes opened, and, in the pure darkness of her room, they _glowed_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Sally Jackson called the police, claiming that her husband had been killed. The authorities arrived, as well as the paramedics, and Gabriel Ugilano's body was taken to the autopsy room. After cutting him open, doctors ruled that the cause of death was a heart attack at about three in the morning, therefore meaning natural causes.

The funeral had been short, sweet, and precise, but Gabe was not buried, but was cremated (in secret, the Jacksons scattered the remains to the wind, forever damning him to never have peace). Sally sat down with lawyers, all of whom were sympathetic to the grieving, recently-widowed, mother of one, and things were set up.

Every month, a deposit would be made in Sally's name, a deposit that came from a variety of sources for a variety of reasons. Long story short, Sally could now finish her education, get a new apartment, a new car, new clothes for herself and her daughter, and put Persephone through school herself, and set both of them up to live their rest of their lives happily, contentedly, and comfortably.

The only reason either female felt incomplete was because their son/brother was not there to live the good life with them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _THE WOLF AND THE RATS_

 _One day, a swarm of rats came across a wounded wolf laying in the surf. The wolf's fur was streaked with scars, and he was missing his right forelimb. The rats, seeing an opportunity, muzzled and bound the wolf, and brought the wounded creature to their nest._

 _For a time, the wolf was put to work for the rats, and the wolf was forced to learn how to live with three legs. The rats exploited the wolf, using him for their whims, and the wolf's anger grew every day. However, the wolf was weak, and not as strong as he once was. If worked too hard, the wolf's heart would hurt, and he would cough blood. The rats had enough courtesy to allow the wolf a short rest, not because they were kind, but because the wolf was a valuable resource to be used._

 _But the wolf was cunning._

 _During the day, the wolf worked hard for the rats, building his stamina and tolerance to pain, while also learning how to live with three legs. During the night, the wolf worked to rid himself of his muzzle. This went on for a time, until, one night, the wolf freed himself of his muzzle. However, the wolf realized that he was not ready to rid himself of the rats, not yet, so he redonned his muzzle...but left it loose._

 _During the day, the wolf whispered poisonous words into the ears of the rats, under the guise of a soft breeze. The rats listened to the words, and they knew distrust for one another. During the day, the wolf caused dissent among the ranks. During the night, the wolf rid himself of his muzzle, and used his teeth to kill a rat, and in the morning, when the rat was found murdered, the other rats gnashed their teeth at their fellows._

 _The rats divided themselves, forming factions, groups, alliances. They became fractured and dysfunctional, the foundations of their nest crumbling beneath them. The wolf continued to whisper, continued to kill in the night, and continued to dangle the rats on strings. This continued for a time, and the wolf grew stronger, his words more powerful, his three-legged body more comfortable._

 _Finally, the rats imploded upon themselves, and a small war broke out. It was a short, yet vicious war, because rats were not clever or powerful, but they were ferocious. Meanwhile, the wolf watched silently as the rats destroyed themselves, hidden in the shadows created by the mounds of bodies._

 _After a time, only a handful of rats remained, and these were the tired survivors. Fatigued, bleeding, battered and bruised they were, but they summoned the will to move on. These rats came for the wolf, but all they found was his muzzle laying destroyed on the ground. The rats knew fear, but their meeting was short as Death came swiftly upon silent wings._

 _The wolf left the ruins of the nest, scarred, crippled, and cunning. In this world of lions and tigers and bears, the wolf would survive. He would rise. He would dominate. He would be the lone hunter in this harsh world, and at the end of time, it would be the wolf that stood at the top._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _September 29, 1013 A.S._

A cloaked figure made their way down a simple dirt path. The figure wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, a hat that curved downward at the brim, shielding the eyes. The figure's path was leading them to the Land of Sky.

This figure was heading to this Land for a simple reason: power. The figure had recently gone through a traumatic event that had resulted in some major bodily damage. Externally, the figure's body was littered with a lattice of scars, all varying in length, width, and depth. Internally, however, was the real problem.

Any action beyond mild physical strain caused the figure's heart to threaten to rupture from the strain. In other words, if the heart began to beat too fast, it became a severe health risk. Secondly, was the figure's chakra network. It was fucked up. There was just no other to say it. It had been frayed, twisted, clumped up, stretched, and then hastily repaired, and terribly at that. Now, that wasn't saying that the figure couldn't mold and use chakra, it just meant that whenever the figure did use chakra for something bigger than tree-climbing and water-walking, such as jutsu, it left the figure exceedingly sore and fatigued, as well as in great pain, as if hot wires had been slid into their body.

So, where the figure could once use S-Rank jutsu like party favors, they could now only use a few A and B-rank before collapsing into unconscious, their body screaming in pain. On top of feeling great pain upon using jutsu, the figure's chakra control was...not what it used to be. So now the figure not only felt like they were about to die after using a few jutsu, they were _literally_ about to die too, because of the amount of chakra that was wasted when using a technique.

Which led to the reason as to why the figure was heading to the land of the sky. During their tenure among the idiot bandits, the figure heard tales of a creature hidden within the Land of Sky. Some said the creature was an evil spirit, some said the creature was a secret Tailed-Beast, some said it was just a legend to scare people away. The figure's theory? The creature was a sentient mass of residual chakra coming straight from the battle between the Otsutsuki Brothers and the Ten-Tails itself.

Regardless of what the creature was, there was one thing for certain: this 'Zero-Tails' needed to be investigated...right after the figure dealt with the undesirables that had been following them from the trees for over an hour now.

The figure stopped moving, and the forest went silent as the atmosphere changed. Seconds later, a hail a shuriken came flying out from the trees, coming from both sides. The figure was stunned by the speed, and, as a result, was cut down to size. In a spray of the blood, the cloaked individual collapsed to the ground. Dead.

Out of the trees, eight men came walking out. None of them were remarkable, all of them being of average height, build, chakra, and intelligence. Bandits and/or thugs, obviously. The worms all chuckled as they inspected the cloaked corpse.

The explosive tag detonated, instantly killing all eight of the bandits.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en calmly strolled across the dirt, not breaking stride as he walked over the scorched blast crater, the remains of the pathetic bandits, and the false image. Upon walking through the mirage, the water vapor was disturbed and the illusion dispelled.

The demigod was actually rather fond of this new style of combat.

His ninjutsu and taijutsu had been extremely limited, but his genjutsu...in light of his new situation, Shin'en had poured monumental effort into improving his prowess in the illusionary techniques. This recent spat was proof of his advancement. False image of blood and body, false sound of tearing flesh, and even the false scent of bodily fluids. All of this from a mixture of hydrokinesis and a small application of chakra. That was to say nothing of his improvement with the Sharingan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _October 3, 1013 A.S._

 _Land of Sky_

Shin'en made it to his destination country two days ago, and had no idea where to go from there. So, as it was in his experience to ask for directions when in foreign territory, that's what Shin'en did. He looked for the oldest person around, and was not surprised to find a wrinkled old widow that was blind and presided over a deck of cards.

The woman was cooperative, and told Shin'en where to begin her search for the Zero-Tails. Deep in the heart of the Land of Sky, there was a place of ruin, the remains of an old fortress called Ancor Vantian. It was here, that Zero-Tails was said to reside, and it was here that Shin'en would travel to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _October 5, 1013 A.S._

After two more days of travel, the cloaked the demigod found what he was looking for. It was rather difficult to miss the massive, white-stoned, vine-covered mass rising out of the earth.

Shin'en leapt from the cliff he was standing on, sailing through the air, and sailing down to the ground. Upon channeling chakra to his legs to reinforce his bones and muscles so that he wouldn't break his legs on impact, the demigod still winced as a feeling again to hot, metal rods being jammed into his legs met his nerves. Regardless, Shin'en landed without issues.

The demigod walked through the forest, and he honestly found himself enjoying nature. The calmness, the cool atmosphere, the mist. Shin'en found himself at the calmest he had been since he ripped off his own arm and threw the Raikage hard enough to where the air friction burned the man into a crisp. While this would've been the perfect opportunity to think and reminisce, Shin'en made conscious effort _not_ to do that.

One thing at a time. Secure a better means of protection first, think about the future later.

Eventually, the forest gave way to a wide-open space that was littered with stone ruins of what might have once been spires, pillars, and/or dwellings. A moderate mist covered the area, which had the effect of boosting Shin'en's senses and body past what they were. Therefore, due the heavy atmospheric moisture, the demigod was on guard when he sensed a chakra begin to coalesce in front of him.

It started gradually, with bits of shaded matter coming together to form a pulsating mass that was almost spherical in shape. Soon enough, the mass was bigger than a man, much bigger, in fact, and resembled a massive, purple leech. The leech had a Noh mask on its face, and the kanji for 'zero,' colored tan, emblazoned on its forehead. Four large strands of hair rose from the top of the mask, while a fifth one sprouted from the mask's chin, creating the image of some kind of beard.

Shin'en kept his head bowed slightly, so that the brim of his hat covered his eyes. "I take it you are the Zero-Tailed Beast I've heard so much about?"

Instead of answering the question, the leech responded with this, **"Such a strong darkness within you. Yes, I can sense it. The hatred, the fury, the sorrow, the despair…and yet I feel a kind of…acceptance of something. Now that I look deeper I see not so much a darkness but a…heavy shade of grey. No matter; you will still make a wonderful buffet!"**

The Zero-Tails' face split horizontally, and spread apart for over a meter. The flesh of the leech separated, revealing the humongous molars that lined the creature's mouth. The Zero-Tails shrieked, and shot forward, fully intent on devouring the boy before it, feast on the vast wealth of negative emotions, use its influence to control the boy, and bring about a never-ending age of darkness upon the world.

When the leech was mere feet away from the demigod, the boy raised his head, and lifted the brim of his straw hat to where his closed left eye was visible. A small trail of blood began to leak from under the eyelid, before the lid shot wide-open, revealing the bloodshot sclera, and the nine-pointed star that was Shin'en's Mangekyou.

"Ama-no-Iwato."

The Zero-Tails found itself falling into a black hole that was lined with nine red galaxies.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Zero-Tails slammed down upon something hard, cold, and unforgiving. Dazed, the leech was slow to rise, and slow to regain its bearings. When it did, it realized with some confusion that it was no longer in the mist-covered, ruin-filled area surrounding Ancor Vantian. Instead, the Zero-Tails was in a marsh, a strange marsh.

The grass was black with a soft, red glow, and the water was very much the same. A dark red mist covered the entire marsh. The air was calm, cool, and crisp, and, in the distance, several large mountains, or their black silhouettes at least, could be seen, each outline highlighted in dark crimson.

The Zero-Tails looked up, searching for the source of this red light. What it saw made it panic. Suspended high in the black sky, yet much lower than the moon, was a massive red star with nine points formed by the overlapping of three triangles. In the middle of this star was a black dot that allowed no escape.

What made the Zero-Tails panic was not the star itself, but the fact that star was _rotating_. As the points disappeared into the void, the soft red light of the black marsh began to fade away. With extreme fervor, the Zero-Tails shot forward as fast as it could go, and formed extra arms in an attempt to proper itself forward to the star.

The creature did not know why, but something told it that if it could make it to the star, even to the tiniest sliver of a red corner, then it would escape from this strange world, but if it failed to reach the star, then it would be trapped forever in darkness.

Closer and closer came the Zero-Tails, but it was not enough. The star disappeared into the void as it completed its 180-degree rotation, and the leech went crashing down into the darkness, forever doomed to wander blindly in a vain attempt to see the light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en hummed as he felt the chakra of the leech merge into his network, strengthening his body. It wasn't enough to fully repair his body, but it did offer him an extended amount of cardiovascular endurance and strength, as well as an added potency to his chakra, which meant that, with the added potency, it would take less chakra to perform a jutsu than it normally did.

Further, with the Zero-Tails' consciousness now forever sealed within itself, Shin'en did not have to worry about the leech trying to corrupt him and use his body a vehicle to destroy the world. Perhaps an explanation of the Ama-no-Iwato was in order.

Simply put, that was the Mangekyou technique that had awakened in Shin'en's left eye. It was a genjutsu, obviously, and it operated extremely closely to the Tsukuyomi and the Kotoamatsukami. In fact, one could easily say that the three genjutsu were sibling techniques. Where the Tsukuyomi _tortured_ the mind, and the  Kotoamatsukami _influenced_ the mind, the  Ama-no-Iwato _sealed_ the mind.

The genjutsu did this by transmitting the caster's chakra straight into the target's nervous system via eye-contact for a certain amount of time. During the aforementioned time, the caster's chakra worked to subdue the target's brain by attacking the chakra there. If successful, the chakra in the target's brain, and therefore the chakra in his entire body, would rendered into a lucid, vegetable-like state.

However, like all genjutsu, it was not a permanent technique. The illusion could be dispelled by A) broken eye-contact, B) a strong enough will to counter the effects of the caster's chakra, or C) an outside source powerful enough to restore the target's chakra flow back to normal, which would restore the target's brain and body functions back to normal.

Bottom line, if Shin'en met your eyes, you were dead.

The demigod sighed in contentment at the feelings coursing through him. A feeling of warmth, a feeling of relaxation, a feeling of contentment, a feeling of renewed breath, and a feeling confidence. With this new power, Shin'en would was now one step closer to being back at full strength.

The demigod was suddenly on full alert when he sensed three people suddenly swirl into existence a fair ways behind him.

Two men and one woman. The male on the left was a literal walking corpse, with no blood flow, no heartbeat, and no functional organs, but he did have series of chakra threads attached to his body at various locations. Shin'en felt the chakra threads due to their interaction the water vapor, and tracked their origin to the limit of his range, where the threads kept going. Shin'en knew the man in the middle to be an Uchiha, due to the water in the man's eyes, but the man's body was strange, most notably his left arm; it was an artificial limb that strongly reminded Shin'en of the ANBU from back in the Leaf that could use Wood Style. The final member of the trio, the woman, was rather plain when it came to any strange body parts, but her chakra felt...different.

The three came closer, and Shin'en now recognized who these three were.

"Shin'en of the Cloud," Madara rumbled. "We would like to talk to you about an invitation…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _The Akatsuki is now assembled."_

Those were the words heard by all half-bloods of the Grecian Pantheon. They were dreaming, obviously, and none of them could see the other. But they could all see what was happening. They were in a massive chamber, with a demonic statue against the wall. It was a massive beast, with chained hands rising from the ground, the finger splayed and pointed up. The beast's face was covered by a stone bandage, and a massive bit was in its fanged mouth. All other details were shrouded in shadow. On the ground, several figures of varying shape and size, all wearing the same cloaked ensemble, stood in front of an orange-haired man with purple eyes, and many piercings.

"Konan...Kisame...Sasori...Deidara...Kakuzu...Hidan...Orochimaru...Zetsu...and Shin'en."

The man's voice was deep, flowing, and commanded the respect and attention of any who listened. With each name, the demigods' vision was centered around one figure after the other. A blue-haired woman, a shark-like man, a hunchback with a bandana, a blonde, a man with strange green and pink eyes, a man with a smirk and a tri-bladed scythe, a pale man with slitted eyes, a man with a Venus flytrap growing over his head, and lastly, the son of Poseidon himself.

"Each of you has your own agenda, and your own dreams...we have finally come this far."

The boy looked different than the last time he had been seen. His black hair was longer, making him look even more like his sister than what was natural, and his eyes were no longer dark emerald, but a softly glowing crimson. His left arm hung loosely, hidden in the long sleeve of his cloak, while his right arm—the one he had ripped off—was now covered in bandages, and rested upon the middle of his cloak, like a makeshift sling. Adorning his bandaged ring finger was a silver band with a red stone. Upon the red stone was the kanji for crimson, colored black.

"And now, at last, we will move into full-scale action."

Even in all of their incorporeal forms, the campers, the traitors, and the Hunters could _feel_ the pressure in the air. It was heavy, it was oppressive, it was thick, and it weighed their souls down with tremendous force. Those that had been to solstice council meetings recognized this pressure as one similar, albeit a tad smaller, to the pressure generated by the gathered Olympians. What appeared to be the power of ten mortals was rivalling the power of twelve _gods_.

"Our targets are all the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails. The opponents are strong, but we will gather them all the same, and bring the great ambition of the Akatsuki to fruition." The orange-haired man had been raising his hand during his speech, and once he had finished, he paused as he clenched his fist. The sleeve of his cloak rode up, revealing the bars piercing his flesh. "We ten shall accomplish this."

The ground began rumbling something fierce, causing the half-bloods to stumble about, even though they weren't even physically there, while the cloaked individuals merely stood there, shrugging off the seismic activity. The source for the shaking became evident when light began to stream into the cave, because the _gigantic boulder_ was lifting. More light entered the cave, and the outside was revealed. A red torii gate stood outside the cave, as well as a large, calm pond. The new source of light haloed around the orange-haired man.

"And understand this," said the man, "failure is not an option." He calmly turned around, and began walking for the light. "Let's go."

There was no flashy exit, no grand display of power, and no invigorating speech of confidence. Just a simple, two-word command, and it was obeyed without question. Even Shin'en followed the man to the exit. The Greeks' eyes followed the boy closely, and, even though he didn't seem to see them, anyone that was in his way promptly dove to the side.

Persephone watched with apprehension as her brother drew ever nearer. Twenty feet...fifteen feet...ten feet... _five feet-!_ "Percy-"

Time itself froze as the son of Poseidon stood next to his sister. He was frozen midstride, as were the others in the cloaks. All of them were facing the light, heedless that they were frozen, their eyes glued forward. Except for Shin'en's. His crimson gaze had slid to meet the dark green of his sister. His lips did not move, but his voice was heard.

"The shadows are not for you. Return to the light, find someone to guide you if need be, but do not linger here."

Shin'en walked into the light, disappearing in the brightness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Greeks all bolted awake in whatever bed they were laying in, all of them sweating coldly, from the youngest child, to the oldest Huntress. What they saw made no sense, but there was something that was abundantly clear: Percy Jackson now had _allies_ , and was obeying the orders of another person, someone who undoubtedly had to be more powerful than he. That in and of itself was a terrifying thought.

However, for Persephone, the experience was not blood-chilling, so much as it was confusing. 'The shadows are not for you. Return to the light, find someone to guide you if need be, but do not linger here.' The daughter of Poseidon had never been more conflicted in her life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Alright,**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **is back on track! I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, and if you have questions, comments, or concerns, let me know via PM and Review.**_

 _ **Regarding the new Shin'en, and the story THE WOLF AND THE RATS was just a metaphorical version of our anti-hero being captured by bandits, and learning how to use his body and develop new powers. I didn't feel like writing that in length, so I came up with a (hopefully badass) short-story.**_

 _ **As for his new status…his taijutsu and ninjutsu are limited, his body is covered in scar tissue, he's developed amazing skill in genjutsu using water vapor and small applications of chakra, he now has the power of the Zero-Tails (more on that later), a Mangekyou genjutsu based on actual Shinto Mythology, and has somehow gotten a new right arm—that works!**_

 _ **So, back to**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **for a bit, then to the**_ _ **Assassin's Creed**_ _ **crossover…title still pending.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	38. AN

_**I know this is the last thing you would want to hear from any author, but…I'm sorry guys. Due to extenuating circumstances, I'm going to be off the net for a good long while. I don't when I'll get back online, if ever, but I'll let you all know when I'm back. Just keep checking your inboxes for me.**_

 _ **I want you all to know it's been a great ride these past two years, and I've had tons of fun!**_

 _ **God Bless all of you!**_

 _ **-DelayedInspiration**_


	39. Return

_**In regards to the previous Author's Note…**_

 _ **APRIL FOOLS, BITCHES!**_


	40. Daybreak

_Daybreak_

 _ **Welcome back, young and old, man and woman, to the very first in the stories of DelayedInspiration. It has been a long time, for those that haven't read this in a while, so a quick recap.**_

 _ **Shin'en has the Mangekyou Sharingan, and has developed extreme prowess in genjutsu. His chakra coils and cardiovascular system are damaged, limiting his taijutsu and ninjutsu to the bear minimum. His right arm was previously amputated, but now he has a new one. Persephone is at the throats of Thalia and the di Angelos, due to the former's power envy, and Nico's gayness towards Percy and Bianca's subsequent brawl against Persephone in defense of Nico. The gods have decreed that should Shin'en ever arrive in their world, he is to be killed on sight. Persephone has touched her inner darkness by murdering Gabe Ugliano, and Shin'en has told her to return to the light. Shin'en has taken in the power of the Zero-Tails, and is a member of the Akatsuki.**_

 _ **Pretty sure this is the only story with an Akatsuki Percy.**_

 _ **Now, I have said that this story is about to receive a lot of attention, and it is. We currently enter the Akatsuki arc, which will be followed by the Titan's Curse arc, and then the Re-Gain Power arc. Without further ado, let us begin chronicling the episodes of Shin'en's tenure as a member of the Red Dawn.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _October 7, 1013 A.S._

 _Coast of the Land of Fire_

Shin'en sat at the end of a dock, the water almost level with the pier, an effect of his emotional breakdown a month ago. A cigarette burned idly in his mouth as he stared out over the blue expanse, a frenzy of sharks twenty feet in front of him. His right knee was pulled to his chest, with his bandaged arm holding it there. He had let his hair grow out, from the time of the Chunin Exam final tournament, from his time with the bandits, to now.

His hair had been longer than this before, for certain missions in the Mist, and Shin'en knew how to style it to where it would stay out of his face, but he didn't. He let his raven tresses hang as loose as they wanted. His reflection in the water was not his own, per se, but was that of his sister's, albeit with longer hair and darker, more serious eyes. Having female-length hair and a fraternal yet identical twin did that to a boy, especially when you're twins coming from a divine lineage.

Shin'en was here right now because Pain had told him this was where he and his partner would meet. If you followed the pier in the opposite direction, you come under the watchful gaze of dozens of tori gates which would lead up a small mountain covered in trees to a temple overlooking the ocean.

Due a number of sensory abilities, Shin'en knew that his partner was standing about five feet behind him.

Two of the sharks began brawling in the water.

"I don't think introductions between us are necessary, but even so. I am Kisame Hoshigaki, formerly of the Hidden Mist, and you are Shin'en, formerly of the Hidden Cloud. Starting today, you and I are partners in the Akatsuki."

Shin'en remained silent, content to stare at the sharks attempting to kill each other. Then, he took a drag, and blew the smoke out through his nose. "Tell me…did you ask to be my partner…or does Madara wish to keep an eye on me?"

Kisame's only reaction was the slight widening of his eye. "So you know who the true leader of the Akatsuki is."

"I know more than you do…you never answered my question."

Kisame smirked, "If you must know, I asked and Pain accepted."

"You're as dumb as you look."

Blood stained the water, but neither shark was dead yet.

"You were correct in that introductions between us were unnecessary. You are the fish man that told Yagura about me all those years ago, which got my family killed. I've already killed Yagura, Danzo, and Ameyuri…I guess the last one that I need to kill before vengeance is totally mine is you."

There was no sound from Kisame's movement, there was barely even a flicker of motion, but about a hundredth of a second after Shin'en finished saying 'you,' the bandaged monstrosity that was Samehada was resting an inch from his shoulder, and about three inches from his cheek.

"Watch it, boy. You are an Akatsuki now, a comrade of sorts. I've killed my fair share of comrades, I won't lose any sleep over killing you. Kakuzu would certainly enjoy the bounty."

Shin'en's eyes turned red. "Comrades…right. Is that why you joined this organization? To create a world in which those fighting on the same side no longer kill each other?"

"Something like that."

The water splashed as the two sharks continued their battle.

The tomoe in the demigod's eyes spun as stared at nothing in particular.

"Then again, perhaps I should thank you for what you did. If you hadn't tattled on me, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be what I am today…the world wouldn't be what it is today. Maybe that's why you asked to be my partner. You feel guilty about things, and you seek to make up for it."

Kisame snorted. "You presume too much. After all, you're the one that personally killed the closest things I had to friends."

"And you're the one that got my family murdered. I guess that makes us even, then." Shin'en was suddenly standing next to Kisame, and their height difference became painfully obvious. Still, with his glowing red eyes and lower-face-hiding collar, the demigod managed to looked bigger than the shark man. "It's not my fatal flaw, but I can still carry a grudge for a long time…watch your back, Killer of Comrades."

For his part, Kisame barely showed any signs of reaction to the speed of the boy, or to his words. He hefted is sword back onto his bandolier. "Same to you, Ghost of the Bloody Mist."

Kisame heard the boy hum, a quick, deep sound. "If we are to be partners, then we must be able to operate with textbook fluidity. This is best accomplished through combat against others. Come, there is work to be done."

Kisame followed his shorter companion without complaint.

In the water, the two sharks ceased their fighting, and swam off together in search of food to replenish their wasted energy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A month passed quickly for the 'Akatsuki Swordsmen,' as they were called in the organization, with Hidan and Kakuzu being the Akatsuki Immortals and Sasori and Deidara being the Akatsuki Artists and Zetsu and Orochimaru being the Akatsuki Freaks. All were names each duo took with a small bit of pride, but nothing much beyond that. Pain and Konan were called the Akatsuki Divinities.

Kisame and Shin'en stuck to menial targets, that being small time crooks and bandits, the occasional Missing Nin, but nothing more than a C-rank mission. They kept things simple so as to build a feel for each other, and them, being ninja of great experience and power, quickly found synergy with the other.

Shin'en's illusions fit in perfect tandem with Kisame's brute strength. The enemy merely saw false images before being struck down by an opponent they didn't even know was there. Of course, that wasn't to say that was how the Akatsuki Swordsmen always did things.

Shin'en was not shy about using his remaining Lightning Fang to cut people down, using his illusions to keep bodily strain to a minimum so that his heart wouldn't rupture. Kisame had asked why Shin'en wasn't using his full power against his enemies, using quick and precise movements that required minimal energy, instead of the awesome displays of strength he had been known for in the Mist.

Shin'en responded that there was no point in wasting energy on the killing of insects. Kisame got a laugh out of that one.

It wouldn't do for the world to know that Shin'en was not at his peak. He was still a wanted man, and while there had been no Hunter Nin encounters yet, they were bound to be after him…as soon as the world got itself straightened out again. The event known as the Wrath of the Gods had done its fair share of damage to the world.

Did Shin'en care for the destruction and devastation and death he had brought?

Nope.

While he was not Asteria in that he was biologically incapable of regret, remorse, or guilt over any kind of death, he was highly desensitized to other people's emotions. Especially when they cursed his name for taking something from them.

Part of Yūrei's 'no survivor' policy was the killing of all, so that there wouldn't be any broken families.

The Ghosts of the Hidden Mist may not have been the good guys, but they did have the capacity for small mercies.

Shin'en kept his possession of Dark Chakra a secret. Hell, he hadn't even used the stuff since his transformation into a pseudo Jinchuuriki, merely allowing to remain dormant and ever-growing within him. There would come a time when the Dark Chakra could be brought out, a time to test what it could do for Shin'en, but until that time, the power of the Zero-Tails would remain hidden.

Over this month, Shin'en had neglected to cut his hair, and it had grown ever longer, making him look even more like his sister than what should've been allowed. Kisame had commented on this, of course.

"You look like a woman."

"That is the idea."

A brow raised. "Pray tell."

"As far as the world is concerned, Shin'en is dead, or at the very least, missing. I see no reason to correct these assumptions, not yet. Like this, I could be easily mistaken for a rogue Uchiha female that split from the village after Shin'en's infamous assault left most of the clan wiped out."

"You take being mistaken for a woman remarkably well."

"Deception is a shinobi's greatest weapon." Shin'en hated saying those words with unholy passion.

Kisame nodded once. "Fair enough."

That had been the last said on Shin'en's increasingly androgynous appearance.

A mission had been handed to the Akatsuki Swordsmen, one coming straight from Pain himself, requiring a joint operation between Shin'en and Orochimaru, with Zetsu and Kisame being ordered to stay put. The meeting point was the southern Land of Fire, near one of the many temples that dotted the land. Apparently, a group of Missing Nin had cleared out the monks and had taken residence. Rumor was that they were led by a B-rank shinobi from the Sand.

The employer was the Fire Daimyo himself…behind closed doors, of course. The Akatsuki was a lot cheaper than either the Leaf or the Sand, and it would be overkill to send samurai after a couple of miscreants. At least that's what the Daimyo thought. The man was a bit strange.

Regardless, Shin'en was at the meeting spot, and he waited a short time before Orochimaru arrived. Together, the Abyss and the Serpent ascended the steps to the red tori gate where the targeted temple lay about one mile further.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 4, 1013 A.S._

 _Southern Land of Fire_

Orochimaru could not believe his luck. The most powerful creature on the planet (besides Pain…maybe) was not five feet from him, and all alone. Seriously, there wasn't anybody around for a mile—not even Zetsu was around (Orochimaru had figured a way to detect the plant man's presence). This was a golden opportunity handed down from the gods themselves.

Shin'en, the demigod, the last living Ghost of the Hidden Mist, the _boy_ that had singlehandedly brought not one, but _two_ Hidden Villages to their knees. Beyond that, Shin'en had fought and killed Yagura of the Three-Tails in single combat, had battled against the two most powerful and the two weakest Tailed-Beasts, had taken on an _army_ of shinobi, including the likes of Minato Namikaze, Ay of the Hidden Cloud, Kakashi Hatake, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and so many more great ninja.

Hell, Shin'en had _killed_ Sarutobi, an act that Orochimaru was only displeased with because he wasn't the one to kill the old monkey.

On top of all these accomplishments, on top of that magnificent body, on top of that wealth of power, there one other thing about Shin'en that the Snake Sannin was positively _throbbing_ over, and that was the _Sharingan_.

This package deal was the greatest Orochimaru had ever come across, and he was not about to be denied. But he had to be fast. The power of Shin'en was not to be trifled with, just like Pain's was. If Orochimaru was too slow, Shin'en would over power him, and destroy him. If too fast, he could slip up in the transferring process, and leave an opening that Shin'en could exploit.

This was a task so meticulous and risky, that the Snake Sannin had doubts about whether he could pull it off. The consequences of failure would be grim…but the rewards of success were too sweet to be ignored.

Orochimaru decided it was now or never. He was unaware of Shin'en's thoughts.

' _And I was beginning to think he wasn't going to do it...the worst about this is the unwelcome audience.'_

From Orochimaru's sleeve came a large, brown serpent. It went to wrap around Shin'en, only for it to squeeze through him like he wasn't even there. The Snake Sannin balked. Then his outstretched left arm was severed at the elbow, his snake also being cut in twine.

Orochimaru leapt back, an angered grimace on his face. He was clutching his new stump (he'd fix that later), and glared at the cloaked boy who just materialized out of thin air. Shin'en wasn't even looking at Orochimaru, more content with picking up the severed arm and removing the ring on the little finger.

"You won't be needing this anymore."

The ring disappeared into Shin'en's sleeve, and he dropped the limb as if it was nothing more than garbage.

Orochimaru glared. "How? I saw you _there_."

"That would be telling." Shin'en finally decided the Sannin was worth a sideways glance. "Years ago, I promised myself that I would find and kill you, but I lost sight of that goal due to reasons…" Shin'en's eyes glowed with vermillion light, "prepare to die."

Orochimaru's honed survival instincts flared, as well as his large chakra. His body bulged and altered as monstrous growths ripped his clothes and form apart. In almost no time at all, Shin'en was standing in the massive shadow of Orochimaru's penultimate technique: the Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu.

Shin'en slid his right arm back into its sleeve, took one last drag from his cigarette, and then he promptly put the cancer stick on his neck. He didn't wince, and there wasn't even a burn mark. The demigod looked at the towering jutsu, and all eight heads looked down at him.

"Hm, and they all think a hydra is a creature to be feared...this thing would _shit_ all over a hydra. Now, what technique should I use to end you?"

One of the snake heads opened wide, and a disgusting thing happened. In a spurt of saliva, the naked upper half of Orochimaru came sliding out from the snake's throat, covered in goo. In his hand was a certain weapon, and his face was a disturbing grin.

Shin'en was more concerned with the weapon. An idea suddenly struck him. "I want that sword."

And he didn't feel like making this any more complicated than what it had to be. Where his left eye held the power of the genjutsu Ama-no-Iwato, his right eye contained the power of the Kura Okami...the anti Amaterasu. Shin'en's right eye glowed brightly as his chakra flooded the organ. The ocular power of the Mangekyou focused the chakra, and expelled it in the form of a white, icy wind.

If the Amaterasu was the ultimate in fire jutsu, then the Kura Okami was the ultimate in ice jutsu. Where the black flames were hot as the sun, the white wind was cold as the universe's edge. The technique was so cold that it froze _atoms_.

It was a technique that went beyond Absolute Zero.

Shin'en ended the flow of chakra to his eye, and he hid his grimace well. His body was still highly damaged when compared to before Ei's revelation, and while using his Mangekyou techniques did not hurt as much as using regular jutsu, due to the fact that regular jutsu required chakra spread throughout the entire body as opposed to the Mangekyou needing chakra only to the eye, it still brought pain to use so much chakra at once.

Shin'en had just burned through a sixth of his reserves, when it should have only taken a thirty-sixth.

Back to Orochimaru though, the effects of the Kura Okami might not have been as one would have expected. Instead of the serpent being encased in a layer of ice, or having icicles sprouting from all over it, the massive snake was simply…an interesting shade of grey with splotches of unnatural white due to all of its atoms being introduced to a temperature so cold that they didn't have the heat energy to so much as twitch.

Shin'en casually held his hand out, and the frozen Orochimaru's arm cracked and shattered, causing the _un_ frozen Kusanagi to fall right into the demigod's waiting palm. Whether or not this was Susano'o's Kusanagi, or a replica, or even a pale imitation, this sword's reputation on Earth was not exaggerated. A double-edged jian, with a hilt wrapped in bandages, a cross-guard similar to that of a snake's skin, and a turquoise magatama at the base of the blade.

The remains of the Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu cracked, before splitting into billions of small pieces that eventually dissipated into nothingness, leaving only a beautiful sparkle in the crisp air under the clear sky and the afternoon sun. A large thing slithered behind Shin'en casting a new shadow over him.

"My, you are persistent."

Shin'en turned around, and would confess himself disturbed by what Orochimaru had transformed himself into. Basically, the Sannin had turned himself into a white snake made of white snakes with a head vaguely resembling his original head, only ten times more hideous and grotesque.

"You detected the gathering of chakra in my eye, and shed yourself just in time to avoid death. Now you seek to attack me with whatever the Hell _this_ is supposed to be, at what you assume is a weakened state."

" _I will take your body!"_

Shin'en's eyes rolled up in thought. Then, "Thirteen."

" _What?"_

"You are the thirteenth person that has wanted to rape me. Pedomaru indeed."

Orochimaru's eye managed to twitch. Instead of continuing this banter, the Sannin roared and dove forward, gaping mouth open as wide as it could go. Shin'en stood there silently as the serpent came bearing down hard on him.

He had use for the Sannin's power.

All the while, three voices in the apparitional audience screamed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown_

Shin'en was no stranger to the otherwise disgusting. He had tortured people, basically playing around with their insides, and he had been on the battlefield upon which the ground was soaked in enough blood that it squished beneath his feet, and the air reeked of shit, piss, blood, and other bodily odors.

While wherever he was didn't have a distinct scent, it did not smell pleasant. The ground was nothing more than an endless mass of writhing fleshy stuff, like brain matter. The distant horizons were a dim fuschia that bled seamlessly into an inky sky with no end.

And there was still an unnecessary audience of annoying insects.

The mass before Shin'en rose up, and a bit of it cleared away to reveal half of Orochimaru's face. An exaggerated tongue slid out of the Sannin's mouth. "Let us begin."

The mass rose around Shin'en, attempting to swallow him. Behind the demigod, more of this pink nonsense rose up. Held tightly in the mass were several bodies of varying size, shape, and gender. A deep hum reverberated from the demigod's throat.

"So that's what this is. This is that little pocket dimension that represents your will corrupting and overriding the will of the of the body you're attempting to take over, and those behind me are the ones you've taken over in the past…as far as an immortality jutsu goes, this one isn't half bad. Still sucks though."

"You say that now, boy, but soon you'll be nothing more than a memory, I'll be in possession of the most powerful body on this planet."

A dark, lopsided grin.

"You presume too much. This jutsu is like the Yamanaka's Mind Transfer Jutsu, in which the caster invades another person, bringing with them their chakra and will power in order to overpower the recipient, and gain access to everything inside them. However, if the recipient in strong enough, they can fight off the Yamanaka. Same principle here."

The Sannin chuckled. "Not bad, boy, but it will not save you."

"Quite the contrary, Orochimaru. It has ensured my victory."

Another derrogatory chuckle. "Delusions, child. None can beat me here. I created this world. Here, I am God."

"Then I'm the Devil."

A great Plague spread from Shin'en, turning the pink mass into black liquid. The Plague infected this entire world turning all into a black, putrid liquid that burned, and smelled. The liquid washed off Shin'en's body, yet it clung to Orochimaru. The Plague reached the bodies of past victims of this disgusting jutsu, and the bodies spasmed and convulsed, their bodies decaying and withering into human-shaped husks, before falling apart and getting washed away in the wake of the Plague.

In the ocean of black, thirteen sets of red eyes glowed to life, and they rose out from the liquid. Orochimaru knew Fear as thirteen Dragons stared at him from on high. The Dragons opened their mouths, and from their massive maws, red mist emerged. The mist emitted an all too familiar smell to Orochimaru.

The smell of Death.

"This jutsu is a two-way jutsu. It creates a link between caster and recipient. In all other cases, you have received the benefit of this link, but no more. My will is greater than yours, and so, as you would have control over my power, I now have control over yours. However, this does present a problem. Should I become weak enough, your consciousness could bring itself force, and overcome me. Fortunately, there is a solution."

A lone tear of blood fell from Shin'en's left eye. "Ama-no-Iwato."

Orochimaru was sucked into the Abyss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown_

The Sannin landed in a marsh with wet flop. He got up and surveyed his surroundings. The water and grass were both black with a seemingly red glow to them. Mountains in the distance were pure black with a red tinge to their silhouettes. The sky was black, with clouds of deep red floating about aimlessly, pushed by an invisible wind. A faint red mist covered the ground, and the cool temperature nipped at Orochimaru's naked body.

Okay…where was he, when was he, why was he here, how did he get here, and how did he get _out_ of here?

Then he heard a church bell in the distance.

Orochimaru whipped towards the sound. There, probably five miles away, standing atop a high hill, was a small church made of wood. _Black_ wood. Orochimaru, was not a religious man, but he did not seek immortality for the sake of it. There was a life after this one, and the Snake Sannin had to intention of ever going there. Still, an instinct told him that he needed to get to that church, to get there before the red moon that was hanging dangerously close to the earth with a nine-pointed star pattern emblazoned…fell behind the hill the church rested on.

The biggest problem here was that between Orochimaru and the church was a forest of shadow and black trees that gave the man an ominous sense of dread that he hadn't felt since his defeat at the hands of Hanzo the Salamander so many years ago. He was also naked, somehow, and running through an unknown forest with unknown inhabitants without any gear was rather idiotic.

But that moon was getting lower, and Orochimaru didn't have time for this.

He sprinted forward, moderately concerned over his lack of usual speed, but he shrugged it off in favor of staving his growing trepidation and apprehension regarding this situation. Just like the marsh, the ground here was wet and squished beneath Orochimaru's feet. The twigs and fallen leaves nipped at his heels, but the Sannin paid them no heed.

Due to the black foliage of the black trees, the church sitting atop the hill was no longer visible, and the light of the red moon was sparse between the leaves. Of course, the constant dripping of tree sap in his face didn't help matters.

In the darkness, Orochimaru failed to see a tree root sticking out of the ground, and he tripped over it. Shinobi reflexes kicked in, and his shot out, slamming into the ground. They were swallowed by the wet earth, and Orochimaru's momentum betrayed him.

The ground kept an extremely form grip on his arms, and his body continued to flip forward.

The Sannin screamed when his bones ripped through his skin.

He slammed down on his back, knocking his wind out. The sudden lack of breathing ability did nothing to calm Orochimaru's racing nerves. The earth let go of his arms, and he brought them to his face, paling even further than what he was, and whimpering like a child. The bones had popped straight through the flesh and muscle, letting blood freely flow from the openings. His hands were unresponsive, and he was positive that his ankle was sprained.

His diaphragm finally released, and he gulped down as much oxygen as he could. He hazarded a look behind him, and he flinched. Nothing but an endless void stared back at him…a void with several pairs of small, red eyes and small, child-like silhouettes. Against all the pain in his body, Orochimaru got to his feet, and stumbled his way forward.

The sound of multiple pairs of feet squishing the wet ground behind him only served to hasten the Sannin's broken pace.

Orochimaru stumbled ahead as best her could, the red light of the moon continuing to fade. The sound of wet footsteps from behind got louder, closer, faster, so Orochimaru picked up his hobbling, ignoring his aching foot, ignoring his bleeding arms, ignoring the wetness that continued to drip on him. He didn't know where the forest ended, but he knew—he just _knew_ —he was going the right way.

Then the forest changed.

Thorn bushes sprouted from everywhere, and Orochimaru didn't have time to avoid them. The naked man screamed in agony as the thorns greedily devoured his flesh, pecking away at his body, gnawing all the way down to the bone.

Orochimaru tumbled out of the black forest, an unrecognizable lump of meat that was vaguely of human shape and size. The bloody thing looked behind him, and a sound of distressed terror barely made it past his lips. What he had thought was foliage on the trees was not…it was _bodies_. Impaled on the branches were men and women, young and old, fat and skinny, lean and muscular, everything. Orochimaru saw no end to the variety due to the red light of the sinking moon.

That meant that the tree sap hadn't been tree sap at all.

The Snake Sannin almost fainted when the red eyes appeared in the shadows, the silhouettes lumbering through the bushes almost as if they weren't even there. But they were there, Orochimaru could hear it. The sound of tearing flesh and the cracking of branches.

The moon was almost gone.

Orochimaru, though sheer force of panic, got to his one good leg and began to hobble forward as much as he could with his ravaged body. The grass was dry here, and it bit into his foot, and did nothing to soothe his now-broken other foot. The church was just up ahead, and when the Sannin got close enough, he saw something that made him stop.

Atop the steeple was a cross, and impaled on each branch of the cross was the head of an infant.

Blood streamed from the heads' hollow eyes, their ears, their nostrils, and when they opened their mouths and began to gurgle happily, blood fell from there as well. The infants laughed happily, their pure sound contrasting with this hellish landscape. Orochimaru stared on in unexplainable horror as the babies continued to just simply laugh and smile…laugh and smile… _laugh and smile_.

The moon disappeared behind the black church, and the world went dark.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 4, 1013 A.S._

 _Southern Land of Fire_

Shin'en opened his eyes, revealing their bloodshot-ness. Two Mangekyou techniques in one day did that to a person. His eyes stung a bit, but that was all. No blurriness, no dancing vision, and no failing eyesight…not yet, anyway.

Still, the Ama-no-Iwato had been yet another success, making Shin'en two for two in uses. Now, on top of the Dark Chakra of the Zero-Tails, he now had the Power of the White Snake as well, both without worry of negative influence at any time due to the genjutsu's effect of keeping the Zero-Tails and Orochimaru's consciousness forever locked within themselves, and, by extension, within Shin'en himself.

…

Where was he?

Ah, right. Bandits in the temple. Perfect opportunity to test out this Kusanagi and see what it could do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 5, 1013 A.S._

 _Akatsuki Hideout_

In the dark cave, the only source of light came from the flickering candle sitting idly on a plate that was on top of a small stone pillar that stood about four feet high. Shin'en and Kisame were the only ones there in person, with the other seven Akatsuki members being holograms.

" _So you killed Orochimaru,"_ Pain said, voice distorted by the Astral Projection Jutsu.

"He tried to rape me."

" _Did you at least recover his ring?"_

"Yes."

Pain seemed to sigh in relief, but no one could be sure. _"Very well. Another member must be sought after. Zetsu, you are to continue to act alone, providing other members with any information that you can. Sasori, you are to oversee the operations of Orochimaru's spy network. The rest of you continue with your allotted missions, and remain anonymous. Akatsuki cannot be brought to light yet."_

With that, the projections of Pain, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Zetsu, and Hidan vanished, leaving Kakuzu to stare at Shin'en.

"Yes?"

" _Do you have Orochimaru's body?"_

"I have what is left of his body."

" _Oh, good. At least there's_ _some_ _good that can come of this situation. Are you going to turn it in, or do you want me to?"_

"Meet Kisame and me at Takumi Village in three days. If you're not there, Orochimaru's bounty is mine."

Kakuzu nodded, before he flickered out.

Kisame looked at his shorter partner. "Takumi Village?"

Shin'en headed for the exit, the boulder already lifting away.

"I need a new sword."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Perhaps it's my love for**_ **Naruto** _ **, but this is my personal favorite of all my stories. The lore, the arcs, the massive playground of stuff I have at my fingertips, I just love it.**_

 _ **I'm thinking this is going to be a three-chapter arc, maybe a bit more. I really have a bad habit of not accurately writing out chapters, as I've said many times. But anyway.**_

 _ **I get out of school this Wednesday, which opens up a lot of writing time, however I may have a job with a lawn mowing company, so I may not have actually have all that time. I have also got a family vacation to Arkansas to see the Passion Play, and a youth leadership conference with the Military Order of the World Wars the third week of June. So there is that.**_

 _ **Alright, let us break that 500 marker with this chapter, guys and girls!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	41. Dawn

_Dawn_

 _ **Sweet, we went over 500!**_

 _ **Not much to say other than the saga continues**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 7, 1013 A.S._

 _Takumi Village_

"Remind me again why we're _here_ of all places."

"Takumi Village was founded during the time of the Warring Clans, and the wares they made here were sought after by the known world. In essence, this place fueled the war for years…then the modern Hidden Village was made, and peace was established."

"Ah, and in the wake of peace this place lost clients and fell into ruins. Nothing worse for swordrunners than peace."

"Mm-hm. That is, until the First Great Ninja War broke out, and business began to boom once more."

"Then peace was achieved, Takumi fell back into ruin, but came back out of its slump when the Second Great Ninja War broke out."

"Close. During the First War, this place's weapon masters made that sword on your back and six others for newly established Village Hidden in the Mist, as well as a few others that were given to the other Hidden Villages. While not Tailed-Beasts, the weapons made here changed the landscape. When the Second War broke out, Hanzo the Salamander came here himself and killed the weapon masters so that they couldn't make any more of their destructive tools."

"Oh…then why are we _here_ of all places?"

Shin'en hid his exasperation well. While Kisame was much more than a brute, capable of complex yet simple strategies like all experienced shinobi, he was still not the most intelligent person. Or perhaps Shin'en was being just _that_ vague.

"We are here, Kisame, because everyone makes mistakes, and Hanzo is bound to have missed one of the masters."

"Alright, but what makes you think this fabled last master is still here?"

"Because I do my research."

The shark man snorted, and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they walked the silent streets of Takumi Village at night. Their cloaks hid their bodies, and their conical hats hid their faces. Shin'en's right arm hung in the middle of his cloak and a cigarette burned in his mouth, his raven hair spilling across his shoulders, his bangs framing his face.

He needed to get that cut, honestly. It was one thing to change one's appearance to where they looked completely different, it was another to have an extra ten pounds on your head.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"We are going to the only place in this village with a person over seventy years of age."

"And you know where that is?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

"Uh-huh."

After five more minutes of walking the empty nighttime streets, Shin'en stopped in front of a house that more on the outskirts of the village than anything, yet looked just as functional as any other house in this village.

"This is it?"

"Yes."

"For the home of a supposedly grand weapon master, this place is not that impressive."

"We are shinobi. We of all people know how deceptive appearances are."

"Fair point."

Shin'en looked at the plain building. "Kisame. Wait out here."

"Oh, is it one of _those_ things?"

"Yes."

Shin'en walked to the door, and casually knocked. From inside, an olden female voice resounded clearly, "Come in~!" The door was unlocked, and the demigod calmly entered, and shut the door behind him. The inside was just as plain as the outside.

Shin'en found the source of the voice in the brightly lit living room. It was a woman, probably 75, with a curly white hair, a mountain of wrinkles, eyes that were milky white, belaying blindness, and she was wearing a pair of black leggings paired with a hot pink sports bra. The woman was doing yoga.

"My goodness!" she crowed enthusiastically. "With that face and hair, I'm not sure if I should call you little girly or little boy-o! Hahaha! So what do you want me to call you, kid?"

"What you call me doesn't matter."

"Little girly it is, then. I get so few girls in here these days, only rowdy boys…well, there these four brats. Good kids, all of them, a little power mad with delusions of grandeur, but still good kids, even if they stole some of my weapons. In that group, there was a single girl."

"Fascinating," came the dry response.

"Oh, don't speak to me with that tone of voice, little girly. You're the one who came to me, remember."

"Yes, about that—"

"You want me to make you a sword, or some other invincible weapon, yes? So you can go forth and conquer all, yes? So you can be defeated by none, yes?"

"More or less."

"Nope, sorry, girly. Not gonna happen."

Shin'en remained unmoved. "If it is a question of money—"

"Nope! Hahaha!"

Shin'en's countenance became dry and vexed. "If you won't assist me because I'm evil or because I'm not pure of heart or something like that…"

"Ha! Threats won't get you anywhere with me, girly. No, I won't make you a sword because I don't want to!" The woman broke into a fit of laughter that almost shook the house.

"Is it because you don't want to, or because you can't? Is this even the right house, or am I mistaken?" Shin'en looked around, scrutinizing every detail. Then he nodded. "Yes, definitely not the dwelling of a weapon master. No forge, no hammer, no anvil, nothing that a weapon master needs. Apologies, ma'am, I'll be leaving now, in search of the _real_ weapon master of this village."

Shin'en got up and turned his back. "Hold it, girly!" He smirked.

"Yes, ma'am?"

The wrinkly thing shakily got to her feet. "Now, I know you're playing me, girly, but you know what? You did a good job. You have successfully insulted my pride, and now I'm _forced_ to defend myself. Girls these days, no respect for their elders!"

"I'm not a girl, so…"

"Ah, you're one of _those_ types, then. The kind that wasn't satisfied with their plumbing so they're pretending to be what they ain't! Well, back in _my day_ girly, the men were proud of their dicks and the women were proud of their pussies! Back in the war, we didn't have none of this gender dysphoria nonsense!"

Shin'en just raised a brow. "I can just hear the amount of people rushing to argue with you because you've pissed them off."

"Meh, I'm old, girly, they can all come and suck my saggy tits. Now give me the Kusanagi and the Lightning Fangs and I'll make your damn sword."

"I never told you what swords I had."

" _Puh-lease_. I made both those things, dammit, you really think I couldn't sense when they're near, even if they're in storage seals? Now quit wasting my time and gimme my swords, girly!"

Shin'en stared at the woman for a few seconds, before he moved his right arm back into its sleeve, and the Kusanagi slid into his hand. In a puff of smoke, the Lightning Fang was in his left hand. The woman scoffed.

"The broken one _too_ , girly."

"How do you know—"

"The. Broken. One. Too. Girly."

An eyebrow twitched, but in another puff of smoke, the shards of the broken sword appeared as they were brought out of their pocket dimension. Shin'en handed all of the blades to the woman.

"Ah! Still sharp as ever. Stand back now, girly, I don't want your pretty face getting hurt."

Shin'en said nothing, but took a step back nonetheless. The woman's milky eyes glowed as her chakra surged through her body. She stared intently down at the blades in her withered hands, and they began to glow with white energy. The house began to shake, and the light became blinding, blinding enough to where Shin'en had to avert his eyes.

Then it all ended.

The light abruptly vanished, and the shaking suddenly stopped. The cooking utensils hanging in the kitchen weren't even moving. It was as if nothing had happened. In fact, the only evidence of something having happened was the long, slender piece of black metal in the woman's hands.

It was ovular in shape, with the wider width being an inch-and-a-half, and shorter being a solid inch. The metal was five feet long, making it almost as tall as Shin'en, was perfectly straight, with no bends or curves anywhere. Hell, the demigod didn't even see the distinction between hilt and scabbard.

The woman held the metal out, and Shin'en took it. It wasn't heavy, but it had noticeable weight to it. He inspected it, and finally put his hand around one end, and pulled, pulled just enough to bring out five inches of the sword. Based on how much Shin'en was holding, he concluded that the hilt was a foot in length, and the blade was four feet. The blade itself was perfectly flat, like a mirror, and was just as reflective as one, with Shin'en being able to see himself and what was above him with perfect clarity.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

"…it is…" came the distracted response.

"Uh-oh," teased the woman, "looks like little girly found her first love."

"What's its name?"

The woman grinned. "What you call it doesn't matter."

Shin'en sheathed the blade with a distinct clink. "Thank you for this…what do you want in return?"

"Oh, girly knows how to play the game. Well, since you're offering, those four brats I told you about earlier, the ones that stole some of my works? They have a hideout a mile to the west of here, in the forest. Please, be a good girly, and bring me back my things."

Shin'en nodded once, and spun on his heel, cloak swishing behind him, new sword in hand. His hand was on the door handle when the woman spoke to him again.

"And while you're at it, girly…why don't you bring me their heads as well?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _One mile to the west_

 _Still nighttime_

The self-proclaimed Four Celestial Symbols Men, a team consisting of Hoki, wielder of the Fire Sword, Kujaku, wielder of the dual Double-Edged Swords, Ryugan, wielder of the Garian Sword, and Suiko, wielder of the Infinite Armor were getting ready for bed. All weapons were stolen of course, and the reason behind this theft was simple: arm themselves so that they could better defeat Gaara of the Desert and use the power of the Shukaku to resurrect Seimei, Takumi Village's founder.

From there, they would go on to wreak vengeance on the Ninja World for abandoning their village to Hanzo the Salamander.

It was night, and all four intended to get a good night's rest before putting their plan into motion. They would've woken up to sunny morning of promise, had the assassin not casually entered their hideout and removed all of their heads in four strokes of the sword without waking any of them up. They might've all been highly skilled shinobi by Takumi Village's standards, but compared to the prowess of the Abyss, they were less than novices.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Back at the woman's house_

Shin'en dropped the sack with the severed heads of his most recent kills on the floor, and he rolled out a storage scroll, which belched up the stolen weapons in cloud of smoke.

"Well~!" exclaimed the woman. "That didn't you long at all, little girly!"

"Agreed. If that is all...thank you for the sword, and have a nice life."

"Hold it, girly!"

"For the love of God, please do not use all the weapons in an attempt to kill me and take over the world."

The woman laughed loud as ever, making Shin'en wince at the volume.

"As if I'd be so cliché, girly. Nah, I just wanted to say that you better make sure you use that beautiful hunk of metal to spice up this boring little world of ours. Peace sucks; people get soft in times of peace, they get all wily and weird without a little tragedy to remind them that life is cruel."

Shin'en looked at the blind woman from over his shoulder. "I am the last person that needs a lecture on the effects of peace and war."

"Ah, I suppose you're right, Ghost of the Hidden Mist."

The demigod whipped around, sword drawn-double-edged and tapered to a point-only to see...nothing. In fact, the entire house was dark, the light bulbs were broken, the walls were cracked and peeling, the kitchen utensils were rusted and old, the couch had many holes in it, the hardwood floor was cracked in multiple places, and it looked like someone hadn't been in here for decades. Never mind the smell.

The heads were gone, as were the weapons.

Shin'en just growled before he left this decrepit dwelling.

Upon shutting the door, Kisame asked. "Are we done here, then?"

"Mostly. I did give Kakuzu three days to meet us here for Orochimaru's corpse."

"I see. How many days left?"

"They've got eighteen hours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 8, 1013 A.S._

 _A mile outside of Takumi Village_

"Well, here they come."

"Indeed."

Bickering in the distance soon became loud and clear.

"…just repent and accept Jashin as your lord and savior, and your soul will be just fine!"

"For the thousandth time, I DON'T CARE FOR YOUR FAKE FUCKING GOD!"

"Gasp! How dare insult Lord Jashin with such heresy. I must defend his name. Prepare to fucking die, blaspheming cocksleeve!"

"I'd like to see you try, asswipe!"

While Kisame was busy laughing his ass off, Shin'en was massaging his temple while a cigarette hung out of his mouth.

' _These are the people I work with? Unbelievable.'_

Before the 'Zombie Brothers' could get into each other for a round of pointless fighting, seeing as how they both had their own forms of immortality, Shin'en was between the both of them, and his arms shot out, throwing both Akatsuki members into trees, shattering the trunks.

Hidan and Kakuzu glared at the demigod.

"Remember," Shin'en said, "Orochimaru is worth five hundred million ryō."

Kakuzu growled. "Fine, let's see the body."

"Jashin curse, you Kakuzu. You and your love for earthly shit like money."

"At least money is actually _real_ , unlike that pathetic deity of yours."

"Watch what you say, fucker, or Lord Jashin will strike you down."

"Hmph. I'd like to see an imaginary thing is going to do anything to me."

"Imaginary-!? Why you-"

"Children," Shin'en cut in once more, sounding irritated, "please. Behave yourselves before I take Orochimaru in myself, and nail both of you to a tree via your penises."

Hidan seemed particularly pleased with that idea, while Kakuzu, sorely attempted to go through with that just for the chance to fight and kill Shin'en for the _humongous_ bounty on the boy's head, decided that he had better things to do at the moment.

"Fine. Show me the body, and Hidan and I will be on our way."

Shin'en didn't say anything, only producing a scroll from the confines of his left sleeve. He kneeled and unfurled the scroll, made a half-Ram seal, and caused a small explosion of smoke that obscured everything. Hidan coughed like he was choking while Kakuzu didn't need to breath…for reasons.

The smoke cleared, and Shin'en was standing up, Hidan was getting the rest of the smoke out of his lungs, and Kakuzu was staring at what was laying on the ground on top of the storage scroll.

"What the hell is this?"

 _This_ referred to the remains of Orochimaru's White Snake Skin, consisting of a short, thick neck of smaller white serpents, and a deformed face and head.

"This would be Orochimaru's corpse…what's left of it after years of experimentation and a failed attempt to get into my pants. If you don't want it, I'll deliver it myself."

Kakuzu re-sealed the remains, rolled up the scroll, hid it in his cloak, and began walking away. "Hidan, come."

The purple-eyed priest gave a nod to Shin'en, and quickly caught up to his partner. "You know, you really can't argue with me when it comes to the existence of my god and others, you know?"

"And what gives you that foolish idea?"

"Shin'en. He's the demigod, you know. Son of Susano'o."

"Right, and I'm the Tooth Fairy."

"Heh, just keep talking like that, fucking heretic. You'll get what's coming to you, whether it's in a few days or a few years."

"I'm immortal, you masochistic bastard. I beat death decades before you were shitting in diapers."

Hidan snorted. "That's what you think, blaspheming shitbird. You ever heard the story of Indra and Ashura…?"

The Zombie Brothers walked out of earshot before Shin'en could hear more. While slightly intrigued as to how Hidan would know of those two in a time where the brothers were only known as the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths and therefore a bedtime story, he did not care enough to actively eavesdrop on a conversation he had encyclopedic knowledge over (perhaps the priest was really old and his immortality extended to age as well as body).

Besides, Shin'en had something he wanted to go and do.

Kisame walked up to his partner. "Those two are always a source of entertainment, almost as much as argument between Deidara and Sasori over what art is supposed to be. What are we going to do now?"

Shin'en crushed his almost-nub of a cigarette, and pulled a new one from within his cloak, along with a lighter. He seemed to be doing this more often these days. Putting the stick in his mouth, he flicked the lighter and took a drag, releasing a cloud of smoke from his mouth. While these weren't cannabis-lined, they still had a calming effect on the demigod.

Emerald eyes slid over to meet beady ones. "Ever heard of the Village Hidden in Dreams?"

"I vaguely recall hearing of such a place."

"It's a small place, just a few miles from the Valley of the End, actually, on the border with the Lands of Iron and Fire. The story goes that there's some kind of beast sealed up in there, one that had the power to scorch mountains with its first cry, shake the earth with a second cry, and then destroy everything with a third cry."

"Let me guess…we're going to find this place and find this supposed beast, and capture it."

"Something like that."

"Given that Pain's mission for us is to gather funds for the Akatsuki, I fail to see how this side quest fits into those parameters."

"While I'm searching for the beast, you can rob the buildings and loot the corpses for all the money that can you can get your hands on. I believe that will coincide with Pain's given mission."

Kisame snorted. "Fine then. What is the name of this beast, anyway?"

"It's called the Three-Heads."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 10, 1013 A.S._

 _Village Hidden in Dreams_

"Kisame, go on ahead and bring forth panic and destruction. There's something I need to do myself."

"Whatever you say, Shin'en."

The shark man disappeared in a burst of speed. Not ten seconds later, an explosion shook the surrounding forest, a cloud of smoke and fire rising from the distant village. Now Shin'en was alone, technically speaking. He and his partner had been followed and watched since they entered the valley almost an hour ago. In light of Kisame's attack, the shinobi of the Dream Village made themselves known, blurring into formation in front of Shin'en.

"Surrender, trespasser! And you and your companion will be treated fairly!"

"Are you the ninja of the Hidden Dream?"

The leader, a man in armor and face paint, blinked. "Yes…?"

"I hate ninja."

Shin'en had his cloak buttoned all the way up, and unbuttoned from the waist down. His hat was on, which left only his nose and cheeks visible. His arms hung loose in his sleeves, and his sword was held tight in his left hand. He angled his head up just enough to where his Mangekyou could burn this image into his memory.

This was the perfect opportunity to test the abilities of Dark Chakra…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en leaned against a tree, panting, blood dribbling down his chin from the corner of his mouth.

Well, Dark Chakra certainly helped. If he had tried to do what he just did with his regular chakra empowering him, he would've died from heart failure. Shin'en hadn't used any illusions or genjutsu to give him his now-usual edge, just straight force. It was a reminder of why he adopted this new method of fighting, and why he needed it.

Frontal combat was a no-go unless using Sharingan and other methods. Regular fighting was detrimental to his health. There had never been a more shining example of 'how the mighty have fallen.' Still though, Shin'en came out on top against a force of fifty armed shinobi, all capable chunin with five jonin. Granted, they weren't Hidden Leaf caliber, but it wouldn't have mattered in any run if Shin'en had used his genjutsu and his Mangekyou. He only brought that out for intimidation, then put it away.

Anyway, enough power-scaling.

Kisame was having a ball, and it was a wonder this place hadn't busted out the Three-Heads yet. Perhaps it was just a rumor, and this was all a waste of time...well, not a total waste. Shin'en used his Dark Chakra, and Kisame got to steal to his heart's content. Speaking of, the demigod needed to so some theft too.

Had to keep up the illusion that he had bought into Obito's stupidity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en had been strolling through the burning village to find his partner, when there was another explosion, a sudden burst of humongous chakra, and a distant scream that quickly got louder as Kisame came crashing down right next to Shin'en.

When the dust cloud cleared, the Tailless Tailed-Beast got to his feet, looking a little worse for wear, but nothing too terrible. "I found the Three-Heads."

"Thank you. I'll take it from here. I noticed some corpses with their purses still on them, and some houses with valuables here and there back that way."

"Do I look like Kakuzu to you?"

"You mean to tell me you aren't Kakuzu?"

Kisame's eye twitched. "Fine. You handle this thing by yourself." The shark man disappeared yet again.

"That was the idea from the very beginning...and there's an unwanted audience as well. Lovely."

' _Percy-!'_

"Shh. I am working."

Shin'en cut his sister off real fast, considering the rhythmically shaking earth, and the disturbance of a lot of water vapor as something big and four-legged came stomping. Soon, from out of the smoke, the Three-Heads came lumbering in, and it was an impressive sight.

It walked on fours, and was reminisce of a lion. Dark grey armor covered its body from its snout to its tail, armor that had highlights of red and the occasional spike sprouting from various locations, with a pink breastplate for its underbelly. Its tail ended in a bushel of red spines. Covering the top of its body was a massive tan-colored plate that had many large spikes running down its middle.

The Three-Heads was not a name given for no reason, however, and the creature did, in fact, have three heads. One in the usual location for an animal, and two more, each of them connected to the shoulder via thick, loose chords of what was presumably muscle. The two extra craniums reminded Shin'en of snakes with dogs for heads. Each head was covered in protective, dark grey armor with red highlights.

The beast was also huge, easily the size of Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu.

Shin'en's looked at the beast with appraisal. This was _exactly_ what he needed. He had Dark Chakra to give him that extra boost in strength, he had the Power of the White Snake is case things got too out of hand and he needed a quick escape, and now he was going to acquire the Three-Heads, and have that final, all-else-fails, last-ditch power-up. Besides, what better way was there to be anti-shinobi than to be able to transform into a gigantic chakra monster?

Why people thought Jinchuuriki were the same as shinobi, Shin'en would never know, but now was not the time for pondering on the nature of the world he lived in. Now was the time to fight this beast into submission, and seal its power inside him, just as he had done with the Zero-Tails and Orochimaru.

But he also wanted to put on a little show for the uninvited guests.

"So you're the Three-Heads I've heard so much about." Shin'en blurred to the top of a nearby roof, putting him at eye-level with the beast. "You don't look like much."

The Three-Heads roared, creating a shockwave that tossed houses and buildings about like ragdolls, flattening the surrounding area, putting out fires and throwing corpses away into the distance. Shin'en landed on his feet, not at all bothered by the sonic attack.

"You scream louder than a man having his genitals flayed."

The Three-Heads took exception to that. All three heads opened their gaping maws, and unleashed three identical beams of pink-purple chakra, all headed straight for Shin'en. The demigod erupted into a flock of frigate birds just in time to avoid the beams. Said beams shot out beyond the village, and exploded into a triplet of fiery domes that bathed the forest in heat, setting it ablaze.

The frigate birds assembled elsewhere, coalescing to form Shin'en.

"Your aim is worse than my sister's."

The disembodied shout of _'Hey!'_ was ignored in favor of dodging another round of destructive chakra that plowed a hole straight the village to the surrounding forest, which repeated the history of not ten seconds ago.

Shin'en had disappeared once more, and the Three-Heads looked around confusedly.

"Behind you."

Instead of whipping around, the beast slung its tail…only to roar in pain when its tail was severed by something extremely sharp. The Three-Heads whipped around just in time to see Shin'en sheathing his sword. In anger, the beast fired another round of chakra beams, right into the volcano where it was originally sealed.

Shin'en watched the subsequent eruption of lava with a passive gaze, then he looked at the stunned Three-Heads.

"There's a similar version of you a long way from here. He was defeated, technically speaking, by a rubber ball. While I don't have any rubber balls, I do think my method works better."

The Three-Heads tried to roar at Shin'en, but the vocalization was cut off by the massive booming of thunder. "Finally ready," muttered the demigod. He disappeared from sight, and reappeared in midair, standing on a paper-thin platform of water. Around him, heavy rain began to pour as lightning began to flash erratically across the black clouds.

Clouds generated by the heat of the fires, the volcanic eruption, and Shin'en's own hydrokinetic power.

"Typically, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble in getting this jutsu set up, but since my chakra coils are so damaged, the full extent of my power is limited. Unfortunately for you, it doesn't matter either way."

Shin'en's eyes glowed red as his Mangekyou spun to life. None of the audience on the ground heard what he said, which could have been troublesome in the future. Shin'en made a note to do less exposition in the heat of battle. He raised his hand, and, with a bit of a grimace, channeled enough lightning chakra into his hand to set it a-crackle.

Then a single discharge sent his chakra into the clouds, molding the present energy of nature itself to his whims. Down below, the Three-Heads began gathering chakra in all of its mouths in preparation for one final attack. Shin'en was having none of that. He brought his hand down, and the awesome power of Kirin met the earth, kissing the Three-Heads on the mouth.

Which made the built-up chakra detonate and cause the world to go white, and cause anything within a hundred miles to almost go deaf.

In Shin'en's mind, the silver lining here was the unwanted onlookers got their incorporeal selves blasted back to their pathetic little dimension.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 10, 1013 A.S._

 _Ruins of the Village Hidden in Dreams_

A smoking crater was the generous description afforded to what was left of the village after Kirin struck the Three-Heads.

Speaking of, the beast was laying on its side, and it looked different. It was no longer covered in armor, exposing its white skin, it was smaller than what it once was, and a great deal less menacing. Laying a ways away from the seemingly-unconscious beast was a boy a bit younger than Shin'en.

This child wore the usual samurai-like armor common to the shinobi of this backwater village, with the plates being red bits of purple and white added in for variety, Shin'en supposed. His brown hair hung from under his dark grey cap, with a golden crescent moon ornament on the cap. On the boy's face were several markings, all red. An inverted triangle on his nose, a quadrilateral on his forehead, two large triangles on his cheeks pointed towards his nose, and a smaller triangle on his chin also pointed to his nose.

Only through the power of the plot did the bot stir from his unconscious state as Shin'en walked right past him as if he were nothing more than a stray dog on the side of the road. Adrenaline surged through the boy, and he was on his knees, hands clasped in the seal needed to activate his clan's special Transformation Jutsu.

Before it could be initiated, Shin'en was there, gripping the boy's smaller hands in his own, slightly larger one. "No," he intoned, then he squeezed. The boy screamed as his hands were shattered, his splintered bones tearing through his skin. Shin'en let him fall to his knees as he accosted what the Three-Heads had become.

"Now, if that scroll my Shadow Clone found is accurate, a person can merge with you and gain control over you, while also acquiring a massive increase in power. However, I don't have time to walk around as a massive beast, so we'll just have to see if this absorption thing works in reverse."

Shin'en put his hand on the de-powered Three-Heads' central skull, ignoring the pained moans coming from the boy, and channeled his chakra into his hand. Immediately, chakra blasted out of the Three-Heads, and Shin'en grit his teeth when his hand was sucked into its forehead, and his body began to get dragged forward.

So, this animal had a consciousness after all. If that was the case, then this was going to be easy.

Shin'en's Sharingan spun to life, and he _glanced_ into the Three-Head's eye, and the beast immediately became docile. The eruption of chakra ended, and the pull on Shin'en's body vanished. Instead, an unexplainable vacuum opened in the connection between the demigod and the Three-Heads, and Shin'en yanked on this vacuum with his chakra, growling as a terrible stinging filled his body.

In less than thirty seconds, the massive white thing that was once the pride and joy of the Village Hidden in Dreams was now simply another dormant consciousness and power-additive in Shin'en's body. His purpose here fulfilled, the demigod spun on his heel, his cloak fluttering behind him.

There was something he needed to do…what was it again?

"H-How," the boy with the broken hands whimpered, "how can a girl be so cruel?"

Oh! That's right, yeah. Shin'en needed to cut his hair. It had gotten _way_ too long, and while he had been mistakenly called a girl before, the majority of those people were all disgusting pigs and rapists looking for a piece of ass that was probably at least twenty years their junior, and were all coincidentally mission targets for Yūrei…it was a common tactic to let Shin'en alter his form via liquefication and lure in the predators by adopting the appearance of a little girl.

Worked like a charm.

The Champion of Susano'o looked at the boy's whose hand he had broken less than five minutes ago, "Life is cruel. Get used to it."

Shin'en was perfectly fine with letting the boy be. He was almost chakraless, his stomach, colon and bladder were all empty—meaning hunger and thirst—everything for about three miles was ash, there was literally no one left alive in this village but him, and on top of all this, the boy's hands were beyond broken.

Even if he somehow managed to feed himself, he would eventually have to shit, and with no way to lower his pants, he would have to shit in those, and then it would sit there, festering and drawing in bacteria, until he eventually died of infection…or something else. There was an extensive list.

However, the boy just had to open his mouth and say some words that struck a _really_ sore chord in the Abyss.

"I swear I'll kill you! I'll hunt you down! I'll get revenge for my village! You hear me!? I'll kill you!"

An unseen drum beat once, bringing silence to the world.

Shin'en's eyes were wide as the memories of the last person to have said those things became vivid in his mind's eye. It was back in his Yūrei days, about a year before the rest were executed. Just a simple assassination mission gone almost wrong. A small girl lost her family, and swore vengeance. Shin'en let her live, and he paid the price.

 _Long story short…_

The demigod drew and sheathed his sword so fast there was only a flash of light to indicate any movement at all. The boy's head rolled off his shoulders in a spray of blood that coated the earth.

… _when a person swears to kill you, best to kill them then and there._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 13, 1013 A.S._

 _Nighttime_

 _Land of Fire_

 _Far away from the Village Hidden in Dreams_

"'Stay anonymous,' Pain said," Kisame grumbled. "'Don't draw attention to us,' Pain said. Yeah, nothing says subtly like blowing up an entire village and triggering a volcanic eruption."

"To which we are not involved. It was merely an unfortunate circumstance that the volcano erupted, killing all in the village and destroying any evidence of outside tampering." Shin'en continued to stare into the small fire. "Besides, no one will notice, if there's no one _to_ notice."

"Well, that is a fair point."

The two fell into silence for a bit, a comfortable one. Then Kisame broke it. "Are you okay?"

Shin'en's flickered up to the shark man's. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you after that battle with those shinobi. You were exhausted and almost dead, something that shouldn't be possible for the guy that killed Yagura and went head-to-head with multiple Tailed-Beasts and Kages at once."

Shin'en stared at his partner for a long time, and Kisame held that emerald stare. Finally, the boy sighed. "Before I killed him, the Third Raikage activated a jutsu that he implanted into me a long time ago. It poisoned my body, and nothing I've done has cured it. So far, the only damage is that my chakra network is screwy and my stamina isn't what it should be."

"Ah, I see now."

"See what?"

"I see what we've been doing for these past weeks."

"Oh? Pray tell."

Kisame grinned, showing off his sharpened teeth.

"Chakra is created when the physical energy of the body is mixed with the mental energy of the mind. When either is altered, it results in a different mix which results in jutsu of varying degrees of result. In your case, with your body damaged like it is, you can't produce as much physical energy as you once could, and your mind had compensated, generating more Yin chakra than your body generates Yang. Simply put, what you lack in quality you are trying to make up for in quantity. _That's_ why we came here."

"Well done," Shin'en said dryly. "Would the professor have anything else he'd like to tell the class."

"Only that my partner has an attitude in desperate need of adjustment."

"You are welcome to try."

"Heh!"

Silence reigned once more, but it would not last long until Kisame asked another question.

"Are we going to launch ourselves on another quest to strengthen your body, or are we going to do some Akatsuki work now?"

Shin'en didn't answer right away. Instead, he pulled a cigarette out from his cloak, and held it out to the open flame. It got close enough to where the flickering heat ignited the cancer stick, and Shin'en put it to his mouth. "Did you get all the valuables from the Hidden Dream?"

"Enough to make Kakuzu swoon."

Shin'en smiled in good nature. "That's a lot of money. Tell me, have you kept up with the recent Bingo Book?"

"Can't say I have."

"I see, well then. Currently, I'm the most wanted man in the world, with a bounty of ten billion dead, fifty billion alive."

Kisame whistled. "Holy shit."

"Indeed. However, that's not important. What is important is a certain addition to the most recent edition of the Bingo Book."

"Who?"

"I have an idea on who they truly are but…they're only a C-rank shinobi from an unknown village pulling small-time vigilante jobs, but they've managed to piss off enough people to get themselves into the Bingo Book, even if it is just a ten-thousand bounty reward for their head, and only their head."

"If this person is so low on the reward scale, and a C-rank at that, why are we wasting our time?"

"I'm curious as to whether my theory is correct, and I want it tested."

"I really hate you and your crypticness…what's this mystery person's name, anyway?"

"Fox."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that is another 6k monster in the books. Shin'en has a new sword, needs a haircut, and is now more of a pseudo-Jinchuuriki than ever. That's also two non-canon things from the Naruto-verse that I've used. Will there be more? Probably, I do not know yet.**_

 _ **Anyway, any guesses as to who this mysterious 'Fox' is? Honestly, with the amount of fics that use Fox or Kitsune for a codename, shouldn't be that hard.**_

 _ **Summer starts for me on Thursday, so expect almost daily updates again, motherfuckers.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	42. Red Moon

_Red Moon_

 _ **It is now official. Summer break has begun, and now I have a lot of time to write. So expect copious amounts of updates.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 24, 1013 A.S._

 _Town of Gumi_

 _Land of Hot Water_

"How do you know that Fox is here?"

"Saw it in a dream."

Kisame snorted. "You and your dreams…if they keep turning out to be right like this, I may just start believing that you're a god."

"Half god."

"Will all the things you've accomplished, I don't think people care about this 'half' nonsense."

Shin'en didn't respond, content to stare head silently. His cloak was buttoned up and his hat was on. His arms were hidden by the long sleeves, but his sword—a walking stick for all its appearance—was held tightly in his left hand.

He had no doubt that Naruko was Fox, and he had been telling the truth when he said that he knew that Fox was here based on information from a dream. Shin'en had a theory on why Naruko would turn to what amounted to vigilante work, and why she would be here, in a place whose name meant 'trash.'

Simply put, she was seeing the world for what it was…just as Shin'en had planned.

He wasn't here to collect on some bounty, he was here to test his investment. He didn't go through the painstaking effort of implanting subtle genjutsu after genjutsu just for her to do nothing but dream about being Hokage. No, he wanted that dumb girl to become wise in the ways of this dark world, for sole purpose of seeing whether or not she could propose a better solution to the cancer that was shinobi.

Currently, that was the main plan; see what Naruko could do. The backup plan was the original plan; mass genocide of shinobi.

However, there was a problem today that needed to be overcome.

"Kisame, have you ever fought one of the Sannin?"

"Orochimaru and I used to spar from time to time."

"Ah, yes, I suppose you would have…okay then, have you ever fought Jiraiya of the Sannin?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Do you want to?"

"I would rather not, actually. The man has a reputation, and I'm not sure I feel like risking my life for a fight I'm not prepared for, or a good enough purpose. Why do you ask?"

"Jiraiya is in this town, guarding the Fox."

Kisame stopped. "Excuse me?"

Shin'en looked at his taller partner. They were in the middle of a crowded street in a bustling market that was selling less than legal items to less than savory people. Already, the two cloaked men were drawing attention to themselves, and suddenly stopping like they did drew more attention. However, vendors and consumer alike had to pay attention to the stands, both to not lose their wares, and steal them in a moment of distractedness.

Bottom line, Shin'en and Kisame weren't actually getting that many looks.

"I said that Jiraiya is guarding the Fox."

"Why would a Sannin be guarding someone else when he already has a brat that he's looking after—wait a minute. Are you saying that Fox and the Jinchuuriki are the same person?"

"Yes."

Kisame blinked. "Last time I checked, Leader said _not_ to engage any Jinchuuriki yet."

"And I'm not. I am engaging Fox, C-rank mercenary ninja."

"Who just so happens to be a Jinchuuriki."

"Unfortunate coincidence that I discovered too late into the fight, and by that time, the girl felt like pursuing the battle even though I attempted to escape."

"You know…I think they're still redrawing the maps from your assault on the Chunin Exam. You sure you want to fight her, given your weakened state?"

"You assume that she still has all the power from that fight."

"Are you saying she doesn't?"

"I am."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, Kisame, I know how things like this work. She won't be able to access that power for a long time. Granted, she most likely has the full cooperation of the Nine-Tails at this point, but still. I want to see a far she's come in mentality since August."

"Uh-oh," Kisame smirked, "the Abyss has a crush."

"Do you want to be the one to subdue Jiraiya, or lure Naruko away from here so we don't destroy the town?"

"Well, since you're offering, I'll take Jir—"

"Excellent. I'll make sure the Sannin stays out of our hair, and you'll get Naruko to follow you to the eastern forest."

Shin'en disappeared in a blur. Kisame's just stared at where his partner used to be, jaw open in midsentence. He closed his jaw, and frowned.

"Well, fuck you too then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Minutes before Kisame and Shin'en entered the city gates_

 _Same place_

 _Random hotel_

Naruko was sitting on the crappy bed, staring out the window. She could sense it.

' _You feel that Kurama?'_

" _ **Of course I do. A bloodlust not unlike that of Zabuza's, and something else."**_

' _Yeah, it's hard to describe, isn't it? Sort of like a walking emptiness. Like a void.'_

" _ **Like an abyss…"**_

Naruko's emotions spiked. _'You really think it could be him?'_

" _ **You almost sound excited."**_

' _Answer the question, Fuzz Butt!'_

" _ **Tch, brats these days, no respect."**_

' _Kurama…'_

" _ **Fine. Yes, it could be Shin'en. Why he's here of all places, with a partner of all things, at least it seems like a partner, is anyone's guess. Perhaps he wants to check on his future mate."**_

' _Kurama!'_

The mighty Nine-Tails chuckled. _**'It's nothing to be ashamed of, child. You are a human female undergoing sexual maturation, and he is a human male also undergoing sexual maturation. And he's powerful too. It's only natural that would be attracted to him. Although I can't say I approve.'**_

' _Yeah, well, no one asked you anyway…I think I should go see, just to make sure.'_

' _ **Yes, go make sure it's not your masturbating material.'**_

' _KURAMA!'_

Jiraiya walked in to see his goddaughter fuming. "Uh, you alright, Naruko?"

The blonde whirled on him, eyes just as red as her face. "I'M COMPLETELY FINE!"

Jiraiya just barely managed to eep out an 'if you say so,' before he bolted back out the hotel door. Due to her hearing, enhanced both by chakra and her Jinchuuriki status, Naruko caught the Sannin's bemoaning of 'crazy blondes and their crazy periods,' before the man went off to somewhere. Tracking him via his emotions, Naruko determined that her godfather went to get drunk and laid, in that order.

"Damn Pervy Sage…"

Then she was out the window, off to investigate the lone source of negativity in the middle of the city.

The walking void had disappeared completely from her radar.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

True to Naruko's conclusion, Jiraiya had found the nearest brothel, ordered the best booze they had, and, even with his chakra-enhanced liver, got as hammered as a nail. Currently, we find the drunken Sannin being hugged all over by a bunch of solid fours, with a massive erection that only served to further impede his judgement.

Should he bang Satsuki first, or Ryuko? They were both so _cute_ -

"Hey!"

The laughing and the giggling and the ogling and the groping came to an end at the abrupt female shout. Looking to the person that had spoken, Jiraiya's eyes went comically wide as twin trails of blood began leaking from his nose.

In the Sannin's wasted mind, the girl was shrouded in sparkles and rainbows.

Easily a solid eleven, with curves in all the right places, a wonderful bust that put all these other whores to shame, beautiful skin, an outfit that only served to accentuate her perfect figure (complete with a corset so thin at the nether regions, that her labia were made obvious), raven hair that was neat, shiny, and silky, a face that hand-crafted by the gods themselves, and sparkling eyes, bright and warm like the ocean on a perfect day. This beauty looked to be about 21, and Jiraiya's pants were about to rip.

He was at this woman's side in an instant.

"Oh, beautiful goddess!" he exclaimed dramatically. "Whatever it takes to be in your divine company for even a minute, I'll do it!"

The girl giggled. "Anything?"

"For a goddess such as you, yes!"

"Well, first, you can take me somewhere private."

With his impeded judgement skills, Jiraiya didn't hesitate to Teleport them to a nearby back room. At their sudden disappearance, the whores not only blinked, but one of the asked, "Who was she?"

The subsequent answered could be summarized with a simple 'no idea.'

In the room, the second red flag was that the girl wasn't at all bothered by a sudden use of the Teleportation Jutsu, but Jiraiya didn't notice that. He was already busy with inspecting the goods.

"You got a name, big man?"

The Sannin groaned, the front of his pants suddenly being subject to a woman's touch. "J-Jiraiya…what's y-your name?"

"Saeko."

The now-named Saeko twisted in Jiraiya's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. The veteran shinobi responded by gently caressing the woman's ass, kneading the soft, exposed flesh with all the technique and care of a master of sex. Saeko pulled Jiraiya down, pressing their lips together.

They stayed that way for all of ten seconds, before Jiraiya decided it was worth it to try and step things up. He prodded forward with his tongue, and Saeko responded in the positive, parting her lips to allow entrance.

Jiraiya growled, sending deep vibrations through Saeko's body. They separated for breath, and the brunette smiled. "You're good. I may just give you a discount."

"Oh really?"

"Mm-hm. Depends on how times you make me cum, though."

"Well, I best get a move on then. A woman of your excellent talents must have many callers."

Saeko just pushed Jiraiya down onto the bed, straddling him. She leaned down and kissed Jiraiya, this time pushing her tongue into his mouth. While she dominated up top, she grinded down below, rubbing Jiraiya through his pants. The Sannin's eyes closed in bliss.

He had slept with many a woman from around the known world—perks of not being married—but this Saeko was something else. Jiraiya cracked his eyes open upon feeling himself approaching climax, so that he could tell Saeko to stop before round one was ruined, only to lock eyes with a pair of wide open Sharingan.

The red stars went supernova, and the resulting black holes refused to let Jiraiya go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In another reality, it was Itachi, then a member of Akatsuki, that put Jiraiya in a low-level genjutsu, one weak enough to where he and Kisame could almost kidnap the male Naruto, only for Jiraiya to easily break out and foil the attempt.

However, this was not that reality.

Saeko used the Mangekyou-enhanced genjutsu to _make sure_ that the Toad Sannin would stay out of the near-future events, and to make the illusion so powerful, that it could only be broken by outside help, i.e. a Jinchuuriki. Her job done, Saeko slid off the comatose man, and spat on the ground.

"Ugh, toad-man saliva. Out of all the people you could've let me out to seduce, you let me out for _this_ guy? Oh well, could've been worse I suppose. Still, you suck, brother."

Saeko suddenly went very still, her head falling limp, causing her bangs to hide her upper face. Without warning, she shuddered, her body rippling like water. Then she did become like water, turning liquid and formless, before that water took on the cloaked form of Shin'en, hat, cloak, and all. The water receded into itself, leaving only color in its wake.

Shin'en spat on the ground, trying to get the taste of another person's mouth out of his own.

"Yūwaku," he grumbled, "I will never forgive you for teaching me how to seduce a man with _that_ amount of skill…and fuck you, Arashi for putting me in the position to where Saeko became someone else in my head, and not just a bunch of makeup and a dress."

When Shin'en said a lot happened in the Mist, he was not lying.

Saeko was just one of many personalities he kept locked away.

However, there were times when their respective skills could be used, and Saeko's seductive prowess was perfect for getting a pervert like Jiraiya alone to where there wouldn't be any witnesses over his disappearance.

Shin'en found a kind of humor in this situation, suddenly. Here was Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of _the most_ powerful shinobi of the day, a man with a hefty price on his head, a man that would undoubtedly cause problems for the Akatsuki in the future, under a genjutsu so powerful, he had drool coming out of his mouth. There wasn't a thing stopping Shin'en from killing this man and taking his head to a collection office.

So why didn't he kill him and do just that?

Simple: Jiraiya still had a lot to teach Naruko.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame couldn't have believed how easy this was. The Jinchuuriki had sought him out, asked about Shin'en, and then followed the him out into the woods on the promise that he was taking her to meet him. Granted, Kisame knew that she knew that he was lying, but still. What luck!

Especially considering Shin'en had managed to not only locate them, but plot an intercept course that got him standing on a tree branch about a hundred feet directly in front of Kisame and Naruko, which meant that the Tailless Tailed-Beast didn't have to deal with the annoying girl any longer than he had to.

"Kisame, leave us."

"Kids these days, so desperate to get some early. Oh well, make sure to use protection."

Naruko flung a kunai at the man, only for him to catch it and sling it back with a laugh, before disappearing in a burst of water.

"Okay, who the hell was that?" demanded the blonde.

"My partner."

"Why are you both wearing the same thing?"

"Reasons."

"Stop being so damn cryptic and give me a straight answer already!"

Shin'en calmly lit a cigarette and took drag. "No."

Naruko's eye twitched, before she launched herself forward with a frustrated scream. When she got in range, Shin'en casually whacked her upside the head with his metal sheath, causing her to dispel in a cloud of smoke. The real Naruko came flying out of the foliage above, impacting exactly where Shin'en was standing.

She passed right through him like he wasn't even there.

The apparent mirage faded away.

"Nice to see you too. How's Menma?"

Naruko gave an irritated look at the boy that had tried to kill her two months ago. "Menma's fine."

"Still trying to be a shinobi?"

"Last I checked."

"Shame. I see you went through with your promise of seeing what the world was like. Enjoying it so far?"

Naruko scowled. "No. I knew the world was probably a messed-up place outside the light, but this…this is ridiculous. Slavery, sex rings, drug lords, missing ninja, poverty, crime—"

"And who paved the way for all of that to happen?"

"…shinobi."

"And who is contracted to make all of that happen?"

"…shinobi."

"And who is contracted to let all of that happen?"

"…shinobi?"

"And who will be contracted to make sure all of that keeps happening?"

"…shin—"

"Shinobi, yes," Shin'en cut her off with a dry tone. "Any idea on how to fix that yet?" Naruko just glared petulantly at the demigod, who took another drag from his cigarette. "I figured as much. Well, that's one thing I came here for out of the way. You're lacking in ideas, but your reputation in the Bingo Book gives credit to some positive methods."

Naruko did her best to look confused. "Bingo Book? What are you talking about?"

Shin'en gave her a dry look. "Your skills in deception require polishing. I know you're the Fox, the C-rank bandit that has been attacking various operations in this area and elsewhere. Two months in to your three-year training trip, and you're already taking life."

"Actually, I haven't killed anyone yet."

"Oh, so you just beat them to an unconscious pulp and let Jiraiya take care of them."

"Yeah…is that a bad thing?"

"Depends. If you're trying to be a shinobi, you're utterly failing. If you're trying to be some kind of worldly savior that's trying to be a force for good by not taking life, you're doing a decent job."

Naruko nodded. "Then I'm a worldly savior trying-"

"Stop," Shin'en said loudly. "Just shorten that to crusader and the world will thank you."

Naruko nodded, then she gave an exaggerated thumbs-up with a shining grin of too many teeth, complete with sparkles all around her. "Then I'm a crusader!"

Shin'en watched this sappy display with a deadpan gaze. "Well, time to move on to the second thing I came here for," he muttered.

Naruko cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"

Her answer was a fist to the face that sent her flying with enough force to crack a tree branch off the trunk, before slamming into a second branch, and fall flat to the ground…with a tree branch crashing down on top of her. "Owiee…"

"Oh, shut up. You've taken worse."

"Yeah, but," Naruko threw the something-hundred-pound tree branch off of her, "I was expecting it."

"Meh, expect the unexpected. Now, show me what you can do."

Naruko smirked. "I can't use that form Gramps gave me, but Kurama and I have been working on something." The Jinchuuriki was suddenly shrouded in golden energy. "We call it Nine-Tails Chakra Mode."

Shin'en's eyes turned red, and three tomoe spun around his pupil. "Come then, let us test this power of yours." Naruko grinned, before disappearing in a flash of golden energy.

' _She's fast.'_ The demigod angled his sheath, and Naruko's fist met it with a thunderous sound, then she vanished again, and again did Shin'en block her attack with his sheath. _'But my reflexes are faster.'_

When Shin'en fought, he did so with a plethora of abilities. His Sharingan, first and foremost, his hydro sensing, his illusions, liquefication and breathing control exercises. When he had tested his Dark Chakra against the Hidden Dream, he had thrown all of that out the window and just went nuts with raw power and a sword, and had almost died. Right now, he was using all the above to help him reach an equal footing with this powered-up Naruko.

Right now, the fight merely extended to the girl using raw speed to try and let a hit, with the boy using Sharingan and hydro sensing to keep a lock on her, and reflexes to block her attacks. Shin'en had to give to the woman that made this thing. This sheath was really something.

Eventually, Naruko nose-dived from above, and Shin'en stepped back. She would've crashed face-first into the branch, if, in a display of serious hyper-cognition, Shin'en hadn't timed his attack so perfectly that he nailed Naruko in the stomach right when she got within range.

As she did probably less than two minutes ago, Naruko went crashing through a tree branch and slammed into another, landed on the ground, and got crushed. Shin'en's foot was about an inch away from her face in the next instant.

"If your goal is to one day become more powerful than I, you've still got a long way to go."

Naruko smirked, and then a golden arm of chakra shot out from her back, aimed right for Shin'en's face. He twisted his body to the side in time for the arm to completely miss, then he ducked just in time to avoid the arm that branched off from the one right in front of him, and then the third arm, the one that shot from the branch arm, aimed right for the demigod's head, passed through him.

The illusion faded.

Naruko growled.

She got up with even less effort than the first time she got thrown through a tree branch, and looked around. She couldn't see Shin'en, couldn't smell Shin'en, hell, she couldn't even hear his heartbeat. All of that, combined with her ability to sense emotions, and still not be able to locate Shin'en was cause for concern.

Then a voice whispered right next to her, "Over here."

A chakra arm shot from Naruko's back, only to hit nothing. She whirled around a hundredth of a second later, only to see nothing. Then, on nothing more than the odd, unexplainable feeling you get every once and a while, Naruko looked up, and saw Shin'en staring down at her.

She met his eyes with him, and this time Shin'en employed the full power of his visual prowess. The Mangekyou burned itself into Naruko's mind, attacking the chakra in her cerebral nervous system with furious abandon. Yet, the might of the Jinchuuriki was not to underestimated, especially when their Tailed-Beast has their back.

Kurama fought relentlessly against the effects of the Mangekyou, and his experience with the Sharingan aided him tremendously.

In the end, Naruko and Kurama managed to keep their chakra fluctuated at just the right frequencies to fight off Shin'en's visual prowess. However, after recovering from the strain of combatting such an attack, Naruko found that where Shin'en once was, there was a note stabbed into the tree via a senbon.

Not dropping out of her Chakra Mode, Naruko leapt up to the branch, easily clearing the hundred-foot gap between her and it with a simple bending of the legs. Detecting no traps or genjutsu about, Naruko grabbed the note.

 _I've seen enough to be satisfied with what I came here for. The next time we meet, I expect you to have answer._

 _Don't think too hard about the cloak. It looks cool, and the other guy is hired help in case I need him._

 _I know about your emotional sensory ability, and I know how to counter it. Don't bother and asking why, because I won't tell you._

And that was it. No heartfelt goodbye, no praise for her ability, not even a compliment…but Naruko was okay with that. Shin'en could've just left and not said anything, but he took the time to write (or something) and leave a note here. To Naruko, that was special for a reason she herself didn't quite understand.

Meanwhile, inside the seal, Kurama's eyes glowed. Of all the people his host could've fallen in love with…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shin'en appeared next to Kisame in a burst of water, he immediately fell to his knees, and hacked up an unhealthy amount of blood. The former Mist-nin watched this silently, staring down at his bleeding partner with something that might've been concern, but it was hard to tell.

When Shin'en stood back up, sweating and pale, Kisame asked, "Was your battle that intense?"

"Yeah…"

Shin'en had made it look easy, blocking all of Naruko's attacks, but in reality, he had nearly died. The ocular strain of keeping track of her movements, the mental strain of following the water in her body and the displacement of the atmospheric water vapor, and the physical strain of simply reacting in time. All of this stress caused his breathing to pick up, which caused his brain to attempt to reestablish homeostasis, which caused his heartrate to speed up, which almost caused him to fucking die.

That last bit, with the dodging of the chakra arms, that had all been an illusion the entire time. Shin'en had been up in the trees, trying to get his heartrate down by writing a quick note. When Naruko got ready to attack him a final time, he just managed to get his ocular genjutsu going in order to buy him some time.

He succeeded, and he hauled ass out of dodge.

This couldn't keep happening. He could not afford to keep performing these 'tests,' because he was going to get himself into a situation that he couldn't get out of, even with a good backup plan. He needed to both get his body back together and start using his fighting style more often.

Just as Shin'en finally got himself back under control, Pain's voice was heard through the rings by all the Akatsuki.

' _A tenth member has been chosen. Shin'en, Kisame, rendezvous with Sasori, Deidara and Zetsu at the hideout closest to you. After you give our new member their ring, I want you two to team up with Sasori and Deidara for their next mission.'_

And with that, the Akatsuki Leader's voice vanished from the minds of his underlings. No room for argument or debate, only compliance.

Shin'en didn't know if he could beat Pain in any kind of fight, not with his body's inability to perform adequate jutsu or keep up in a long/intense battle. Bottom line, Shin'en needed his body fixed ASAP.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 25, 1013 A.S._

 _Land of Hot Water_

The boulder lifted up, and Kisame and Shin'en entered the cavernous hideout to find that their comrades in arms were already waiting for them.

"Took you long enough, hm."

"I don't like to be kept waiting."

"Tobi is a good boy!"

Shin'en stared at the grown man in the orange spiral mask. _'You have got to be kidding me_. _'_

He lit a cigarette, and this one had cannabis in it. He was going to need it for this little episode. "Is this the guy that Pain decided was good enough to replace Orochimaru?"

Zetsu rose from the ground in a grand display of Venus flytrap and Akatsuki cloak.

"He is/ **He is** ," answered both halves at once.

"Whatever." Orochimaru's ring slid down into Shin'en's hand and he casually tossed it to 'Tobi.'

"I got it! I got it!" The ring got within catching distance, and Tobi began to flail about, the ring bouncing between his hands, before finally hitting the ground with a tinkle. Tobi crashed to the ground next to the ring, a tear of some kind falling from his lone eyehole. "I don't got it…" he mumbled dejectedly.

Kisame found that whole skit to be hilarious, Deidara looked on with obvious displeasure, and Sasori's puppet belayed no emotion, seeing as it was made of wood.

"It's okay Tobi," White Zetsu said. "You'll get it next time!"

The man stood up, and put the ring on his left pinky. "Ta-da!"

"Yes, if you two are done, can you go now, hm?" Deidara had spent the past twelve hours with this nut, and he was ready to blow something up!

" **Yes, we're going now."**

Zetsu sank into the ground, and Tobi waved at everyone. "Bye guys! I hope we all get along great!"

Then he was sucked into a vortex centered around his eyehole.

Deidara sighed in relief. "Finally. If it wasn't for Pain, I would've turned that idiot into art."

"Your art," Sasori grumbled, voice hoarse and gravely, "is retarded."

Deidara's brow twitched. "What'd you say, Sasori my man?"

The massive puppet that was Sasori turned to face the effeminate blonde. "Art is—"

"Oh, for the love of God," Shin'en moaned, wholly annoyed with this whole situation…and he was borderline high, "will the both of you _shut up_ about art? I thought Pain said we had a mission to do."

The Akatsuki Artists decided it was best to agree to disagree at the moment, considering the air was a lot colder than what it should have been, and the young teen before them had a reputation for mass destruction, and neither wanted to test their luck against one of the most powerful shinobi of the current day…if not _the most_ powerful shinobi of the day.

With people like Pain, and Minato Namikaze, and Onoki the Fence Sitter around, it was a hard debate.

Then again, which of those people had fought multiple Tailed-Beasts and an army at once…and arguably came out on top?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _November 25, 1013 A.S._

 _Nighttime_

 _Village of Mazushī Ōji_

"Amazing what people will pay for, isn't it?"

Those were the words by all of the Grecian pantheon as they, once again, were pulled into what was probably Persephone Jackson's brotherly dreams. There was heavy speculation among the gods that the girl had fallen for her brother in the same way Zeus had fallen for Hera and Phorcys for Keto and Kronos for Rhea, etc. There were already bets as to whether Aphrodite was going to place the offspring of Poseidon together.

However, none of that was relevant at the moment, because all were scratching their heads over what they were looking at. There was a humongous white bird that was not made of feathers. There was a blonde man…or woman. There was massive hunchback. And then there was Percy and his ever-present shark man companion. The Greeks remembered the blonde and the hunchback from the dream from months' past, but not their names.

It was the blonde that had spoken, and it was the blonde that continued to provide the much-needed exposition.

"A noble's daughter from another village attempts to woo the prince of this village only to get denied because the prince is already in love with another woman, and plans to marry her tonight. So, in an act of revenge, the daughter hires us to wipe the village out tonight and leave nothing standing...people pay for weird things, hm."

"Oh, that's nothing," Percy said, and Persephone immediately tensed, getting the distinct impression that she, and so many others, were about to get detailed knowledge on what Percy had done in those missing two and a half years.

"Back in the Mist, during my tenure with Yūrei, we got contracted to find a dog—just a random stray to be found anywhere, but it had to be a big dog. Finding the dog wasn't hard, and dropping it off wasn't difficult. Easiest fifty thousand we ever made. Then, about four days later, the man's wife comes calling."

"Oh no," the blonde said. "The guy was forcing his wife to screw the dog, wasn't he?"

Percy snorted, looking into the distance with a disembodied, lopsided grin that held zero amounts of anything.

"That would've been G-rated compared to what was actually happening…no, the husband was forcing his own kids to fuck the dog. Fraternal twins of eight and a young girl of six. The girl had just died of infection, and that was when the wife finally discovered why her kids had recently started limping about.

"So she contacts Yūrei, and gives us a million ryō to kill her husband and the dog so she can escape to elsewhere in the world. We didn't care either way. We just took the money and put a couple of corpses on the face of the earth. About a week after we did that, the husband's brother contacts us, and wants us to kill his sister-in-law, and bring him his remaining niece and nephew for ten million ryō. Like with the first two times, we just the money, killed the wife, and delivered the kids.

"By this time, I was fed up with this family's vexing antics, and was ready to make sure none of them ever contacted us again. But it seemed that there was a divine force working against me. The murdered wife's sister contacted us three days after the delivery, and she didn't have any money to get her niece and nephew back or to avenge her sister, but she did have an explanation as to what was going on.

"As it turns out, the husband was part of an illegal prostitution ring that focused on underage bestiality, and the sole purpose of marrying his wife in the first place was to have kids that he could use for the ring. His brother was in on it as well, which is why he wanted us to deliver to him the two kids. Normally, Yūrei wouldn't have given a care in the world since the sister didn't have any money, but Arashi was willing to compromise.

"We launched the recovery mission, and arrived to find out that the younger twin brother had been given to a horse, and had died from blood loss two days before we arrived. The remaining sister had contracted disease from her time with a pig—the animal kind, but we got her to her aunt, and that was the end of it…and that's why I didn't rest well.

"See, the uncle had gone through so much trouble to get those kids, and then the aunt goes through so much trouble to get those kids, but then the uncle, whom we left alive, doesn't come back to us with another delivery mission. I thought it was suspicious, so I did my own digging. As it turns out, the paternal uncle and the maternal aunt were married, and both were part of the prostitution ring…as were the whole of both sides of the families.

"I tracked them down, and when I found where they were, I arrived just in time to walk in on an argument between the maternal and the paternal sides of the family, over which animal they were going to use next on the daughter. It came down between a cow and a bear. By that time, their squabbling and arguing and dysfunctionality and this entire situation had got to me…I wiped out the entire family that night."

"Even the child?" the hunchback asked.

"The entire family," Percy repeated.

The blonde whistled. "That's some intense stuff…how old were you?"

"Ten."

The blonde almost fell off the bird. "You were _ten_!?"

His reaction was mirrored by all the Greeks.

"That explains a lot about you," the hunchback rumbled. "That really does."

Kisame barked a short laugh. "Ha! You two weren't actually _in_ the Mist during the Blood War. The things this kid and the rest of his squad did…it'll keep you up at night." His fanged grin did nothing to ease the tension felt by the Greeks.

"I can imagine," the hunchback rumbled. "I've heard the legends surrounding the Ghosts of the Bloody Mist."

The blonde looked at Percy. "Yeah, so have I, hm. Is it true that you butchered the children of Aokigahara and displayed their mutilated corpses for the townspeople to see, and when they all gathered in one place, you set the entire town on fire, killing everyone inside?"

Shin'en just calmly stared at the passing world below. "Mazushī Ōji is five hundred meters away. Focus on the mission, Deidara."

From there, the Greeks knew no more, for their essences were pulled back to their bodies, but for Shin'en…even though he had been the one to tell Deidara to focus on the task at hand, it was he who was distracted most of all.

Distracted by the screams of children.

Distracted by the sounds of blades through flesh.

Distracted by the tearing of muscle from bone.

Distracted by the reorganizing of limbs and organs.

Distracted by fire.

Distracted by the cruel grins of Yūrei as they silently watched 84 people burn to death.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Pretty dark ending, no? This was a brief little glimpse into the nightmare that was the Bloody Mist, and the scene far above involving Saeko was one of the many mental scars Percy has. I did say in**_ **Green-Eyed Ghoul** _ **that Shin'en has DID, and I was not kidding. Saeko is just one of many.**_

 _ **Next chapter is going to be somewhat of a filler chapter involving Persephone, Tyson, genderbending, Seph's pairing for the story, and the Sea of Monsters in general with regards to how Seph and the Greeks react to the existence of, and their new knowledge of, Percy Jackson.**_

 _ **Then we're jumping head-first into the Titan's Curse to kick some ass and get canon rolling.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_

 _ **P.S. many of the Japanese words used in this chapter have real meanings. Go find them!**_


	43. A Murky Sea

_A Murky Sea_

 _ **Okay, it seems I implanted the wrong idea last chapter with the saying of the gods were betting on whether Persephone was in love with Percy. We're going to get this issue squared away now.**_

 _ **There will be NO twincest in this fic.**_

 _ **I realize that in my two years as an author, I have crossed what many consider to be 'lines,' but the incest/twincest line is one I am not crossing. Believe it or not, I have morals, and sibling-on-sibling is one of them.**_

 _ **So NO twincest. Do not ask.**_

 _ **Now that we've got that out of the way, this chapter will basically be a re-telling of the**_ **Sea of Monsters** _ **, but with all the negativity that comes with the strife that Perseus Jackson brings…without even being in the same dimension.**_

 _ **Expect dark themes, Bloodbending, genderbending, and character development.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _May 2007_

 _Manhattan, New York_

 _A middle school_

'The shadows are not meant for you. Return to the light, find someone to guide you if need be, but do not linger here.'

Those were the titular words Percy had said to Persephone so long ago. Those words broke through to her, caused her to reevaluate some things, rethink other things. The girl, after much reflecting, realized that she was being somewhat of an ass, especially to Nico and Bianca.

Nico being gay didn't hurt anything, least of all Percy. The worst-case scenario there would be that Nico would get stupid and Percy would most likely cut him into pieces…which would lead to a massive sequence of events that would most likely end with world-wide devastation. Okay, so Nico being gay for Seph's brother probably wasn't the best thing.

Persephone had IM'd Bianca about this, apologized for the way she had acted previously, and brought these findings to the daughter of Hades. While neither girl would go so far as to call the other friend, they both agreed that 'Percico' needed to be shot down before it could take off. Persephone was pretty sure Nico was seeing someone right now, but Bianca would neither confirm nor deny these suspicions.

In this quest to 'return to the light,' Seph had bit the proverbial bullet and reached out to Thalia Grace, Huntress and Asshole Extraordinaire. She tried, she really did, but Grace wanted nothing more than to be a butt, and what was supposed to be a civil conversation via Iris Message quickly devolved into Persephone trading barbs with Thalia, until it ultimately ended with:

"Yeah, well why don't you go suck on your freak brother's dick since you seem to love him so much!"

"Sure, at the same time you start eating Artemis' ass, you lesbian fuck!"

The girls had not spoken since, and they both knew that when they did, it would not be pretty. Hell, their argument over the Iris Message had gotten both of them riled up to the point that the weather had temporarily gone sideways. Of course, it did not help that both young females were on their periods at that time.

Mortal girls could be very violent when their cycles came, but half-blood girls were an entirely different can of worms. Especially when their spiked emotions caused category five storms.

But anyway.

Those were Persephone's main attempts at returning to the light. She had done her best to keep in touch with Andrew and Grover, but the former was busy with school, and the latter was all over the continent, searching for Pan, the Lost God of the Wild.

Speaking of school, Persephone was on her last day of seventh grade, and she had done a remarkable job of keeping out of trouble—both with mortals and monsters alike—and she had kept straight C's the entire year!

…

Don't judge her, she had ADHD and dyslexia, and her brother was the next best thing since Superman. Forgive her for A) struggling in class, and B) worrying about more important things than a math test.

There were bullies of course, a few girls jealous of Persephone's naturally superior aesthetic looks and lack of makeup, and a few boys that were displeased with her refusing their advances who sought to rectify this by either forcefully kissing her (which lasted all of a picosecond before they were kicked in the balls) or by spreading rumors. If Persephone's memory served, she had been pregnant seven times this year, with the children of nine different boys.

Yeah, she didn't get how that made sense either.

Not all was bad; there was a good thing to come out of this year, and that was Tyson. He was a huge specimen, already six feet tall and probably over 200 pounds of body. He could've passed for a grown man if not for his baby face. He was a good kid, naïve and prone to crying, with low self-esteem, but he was _strong_. Earlier in the year, when a boy had tried to mash lips with Persephone, Tyson had been there to grab the offender, heave him through the ceiling tiles, smash him into a locker, and then through him half way down the hallway.

That had been a good day, all in all.

However, it was the last day of school. Persephone wasn't sure what Tyson was going to do, but she was going to Camp Half-Blood. Last she checked, Tyson was mortal, really big for one this age, but still mortal, and therefore could not enter the Camp. It was a sad thought for the girl, not seeing Tyson again for three months, if ever. She would admit that Tyson was her best friend right now, with Grover and Andrew and…well, Percy wasn't really her friend, but still.

As far people in her current life went, barring her mother, Tyson was Seph's best friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was also a cyclops, but more than that, he was her half-brother.

The arrival at Camp Half-Blood had been a hectic one, involving Laistrygonian Giants, a surprise intervention in the form of Andrew, the craziest taxi ride ever, some confusing numbers, a battle with a couple of mechanical bulls, learning that the Thalia's Pine had been poisoned, Camp's barriers were failing, Chiron had been fired, and some asswipe named Tantalus was brought out of the Underworld to be his replacement.

Which led to the current time.

Tantalus wanted to treat Tyson like an animal, something that didn't sit well with Persephone Jackson, and then the child-murderer decided to make fun of the daughter of Poseidon _and_ Tyson, when a glowing trident appeared over the cyclopes' head. And Seph, instead of getting mad at Poseidon or getting angry at Tyson for some bullshit reason of him taking the place of Percy or something, rose to defend her new brother…technically speaking.

The campers, who were all already one edge on account of the failing border and the arrival of Percy's sister, just awkwardly laughed along as Tantalus made fun of the cyclops…but their collective laughter died out as soon as the temperature _plummeted_.

Tantalus stopped smiling, and started shivering.

Tyson looked at his sister with deep concern.

Persephone had a ceramic cup in her hand. She had promptly shattered it. Her raven hair fell over her eyes, and she silently stared at Tantalus, frigid fury coursing through her. The waves at the beach stopped. The waves in the canoe lake disappeared. The sun disappeared behind a wall of grey clouds. And a very cold breeze began to softly nip at everyone's bones.

The daughter of Poseidon silently and gracefully rose from her seat, all eyes on her, all too terrified to move. Persephone glided across the ground, and stopped until she was across the table from Tantalus. The man gulped. The girl slowly reached out with her hand, and gripped Tantalus' cheeks, and calmly pulled him forward. She didn't say anything to him, or even do anything blatantly hostile, she just stared into his eyes.

Tantalus pissed himself.

Persephone let go of him, and he scrambled back into his chair, toppled it, and crab-crawled backwards about another five feet. Persephone looked at Tyson, and jerked her head to the side, towards her—no, _their_ cabin. "Let's go, Tyson."

The cyclops just nodded.

The two walked through the silent crowd, all of them completely terrified. Andrew was faring a little better than the others, and when his friend that was a girl walked past him, he mustered the nerve to ask, "Are you okay?"

The response was crisp and brokered no room for more talk. "Perfectly fine."

Dionysus calmly sipped his Diet Coke while reading a wine magazine. "Yes, you may want avoid angering that one, old chap. She's developed quiet the temper in the past year. Just be glad it is her and not her brother that is here today."

Tantalus squeaked. "B-Brother?"

Dionysus turned the page. "Yes, 'brother'."

The man cursed to never eat fainted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nico and Bianca arrived at Camp the next day, after Persephone had a disconcerting dream about Grover. The daughter of Poseidon informed her cousins of recent events, to which their reactions were the same.

Shock and anger.

Shock at what had happened here, and anger…at what had happened here. The Camp's borders failing, and then a jerk like Tantalus being hired to replace Chiron? The children of Hades hadn't gotten to know the centaur too well, but they had enough interaction to know that he was a kind man.

Of course, Tantalus also earned the ire of the di Angelos by making life unnecessarily difficult, for the sole purpose of them being children of Hades. The man saw their presence in 'his' camp as a golden opportunity for payback against the God of the Underworld. Showed just how smart the man truly was, since he was eventually going to go back to the Underworld, where he would be Hades' bitch once again.

Tantalus decided to bring back the chariot races, even though people had died the last time this happened. Nevertheless, the cabin councilors picked their best chariot mates, and got their game on.

Where the camp got legit horses, Persephone didn't know. What she did know was that this race was hers and Tyson's. When Tantalus said go, Seph and the cyclops were off just like everyone else, the only difference was that everyone else's horses completely disobeyed their drivers, and created a mass of chariots like something out of the _Blues Brothers_.

That left Team Poseidon, Team Hades, and Team Hephaestus left in the race. Bianca and Nico were still here, because their horses had been summoned from the dead, and were therefore, as creatures empowered by the children of the Underworld, out of Persephone's sphere of control. They might have been horses, but they were _skeletal_ horses. Beckendorf and his brother were still here because their horses weren't even horses. They were automatons that just _looked_ like horses.

Still, just because Persephone wasn't able to jack the horses to her whims, that didn't mean she was helpless. She had her brother, Tyson, to provide that much appreciated extra help.

With Nico and Bianca looking both terrified out of their minds at being in this race, having no idea what they were doing, that really just left Team Hephaestus to fend off, something Tyson did with great skill. Unfortunately, the race was cut short when a flock of Stymphalian Birds decided Camp Half-Blood looked like a delicious all you can eat buffet.

Chaos ensued, but the crisis was thwarted before anything more than scratches happened when Andrew found some magic pipes and went to work. The Birds quickly fled.

Tantalus clapped his hands. "Well done, campers, well done! Excellent shows of skill indeed! Let us all congratulate the winners of the chariot race, the di Angelos! Your prize for winning is cleaning up this mess."

Persephone almost started an earthquake. "Are you insane? We were dive-bombed by demonic pigeons, and you're worried about a chariot race? The Camp's borders are failing—we need a quest to find something that can restore the Tree!"

Tantalus waved the girl off. "Nonsense. I have complete faith in your abilities to fight off any monstrous threat. Besides, you need a source of nature magic so powerful—"

"Andrew, remember what I told you about my dream about Grover?"

"Yeah…"

"Did you just cut me off, little girl?"

"Well, I had another last night. Grover told me he was trapped on an island, he didn't know where, but he was trapped by someone called Polyphemus."

Andrew's eyes widened. "The Golden Fleece. If it's in the Sea of Monsters, and Polyphemus had it, and he has Grover—we need a quest!"

Before Tantalus could say a thing, the entire Camp was echoing the son of Athena. The cursed man let frustration become him.

"ALL RIGHT, FINE!" he roared, silencing all. "If it is a quest to find the Golden Fleece in the Sea of Monsters you all want, then it's a quest to find the Golden Fleece in the Sea of Monsters you all will get." Tantalus looked around, before landing his gaze on one daughter of War.

"Clarisse La Rue! You shall lead this quest."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Persephone lounged on the beach, weighing the pros and cons of striking out on her own. Then she had a visitor. A man in a track suit came to sit next to her. The sea princess noted the resemblance.

"You're Hermes, Luke's father."

"Woah, got it on the first try, and without clues, too. Nice job, cuz. I'm impressed."

Persephone directed her attention back to the sea, back to the dot on the horizon. "Did you want something?"

"Yes. I wanted to help you on your quest."

Persephone looked at him. "The last god that wanted to help me on a quest tried to kill me. Besides, Tantalus' dumb ass assigned the quest to Clarisse."

"Ah, that trash bag did do that, but rules aren't going to stop you, are they? George, Martha, full size please."

A cellphone in Hermes' back pocket flew out, shimmered, and turned into a caduceus with live snakes wrapped around it. The snakes coughed and hacked, throwing up a bottle of vitamins and a thermos.

"I assure these come with no strings attached," Hermes said. "I took the liberty of packing for you and your companions, who will be arriving very soon. If you ask your father nicely, he may be able to help you get to that ship."

The Messenger sighed. "I'm hoping that on this quest, you'll save more than the satyr and the camp."

"You're talking about Luke…why should I go out of my way to save him?"

Hermes gave his cousin a sad smile. "You of all people should know to never give up on family."

Sea green eyes widened.

"Persephone!"

She turned to look at who called her name, and saw Andrew, Tyson, and Bianca running across the beach. When she looked back at Hermes, she saw only duffle bags, a bottle of multi-vitamins, and a thermos.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don't worry," Bianca said. "Nico and I will handle Camp and Tantalus."

Persephone nodded in thanks, and offered her hand to her older cousin. Bianca looked at the hand, then she responded by _hugging_ the daughter of Poseidon. They separated. "Come back alive, okay. I don't want to be the one to tell Percy that his sister's dead."

"Just make sure there's a camp to return to. I like this place."

"Don't worry, I will. I swear it on the Styx."

Thunder sealed the oath.

With that, Persephone, Andrew, and Tyson mounted the hippocampi, and were off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hermes watched silently as his three cousins rode off into the Atlantic to the _Princess Andromeda_ …to Luke's ship. While the Messenger God might have been looking at Andrew, Persephone, and Tyson, he was mostly focused on the only girl.

Hermes, like all gods, had been watching the girl closely. He, like all gods, had been pulled into that dream with the orange-haired man. He, like all gods, had been there to listen to Percy's warning to his sister. He, like all gods, knew that Persephone had made valiant efforts to 'return to the light.' He, like all gods, knew that cyclops's sole purpose was to help Persephone stay in the light.

Still, though, if Hermes had to put the girl's situation into an analogy, it would go like this:

Persephone was walking along a forest path in daylight. The foliage above was sparse enough to allow lots of light through to illuminate the path. On either side of the path was nothing but dark forest and moving shadows. Persephone was pulled to those shadows, drawn to see what was truly happening in that eldritch void. However, if she strayed from the illuminated path, she could never get back on it, and it was clear that Percy didn't want that to happen for whatever reason. The problem was that Persephone thought she could go to the shadows and return to the path without issue.

Which was why Poseidon sent Tyson the Cyclops to be the proverbial guide.

So far, he was doing a good job being that guide, that anchor in the light, but Persephone was an errant child, and even though Tyson's grip was firm, she was still strong enough to slip from his grasp and brush her fingers into the shadows.

If Persephone wasn't careful, she may find that something would reach back at her, and never let go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The less said about the _Princess Andromeda_ the better. Bottom line, Persephone was rather frustrated that she couldn't sink that ship and send Kronos to the depths. Although, this frustration came to work in her favor, as when they were brought aboard Clarisse's ship, and came upon Scylla and Charybdis, Persephone wasn't taking any of their shit.

Nor was she taking shit from the ocean she sailed upon.

"Seph! Can you-!" Andrew cried, but was cut off when the girl in question's eyes lit up like green quasars.

With a shout, Seph caused the old civil war vessel to lurch forward, gunning past the two monsters. Those two would not be denied, however, and attempted another attack, with Charybdis churning the waters to push the ship into Scylla's range. When the serpentine heads came roaring at the _Birmingham_ , Seph roared back, sending compressed sheets of water flying straight up, butchering Scylla.

Unfortunately for the daughter of Poseidon, she was not her brother, and she was not used to such high levels of hydrokinesis, nor was her body ready for such levels of power. To make this an analogy, Seph had just tried to max out her squat after years of not working out, without a belt, knee wraps, or even a spotter.

Long story short, her use of so much power rendered her unconscious with a burning in her gut so intense she couldn't tell if that warmth in her pants was blood or something else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Andrew came to, he expected to be, at best, in the Underworld. At worst, he expected a boiling lake of lava. No where on his list of expectations was a seriously comfy bed. His head also felt fuzzy, but he attributed that to the after effects of the _Birmingham_ exploding. There was no telling how long he's been out for, or where he was.

Looking next to him, he saw Persephone sleeping in the bed next to him, and he was awe struck. She looked so beautiful sleeping…he wasn't going to lie, the daughter of Poseidon was very attractive, and he would never admit that he was crushing on her, _hard_. He wanted to ask her out, except his father and step family lived in California, and he knew that a long-distance relationship was not going to work, so he held himself back.

Of course, there was also her brother, but whether he would allow a relationship or not was irrelevant. Andrew wanted no part of Percy Jackson, least of all the half-blood's ire for dating his sister, or any reason.

Was that petty of him, or was it natural to be afraid of whatever the Hades Percy Jackson was?

Persephone stirred, before rising completely. Her raven tresses fell across her face and shoulders as she pulled her arms above her head. Andrew was robbed of his breath as he watched his friend's breasts rise with her body.

Persephone cracked her eyes open, and saw Andrew staring. "Enjoying the show?"

"Y-Yeah…" the son of Athena said distractedly, blushing. Then he blinked and vigorously shook his head. "I mean—it's good that you're awake. I was beginning to worry."

"Uh-huh, sure. Where are we?"

Andrew looked out the window of the room they were in. "Looks like some kind of island resort."

"Island resort?"

The door to their room opened, and two women walked in. The younger looked to be in her late teens, while the older was probably in her mid-twenties. Both wore formal yet simple dresses, and both were very beautiful.

"Ah, I see you two are awake. Now we can begin your makeovers," said the older one.

Persephone looked at the women. "Makeovers?"

"Of course. Here at C.C.'s Resort and Spa, we help our clients realize their full potential."

The fuzziness in Andrew's head increased with every word out of the woman's mouth, and glancing at Seph, he could see her eyes trying to fight off a glaze…or maybe she was still getting the sleep out of her system? Yeah, that was it, she was just still tired. A quick walk would fix her grogginess.

"Hylla, you take Persephone for the V.I.P. tour. Andrew requires my _personal_ attention."

The fuzziness was strong now, and the thirteen year old son of Athena did not question when the older woman led him through the resort, or when the younger woman—what was her name? Andrew thought he had just been told, but he couldn't remember—took Persephone away for…something.

The next room Andrew saw looked like an office. Actually, it looked just like the room he had just…no…no…were these the same rooms? Andrew's head felt so fuzzy he couldn't tell.

"I'm afraid you need serious help, Andrew. But the first step is admitting that you're not happy the way you are. Step closer."

The woman gestured to a full-length body mirror. Andrew didn't question the command; he just walked dazedly to the mirror. In it he saw a beautiful girl. Her hair, curly like a princess's, fell neatly about her face and shoulders. Only the barest traces of makeup were applied, just enough to bring her features out to their fullest, yet nowhere near a clown mask. Her figure, while hidden underneath a simple summer dress of the purest white, was the best any girl could ask for. Not skin and bones, not chubby, but just the right mix between the two.

Andrew was envious of this girl for a reason that he couldn't explain…but the fuzziness in his head reached a level so great, he couldn't tell up from down anymore.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" asked the woman softly, maternity so strong in her voice that Andrew wanted to curl into her embrace and never leave. He nodded his head. "She is…"

He reached out and touched the mirror. The girl reached out and touched his hand. Andrew clasped on tightly.

"You and she could be the same, you know," came the woman's motherly voice, from light years away.

"We…could…?"

"Yes, dear, you could."

"But…she…what would Seph say…?"

The image in the mirror changed. The blonde girl was still there, only now there was someone else there too. A beautiful brunette with tanned skin and sparkling green eyes, wearing a dress similar to the blonde, only the same color as her dazzling eyes. The brunette was kissing the blond on the cheek, causing the blonde to laugh.

It was a melodious sound, like the tinkling of the angels' bells. It made Andrew feel warm, made him feel weightless, it made him feel safe, secure. It was a sound that assuaged all worries and fears and doubts.

"I think Seph would be just fine. In fact, I think you may finally get that date you've been wanting," the woman said with a small laugh at the end, but it wasn't a derrogatory laugh. It was the laugh of a mother amused by their child's excitement.

A mother…where had Andrew's mother been his entire life? What had she done to make him feel safe and wanted and happy? Nothing. But this woman…this woman was here, she was now, she was loving, and caring, and supporting, and Andrew felt nothing but comforting warmth coming from her.

"Here, drink this, sweetheart, and everything we'll be fine."

The woman was at Andrew's side, a comforting hand on his shoulder, the most motherly and supportive smile on her face as she handed Andrew a clear glass with strawberry milk in it.

"Go on," she encouraged, radiating nothing but support and confidence. Andrew took the glass, and took a drink. Mmmmmm~, tasty. Andrew quickly drank the rest of the sweet drink, and his in his body an amazing warmth blossomed. The warmth consumed Andrew, and it was the only thing he knew for the longest time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Circe gently set the newest girl in the world down on the couch. With a snap of her fingers, the girl's unfitting Camp Half-Blood attire was changed into the white dress from the image in the mirror, complete with the appropriate undergarments for a girl.

Circe sighed in contentment.

This new method was so much more rewarding than her old one.

In the past, she would lure those disgusting men here, and tempt them with an image of masculinity, before tricking them into consuming a potion that would turn them into a fucking guinea pig. Then Circe would sell the little rodents to whoever wanted to buy them, whether it be an elementary school looking for a class pet, a high school or college looking for something to dissect, or mortal scientists looking for something to test their products on/experiment on.

It really didn't matter to Circe. There was one less smelly man, and a little bit of money for her.

Then the mortals went too far with their science, coming out with things and stuff that Circe had done with her magic centuries prior, claiming it was 'all-new,' and 'completely original,' and 'patented.' Circe's fury grew, so she decided that a new method of disposing of the men was needed, and this was the result of her brainstorming.

This potion was much more powerful than the guinea pig one, and was created with the specific purpose of being resistant to Hermes' multipurpose vitamins and most other magic-reversing things. Upon consumption, not only was there one less man in the world, there was now another woman.

The ones in their teens were the best, as suddenly being female gave them access to all the pleasures and fantasies they had when they were boys. Besides that, they were more impressionable because their minds were adjusting to these new hormones and sensation, and that created opportunity for guidance and nudging in the right direction.

The direction of being a sorceress.

Oh yes, Circe felt she got the best out of this situation every time. One less boy and one more girl, and one more sorceress in the world. The best part was that was the extent of her maliciousness. All of the maternity that Andrew felt from her was genuine, and she helped this new girl adjust to her new life, she would whole-heartedly and unflinchingly and unwaveringly be that maternal guidance.

Circe looked down at her newest daughter.

"With this new life, you need a new name, my child. How about…Anna—"

The door was thrown open, revealing a very livid daughter of Poseidon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Earlier_

Hylla led Persephone through the resort, showing the arcades, the spas, the restaurants, the indoor waterparks, the outdoor waterparks, and just about everything else this place had to offer…barring the magical areas as the girl had no need of seeing those just yet.

Just like with Andrew, the was a fuzz in Persephone's head that clouded her perception of everything. Instead of questioning where she was, she just nodded along. Instead of asking why there weren't any boys anywhere, she kept taking what was given to her. Instead of wondering what was happening to Andrew, she was wondering what it would cost to get a mani-pedi and a hair job.

"And this is our main salon," Hylla proclaimed with obvious pride.

Persephone was deeply impressed. This place had to be the size of a football field, with multiple levels of stuff. Nail polish, hair dye, perms, and so many other scents wafted from the main salon, and it was busy. Very busy. And there were only girls here. No boys. Well, actually, there was one boy, over there, leaning against the wall with a foot pressed to the wall, smoking, with a black, five-foot staff in his hand, wearing a black cloak with red clouds on his.

The boy looked up, and Persephone saw that his eyes were blood red, designed like a nine-pointed star due to three overlapping triangles. She stared at those strange, mesmerizing eyes, not sure what to make of them—

The red stares exploded, and the shockwaves cleared out the haze in Seph's mind.

"Persephone, are you okay?"

The girl blinked. "Yeah, I…I need to poop. Be right back!"

Hylla was caught flat-footed by the sudden admission of bodily needs, and she only realized that Persephone was gone too late to actually make sure she had gone in the right direction _of_ the nearest bathroom. But still, what girl just proclaims to everyone around them of their need to defecate?

What a strange child…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, Persephone did not go to the bathroom. Actually, on a kind of concerning note, she was hungry, but she had been full when she boarded the _Birmingham_ , which meant that she burned through all of the food in her belly already, or she had been to the bathroom sometime prior, and she didn't remember doing that.

Problems for later.

Right now, she needed to retrace her steps back to where Andrew was, and hope he was alright. And she needed to thank Percy the next time she could for breaking her out of the illusion this place had…using some method.

After a solid five minutes of straight running through this place, Seph found what she was looking for, and she was mad. Mad at being tricked, mad at not being strong enough to take on Scylla and Charybdis, mad that she needed her _little_ brother's help to get out of a jam _again_. She was the _older_ sibling, dammit!

Why did she keep having to be rescued by Percy?!

While all of this frustration wasn't good for the mind, it helped to have something to vent it out with. In this case, it was the woman's face. Without preamble, Persephone promptly bust the door open with her demigoddess strength, and she saw something that both confused and pissed her off even more.

It was the woman, standing over a girl that looked _way_ too much like Andrew for Seph to be comfortable with. Considering the distinct lack any male in this room, Persephone let her rage become her.

Her hand snapped out, and her gut clenched as she reached in and wrested control of the woman's bodily water. By her will, the woman was lifted off the ground, terror on her face.

"Where. Is. Andrew?"

The woman mumbled something unintelligible.

Persephone's fingers flexed, and the woman's limbs snapped back, dislocating at the joints. She screamed, but her scream was silenced when Persephone motioned with her hand, and the woman came flying into her grip.

"Where. Is. _Andrew!?_ "

"C-C-C-C-C-Cou-Cou-Cou- _Couch_ …!"

Persephone's eyes snapped to said couch, where the blonde girl that looked like Andrew lay sleeping. Molten fury coursed through the sea-child's body.

"Fix. Him."

"C-C-C-Can't—ir-ir-ir-ir-irreversible!"

Persephone's eyes glowed. She thrust her arm out, throwing Circe back with hydrokinetic ability. She levitated the witch off the ground, and clenched her fist. Circe collapsed to the ground, her heart ruptured like a water balloon, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

 _In the absence of Tyson, there was nothing keeping the errant Persephone from exploring the shadows. She peered into the darkness, reaching out beyond the cones of light from above. From farther beyond, a dark creature rapidly stalked forward._

The sounds of the room did not go unheard, because a young girl, about Persephone's age poked her head in. She looked like Hylla. "Ms. Circe? Is everything-ah!"

Persephone yanked the girl forward by her blood, and launched her into the ceiling, holding her there. Her eyes continued to glow.

 _The creature was dangerously close to the curious child, its maw wide and dripping with blood several eons old. Just a few more feet now…_

Persephone was simply mad. Everyone here was a threat, an enemy! They all let Andrew be cursed like that, and they were going to find something to curse her with too! That couldn't happen, this couldn't happen anymore! How many boys had they done this to!? Was this girl once a boy, and had been brainwashed via magic or something else!?

Persephone couldn't be sure, but what she was about to do now, she did for all the boys that had lost themselves here…she did this for Percy, because if he had been here, surely he would've been cursed like Andrew too.

 _The creature was mere inches away, maw open to devour this child whole. The shadows hid the creature, and as the girl peered into the darkness, she saw not but the open jaws of Damnation, shrouded in the cloak of Curiosity._

 _Before Damnation could enjoy its meal, a Black Dragon with thirteen heads made it retreat into the black forest, and the girl was pulled back into the light._

A sword was Persephone's throat, one that was long, thin, and flat. The shock of the sudden appearance of the blade, caused the girl's concentration to shatter, and the child she was about to kill fell to the ground with a pained yelp.

Reyna looked up, not entirely sure what to make of this, but the red eyes that spoke of untold pain caused her stiffen and become all too aware of the warmth in her pants.

"Leave us," commanded the boy, and Reyna couldn't scramble away fast enough.

With her gone, Persephone allowed elation to overcome her. "Percy! You're here-!"

The son of Poseidon slapped his sister clear across the jaw, sending her to the ground. If he had wanted, he could've done anything from breaking her neck to blunt force decapitation. He looked down at her hurt in his eyes.

Wait, _hurt_?

Was Persephone looking at that right, or was she now concussed?

"I told you to return to the light!" he hissed. "You are not meant for the shadows!"

"Percy, I-"

"Am trying to be like me! Please don't be like me…"

Tears, honest to God _tears_ , began to leak from his eyes. Persephone gasped, but she was immediately _there_ , hugging her brother tight as he buried his head into her shoulder. He didn't sniffle or shudder or cry, but she felt her shoulder become wet.

"You don't want to be like me, you won't like it. Please be like you, I like it when you're like you…"

Persephone squeezed him tighter, tight as she could and then some. "Okay, Percy, okay. I'll be like me from here on out, no more like you."

"…promise…?"

"Promise."

Then he was simply gone.

Persephone's shoulder was still wet, the only indication he was ever there. A few tears fell from her eyes, tears at how he was in her arms, how he had _cried_ in her arms, tears at how she had been the one to _make him cry_ …never again. If embracing that darkness made him cry, then Persephone would never be like that, ever. She was the big sister.

Big sisters don't make their little brothers cry.

On the couch, the blonde girl groaned and stirred. Persephone frowned. This was not going to be pretty…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Shinobi World_

 _Northwestern Land of Fire_

 _Nighttime_

Shin'en woke to Kisame shaking him. The shark man immediately back away upon receiving a very dangerous glare. "Don't ever touch me again…what do you want?"

"You were crying in your sleep."

"Was I?"

Shin'en reached up, wiping at his eyes with his thumb. Sure enough, they came away wet. Countenance temporarily slipping to reveal great anger, Shin'en quickly masked himself once more. With a bit of hydrokinesis, the tears hissed into steam. Shin'en took the pain.

"Bad dream?" Kisame hazarded.

"No…I just hate acting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Time for Q &A.**_

 _ **Q: Was Shin'en really at the spa?**_

 _ **A: No. It was a dream.**_

 _ **Q: How did Reyna see Shin'en if it was a dream?**_

 _ **A: Shin'en's essence was there, and through that, he was able to manipulate the Mist to where Reyna could see and hear him.**_

 _ **Q: Why was Shin'en so OC there at the spa?**_

 _ **A: He needed to get Persephone's ass out of the darkness, so he exploited her by putting on a show of vulnerability and desperation, triggering her maternal instincts.**_

 _ **Q: Will Andrew remain a girl?**_

 _ **A: That depends on the will of the people.**_

 _ **Q: What will happen next chapter?**_

 _ **A: Next chapter will be the wrap-up of the**_ **Sea of Monsters** _ **, whose ending will depend on feedback. More below.**_

 _ **Alright, I think that's most of it. If there's a question that you have after this, Review or PM me and I'll answer to the best of my ability. Now, the important part: Persephone's pairing for the story.**_

 _ **Whoever she's paired with will have an effect on Shin'en, which will have an effect on the future of this story. I've changed Andrew into a girl for the sole purpose of introducing this plot line. Here's the major ones I've come up with:**_

 _ **Seph x fem!Andrew**_

 _ **Seph x someone else**_

 _ **Seph x male!Andrew**_

 _ **If the people like the idea of Andrew being Andrew, then it's a simple matter of Golden Fleece Ex Machina, and we have male!Andrew back again. If the people like the idea of fem!Andrew but Seph is still with someone else, then there's that.**_

 _ **Anyway, there won't be a poll, but I will be counting Reviews, so if you want to vote make sure you Review your idea or forever hold your peace.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	44. Backup Plan: Initial Phase

_Backup Plan: Initial Phase_

 _ **Due to popular demand, the winner of the unofficial vote is Seph x fem!Andrew…aka Annabeth! I'm told there isn't a lot of that in the fandom, so here's something, I guess.**_

 _ **This will be the wrap-up of the**_ **Sea of Monsters** _ **, focusing more on how Andrew copes with her new plumbing and the budding relationship with Seph, than with the actual story, so…yeah. Lesbians. Not gonna lie, I think it's hot. Can't say the same for gays.**_

 _ **Meh, call me a hypocrite.**_

 _ **This chapter also ends with the mother of all cliffhangers, so be here's your warning.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _C.C.'s Spa and Resort_

 _Picking up immediately from last chapter_

Persephone watched, almost holding her breath in trepidation, as the girl that is Andrew Chase woke up from her nap. She sat up, and froze, most likely due to the feeling of her hair shifting, her dress rustling, and what was definitely the unfamiliar weight on her chest. Andrew's eyes snapped open, her pupils dilated to pinpricks.

Her hands shakily rose to her face, and she began to tremble. Trembling as if freezing, trembling as if having a spasm, trembling as if having a seizure. Her eyes darted to Persephone, wild, panicked, _terror-stricken_. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. If anything, it looked like she was struggling to breath-

Persephone practically flew across the room to Andrew's side, and tightly gripped the new girl's hands, holding them tightly. Sea-green met terrified gray.

"Andrew—Andrew, look at me—look at me," Persephone said quickly, trying to get her friend to be calm so that she _could_ breath. "Look at me."

Andrew did that, staring desperately into Persephone's eyes, her pupils rapidly fluctuating between saucer-wide and pinhead-tiny. She continued to shake.

Persephone took a breath through her nose. "In," then she exhaled, "Out." Another breath, "In." Exhale. "Out." One more through her nose, "In," exhale through her mouth, "out. In…out…in…in…out…better now?"

Andrew, having followed Seph's instructions, still barely managed a shaky nod. At least she was no longer shaking, and her pupils had settled for a normal size, but her eyes were still blazing with confusion and panic. Persephone still needed to do more to bring Andrew back to a safe emotional level.

So she tried menial questions.

"What year is it?"

Of course, that required Andrew to speak, and her new voice was nothing like her old voice.

"T-Two-thousand—"

She inhaled sharply, and almost began spasming, but Persephone was there, gripping her tightly.

"Shshshshsh," she said quickly, and it had the desired effect of slightly calming Andrew back down. "Try it again. Ready?"

A shaky nod.

"The year?"

"T-Two-thousand and seven…"

Tears pricked at Andrew's eyes as she heard her new voice, the realization that he was now a she truly setting in. Persephone decided that she needed to keep going. She needed to get Andrew grounded in reality and the both of them out of here first, let the emotions flow second.

"How old are you?"

"F-Fourteen."

"Good. When's your birthday?" Seph was actually curious as to what that answer was.

"Ju-Ju-July 12."

Seph nodded, and she thought about her next question. Asking about parents would most like spark a meltdown over how this gender-flip thing was going to have to be explained, she forwent those lines of questioning, and instead went with something more proactive.

"Do you know what we're doing in the Sea of Monsters?"

"G-Golden Fleece…"

"And we're rescuing…?"

"Grover."

"From?"

"Polyphemus."

Persephone smiled. "Great job!"

Andrew managed a small upturning of the lips at the praise.

"Now, we need to get out of this place, right?"

A small nod.

"So I need you to be strong for me right now. Can you do that?"

"I-I think so…" was the unsure response.

"Andrew." Seph stared hard into those frightened gray orbs. "I know you're going through a lot right now, but I need you to focus. Remember, we need to save Grover and get the Fleece from Polyphemus so we can save Camp and get Chiron back. We can't do that unless your fully confident in yourself."

"S-Seph—I'm—I'm a-"

"Yes, you are a girl, and there's nothing we can do about that right now. We need to get out of here and back on the water to get the Fleece. It's probably powerful enough to reverse this, but we won't know that until we get it, and we won't be able to get if we're stuck here. So, I hate to be that guy, but… _suck it up and move your ass!_ "

That got Andrew moving. She bolted off the couch and practically body slammed Persephone into the ground, her eyes wide with sudden energy.

"Well, alrighty then," Seph blinked.

Andrew blinked too, and got off her friend. "Uh, sorry."

"No, it's fine. Better now?"

"I'm going to freak out when we get out of here."

"Fair enough. Now, how are we going to get out of here…?"

Seph went for the window and looked outside. There was a marina down there, with a number of yachts, boats, sailboats, and- _bingo_. Seph didn't know why she felt it, perhaps it was just the sea in her blood, but she just felt drawn to _that_ ship. She also knew that, despite its size and make, she could sail it without a problem.

The real problem was getting down there without having to fight an army of angry magic people…well, the ground below this window was actually a lagoon, so…yeah.

Persephone turned around, noted with some relief that Andrew was merely watching her with rapt attention instead of having a meltdown, and located the heaviest thing in this room that she could lift. It was the average lounge chair. She went over and picked it up.

"Uh, Seph? What are you doing?"

The daughter of Poseidon promptly hurled the chair through the window.

Andrew gaped.

Seph turned and looked at her with the dopiest grin. "Let's go!"

"Out the window!? Are you insane!?"

"What? There's nothing but water down there."

"We've got to be, like, ten stories high!"

"I fell from the St. Louis Arch, remember? Pretty sure that was higher than ten stories."

"But I'm not a child of Poseidon!"

"Oh, stop your whining and put your big girl pants on. You'll be fine."

"My big girl pants!?"

"Oh, for the love of-"

Persephone stormed forward, wholly ignored Andrew's complaints and flails, hoisted the girl over her shoulder (wow, she was light), and dove out the window, miraculously avoiding banging Andrew's head on anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown_

The Fates face-palmed in unison.

Damn brat didn't feed the guinea pigs the multivitamins, which meant that Black Beard didn't go on a rampage, which meant that Hylla and Reyna weren't captured, which meant that the daughters of Bellona wouldn't be captured and trained to fight, which meant that they wouldn't become the Queen of the Amazons and Praetor of New Rome, respectively, which meant there would be a lot of problems down the line.

Oh well, nothing a little divine influence couldn't fix.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the room that the two girls had just busted out of, the bottle of all-important multivitamins shimmered into existence above the guinea pig crate. The cap was twisted off, the bottle was turned upside down, releasing its entire contents down into the guinea pig cage. The guinea pigs proceeded to feast on the gummies. In a flash of light, the cage exploded, and an entire crew of angry pirates was unleashed unto the world.

"Lads…let's go kick some ass."

"Yar!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Down below, Andrew came shooting to surface, coughing and spluttering, clothes matted to her body. Persephone was already standing on the dock, dry as a bone and grinning like mad.

Andrew glared with feminine fury. "You butt!"

The daughter of Poseidon just grinned cheekily, and decided to make light of the situation in an effort to keep Andrew focused on the here and now. "I made you wet~."

Andrew blinked, unfamiliar with the connotation behind the phrase. Yes, she was wet, because she had just taken an impromptu bath, but it was clear that Seph was talking about some other kind of wet—Andrew blushed furiously.

"Pervert!"

Seph just snickered, before stomping her foot. Andrew came shooting out of the water, perfectly dry, and landed on the dock. She glared. "You're still a butt."

"Yep! My butt is pretty nice, ain't it?"

"Isn't!"

"Whatever, grammar Nazi. Come on, we need to leave."

"Yeah, and which of these boats do you know how to drive?"

"This one!"

"Wha—Seph, you need a whole crew to sail this kind of ship-!"

"Anchor up! Release tops, gallants, royals, studs! Full sail!"

Andrew just stared dumbly at the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ as she came to life, obeying each and every one of Persephone's commands. In no time at all, the massive Man-O-War was sailing strong in the open waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and Circe's Island was quickly becoming a speck in the distance.

Persephone touched Andrew's arm after making sure the ship would keep on course. "You can let it now." Andrew hesitated, and Persephone saw this and said, "It's not good to keep all of that bottled up, you know."

Andrew sighed. "I know, it's just that there's…nothing to bottle. It's all gone now. I feel okay, like—like it's always been this way. I think the potion just needed time to fully get me acclimated to _these_."

Andrew gripped her breasts. She let go and sighed again. She looked at Persephone with eyes that weren't dead, nor were they full life of life; they were the eyes of a beaten soul that had accepted its fate, yet still hoped for something to come along and change that fate.

"Do you think the Fleece can reverse this?"

"If it can save the Camp and make satyrs think it's Pan, then it can reverse some witch's curse."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we get one of the gods to change you back."

Andrew snorted. "Yeah, because they're all so eager to help us half-bloods out when we need it."

Seph was unshaken. "We _will_ get them to change you back. And if it not us, then Percy will."

Andrew raised a brow. "What makes you think your brother would do that?"

"I'm his big sister. He has to do what I tell him," was the matter-of-fact response.

"Right, because prior evidence suggests that he's totally willing to do what anyone tells him to do."

"Oh, if the Fleece can't do it, and the gods won't do it, I will find a way to get Percy to get the gods to change you back…I swear it on the St-"

Andrew dove forward, clamping her hand over Persephone's mouth before the oath could be finished. "Don't! Don't make a promise you might to be able to keep, especially on the Styx!"

Seph moved the hand away from her mouth, an irritated look on her face. "Why wouldn't I be able to get Percy do that for you?"

Andrew looked pleading. "Forgive me for not having as much faith in your brother as you do."

"Are you saying he's the bad guy?"

"Not necessarily the _bad guy_ ," Andrew chose her words very carefully, "but he's not exactly the _good guy_ either."

"He's an anti-hero," shrugged Seph. "He's on his side, not the Titans, or the Olympians."

"And that's why everyone's so afraid of him. He's a wild card. Unpredictable, uncontrollable—"

"By you and everyone else, you mean."

"And you too. You think he'll listen to you any sooner than he'll listen to Lord Zeus?"

Persephone just smiled a smile filled with so much confidence and laid-backness and easy-goingness, that Andrew paused and began to think that her friend knew something she didn't.

"None of you know Percy like I do, Andrew. You didn't spend nine months alone with him in our mother's uterus."

"Just because you're twins, doesn't mean you can read his mind…can you read his mind?"

Persephone shrugged and grabbed the wheel. "Haven't tried. Anyway, we're about a hundred nautical miles away from Polyphemus' island, and at the speed we're going, we'll be there in the morning. Since you're gonna be a girl for a bit, have any questions?"

Andrew blinked, caught flat-footed with this turn of events.

"Come on, there's bound to be _something_ you want to know about girls. Perfect time to ask."

"Um, okay…why do I have a permanent wedgie?"

"Probably has something to do with the underwear you're wearing."

"Well, yeah, I figured, but I can't, uh-"

"Dig it out?" Seph asked casually.

Andrew blushed at the crude terminology. "Y-Yeah, I can't dig it out."

"Have you checked what kind you're wearing?"

"Um, no."

"Perfect time then. Let's see 'em."

Andrew squawked. "You want to see my underwear!?"

"Kind of have to if you want to know why you can't dig that wedgie out."

"I can find out myself, thank you very much!"

"Right, just because you can see what you're wearing doesn't mean you know what it is. Do you know the difference between briefs and bikinis?"

"I thought bikinis were something girls wore on the beach?"

"Well, you're not wrong, but I'm talking underwear."

"Then no."

"Oh, what about boyshorts?"

"What?"

"Tangas?"

"Um…"

"Hipsters?" Seph grinned.

"No…"

"Cheeksters?"

"…"

"How about the difference between a thong and a G-string?"

Andrew exploded.

"WHY DO GIRLS HAVE SO MANY KINDS OF UNDERWEAR!?"

Persephone giggled. "Not a clue. Have I made my point?"

"…fine." Andrew bunched up her dress and lifted it, her face burning.

Seph hummed, "Okay, turn around." Still looking feverish, Andrew did a quick 180 turn. Seph hummed again. "Okay, you can put your dress down now."

With an audible sigh of relief, Andrew did just that and faced her friend. "Well?"

"It's a thong. Unless you're gonna go commando, there's no way you're _not_ going to have a wedgie—and _no_ , I am not trading underwear with you. That is gross."

"Don't we have bags with clothes in them?"

"Pretty sure we lost those when we fought Charybdis and Scylla-"

Persephone suddenly realized that, in all of the hecticness of the day, that two very important people to the quest had not been present the entire time.

"Where's Clarisse and Tyson?"

Andrew paled, seemingly realizing the same thing. "I don't know."

The daughter of Poseidon swallowed hard. "They-They probably just washed ashore somewhere else, on some other island." She faced the horizon, and Andrew could tell she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "Yeah, and we'll find them, after we get the Fleece. Heck, they're probably there right now, heh heh."

Andrew put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We're going to find them. I promise."

Seph nodded stiffly. "Without a doubt."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sunset came, casting the colors of orange and blue and pink across the sky. Of course, with the passing of time, came the body's natural needs. Persephone was hungry, had been since the island, but apparently Andrew had been fed. That, or her stomach had been magically filled.

Bottom line, the new girl was not exactly comfortable right now.

"Uh, Persephone, I uh, I, um…Ineedtogotothebathroom."

Andre was blushing up a furious storm as she twiddled with the end of her dress, her other arm cross behind her back to grip her opposite elbow. If Seph wasn't ten kinds of confused over what had just been said, she would've found this little display kind of cute. As it stood, however…

"Let's try that again, only much slower this time."

Andrew coughed into her first. "I need…to go…to the bathroom…"

Seph's mouth fell open in an 'oh.' At first she was confused over why this was a problem, then she remembered that the girl before her had no idea how to the bathroom like a girl, and on this ship, had no idea where _to go_ to the bathroom. First things first, then.

"Number 1 or 2?"

"…both."

"Ah. Okay, you're going to have bunch your dress up as much as you can, and you're probably going to want to take your underwear off too, just in case, so that nothing happens to them. At the head of the ship, below the bowsprit, are a couple of things that are kinda like prototype toilets."

"And toilet paper?"

Persephone thought for a bit, then she tore her own shirt apart, turning it into a crop top that was otherwise provocative. "Here. This should be good. Just throw it overboard when you're done."

Andrew accepted the offered material, but hesitated.

"You'll be fine," Seph offered. "Boy and girls all do the same thing."

"Girls menstruate."

"…fair enough, but still. I guess the only difference is that girls can't aim. So good luck with that."

Andrew snorted as the poor attempt at humor.

"First time going to the bathroom as a girl…wish me luck."

Persephone gave a cheesy thumb-up. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Because Andrew had no idea what she was doing, she elected to take off both her underwear and her sandals, just in case. She found the place Seph was talking about, and was a little apprehensive. Understandable given that she had never done this before, especially considering that the head was not a closed off area, but was open to the sea spray.

With a deep breath, Andrew eased herself down, making doubly sure her dress was nowhere near her bottom, and that her panties and sandals were in both of her hands so that they would also be spared from a potentially dirty fate.

Letting go of that breath, Andrew allowed her sphincters to relax…and she couldn't help but cringe. The back was nothing new, but the front was strange. It didn't just _leave_ , it trickled down over her nether regions and got her skin wet due to the downward pull of gravity.

This was _so gross_.

Although, Andrew would've been just fine with this if she knew that the next to happen was that the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ would hit a wave just right to where it made her go flopping off the 18th century toilet…not yet done with her business.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Persephone hit that wave and the ship shuddered, she immediately knew that she had just screwed Andrew over, granted she wasn't already done with the toilet. Dread and guilt set in as the blonde came up from below deck, face red and tear-stained, dress discolored.

"Oh no," Seph muttered, feeling terrible.

She quickly abandoned the wheel, hopped over the railing, landed in a roll, and sprinted across the deck. She hugged Andrew tightly. The blonde sobbed into her chest.

"Shhhh," Seph said softly, rubbing her friend's back. "Shhhh. It's just an accident, no harm done."

"T-The w-wave," Andrew sobbed, "a-and I f-fell off-f—and I wasn't—I wasn't-"

"It's okay, Andrew, it's okay. That was your first time, the boat rocked, it's not your fault. That's they're called accidents."

"But I'm _thirteen_ , not _three_!"

"And? There are adults that have to wear diapers because they have accidents."

Andrew stamped her foot, still being held by Seph. "That's _medical_ , they can't help it. I _can_! I've been potty trained since was two! And I just—and I just-"

Persephone bopped her on the head, which got her to stop sobbing. For now.

"Cut that out, okay? You wet yourself, that's not the end of the world. Besides, you were a boy this time yesterday, so I would've been more surprised if you _didn't_ end up with an accident. On top of all this, it could've been much worse. You could've pooped yourself too, and then we'd have a real problem on our hands. Now stop crying, and let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

"O-Okay," Andrew said, drying her eyes.

"Arms up."

The girl did that, and did not expect for Persephone to suddenly lift her dress off her, leaving her bare to the world save for a white bra.

"What are yo doing?"

"Cleaning your dress. Where are your sandals and underwear?"

"Back at the head…"

"Well, go get them. I'll clean your dress. Oh, did you wipe already?"

Andrew blushed. "Y-Yes."

Seph nodded. "Good. Then go get your stuff."

Andrew toddled off, putting her hand over her butt like that meant something to Persephone. The daughter of Poseidon went to the railing of the ship, and held the soiled dress overboard. The sea water rose and swallowed the garment, while a bit splashed on Persephone too, as an impromptu shower of sorts. She held her hand out, and the dress returned to her grasp, clean as when Circe first put it on Andrew.

Gotta love the power to clean clothes by using water to suck up all the dirty stuff.

Persephone heard the familiar thumping of feet across the deck, and turned to see Andrew, using her hands to cover her chest and crotch, even though both places were covered by bra and panties. Sea green eyes were rolled. Still, there was an opportunity for fun.

Seph poked Andrew's chest, causing her to squeak and flinch. "Hey!"

The sea princess snickered with a triumphant grin. "Mine are bigger~," she sang.

Andrew flushed. "Yeah, well, mine just haven't grown in yet, that's all!"

"Really? You want some big boobs?"

"Yes—I mean, no—I mean…my head hurts. I need a hug."

The blonde promptly buried her face in Seph's admittedly bigger chest, mentally worn out from this day's events. Persephone just patted her friend on the back, offering all the comfort she could in this situation. Honestly, what were you supposed to do in a situation like this?

You and your friend get separated on an island resort of magical bitches, your little brother has to break you out of their spell, and when you get back to your friend, you find them as a girl in a dress with a witch standing over them. Then, after escaping the witch, your now-girl friend had to go to the bathroom for the first time with their new plumbing, only to end falling off the toilet and finish their bathroom break all over their dress.

Seph gave Andrew a squeeze, the universal message for 'separation time.'

"Come on, you can't walk around in just your underwear. Arms up." Like before, Andrew raised her arms, and Persephone bunched up the dress and slid it over her friend, nice and easy. "There we go."

"I'm cold."

Andrew pressed herself into the daughter of Poseidon. Seph just accepted this as it was, that he friend was emotional exhausted, and just needed the comfort of someone's company. With only one other person around, Seph felt it her responsibility to be that source of comfort. It's what she would've done for Percy if he was in Andrew's shoes, or Nico, or Bianca, hell, even Thalia.

Having the body you've grown up with suddenly switched to the opposite gender on you had to be indescribable. Persephone could only imagine that it was like waking up in someone else's skin, bereft of your own being—of your own _person_.

"Seph…?"

"Hm?"

Andrew pulled away from the embrace slightly, and she looked equal parts pained and apprehensive.

"I, uh…we're friends, right?"

"Last I checked, yeah. Best friends."

"Me being a girl hasn't…it hasn't _damaged_ our friendship, has it?"

"I don't think so." Persephone had no idea where this was going, but if it led to another hugging session, she would be there for Andrew.

The new girl bit her lip, fidgeted, then closed her eyes and sighed. She muttered, "Mother, I'm sorry," so quietly that Seph almost didn't hear it. Andrew's eyes opened, and they were hard with determination yet blazing with terror all the same. "Then this will probably destroy it completely."

"What are—mm!"

Andrew kissed Persephone full on the lips with everything that she had.

Shock and confusion caused the sea princess to stand stunned as she was kissed—by Andrew! By a girl! —and these few moments of inactiveness were enough to shatter the daughter of Athena's remaining emotional barriers.

She pulled away, her lower lip trembling, her eyes threatening to spill over.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—your father—my mom—you're a girl—I'll just—I'm sorry…"

Andrew fled, glistening water trailing from her eyes.

Persephone stood there, not sure what to make of what had just happened. A hand dazedly rose to her mouth, where the phantom sensation of Andrew's soft lips still lingered. She could still taste her too, whether it was some flavored lip gloss or lipstick from Circe, or just Andrew's natural flavor, Seph could still taste the girl.

She tasted like blueberry muffins.

While the daughter of Poseidon didn't know if that was a good thing, with her feminine knowledge actually rather limited as she was rather tomboyish in nature, she did know that her friend had just made a move—a confusing one—and had received a message that basically boiled down to 'get the hell away from me!'

At least, that's how Persephone viewed.

How Andrew viewed it was unknown to her, but what was known was that the already-emotional girl was now even more damaged, most likely crying her eyes out, and could possibly be contemplating suici-

Persephone bolted after Andrew.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The daughter of Poseidon found her target sitting curled up against the main mast below deck. She had no idea how to sit with that dress, and she flashed the entire world, but she most likely didn't care. Her knees were to her chest, her arms held her knees, and her head was buried in the space created.

She wasn't shaking or shuddering, so that could be taken as either she was sleeping or she had shut down.

Either way, Persephone sat down next this poor angel, put her arm around her shoulder, and drew her close.

"I always had a crush on you, you know," Andrew said quietly. "When you first arrived, carrying Grover on your back, I started crushing on you. I volunteered to take care of you when you were unconscious. I got crap for it, just the typical jeers and taunts, with some people joking about how I would have to be the one to change your diapers."

"Gross."

"Yeah…then you woke up, and I had to keep my distance, especially after you were claimed by Lord Poseidon. I couldn't let anyone know I was still crushing on you. Then you got that quest, and I wanted to go _so badly_ just to make sure you got back safe, but you ended up saving me more than I saved you."

Persephone remained silent, content with letting Andrew tell her story.

"When we went down into the Underworld, almost losing Grover to Tartarus, I was more scared then than I ever was on the run with Luke and Thalia, but you…I know you were scared, but you did a better job than I did hiding it. Then we went up and met Ares on the beach. Watching you fight him, watching you fight a god, was so amazing. And you actually made him retreat too.

"When you got back to Camp, I wanted…I wanted to ask you out, but I just couldn't work up the nerve. I didn't tell anyone either, so I didn't get any help from any of my sisters, but I think they figured it out anyway. They just didn't say anything. Then Luke happened, and we had to separate for an entire year.

"When I came back to New York to see you, I finally had it all laid out. A schedule, an itinerary, and even a backup plan if things didn't go right. But, the giants, then Chiron leaving, this quest, and then there's what happened at Circe's, with me getting turned into a girl. You though, you were there for me, holding me, hugging me, helping me cope and get through this…I just thought that maybe, you liked me better like this, so I…I…I'm sorry, if I just destroyed our friendship. It's okay if you don't want to be around me anymore."

Andrew tried to slide away, but Persephone held strong, not letting go.

"You think just because you kissed me I hate you?"

She didn't answer, but her eyes told the truth.

Persephone lightly bopped her on the head. "You're so stupid, Wise Girl. You just surprised me. It's not every day a pretty girl just kisses you."

"Girl?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay. It got me a bunch of hugs from you. Worth it~," Andrew sang only half-heartedly.

Persephone chuckled at the weak joke. "So…I'm free Friday."

Andrew sat up real fast. "What?"

The brunette shrugged. "I said I'm free on Friday. Still got that itinerary?"

Andrew smiled as a tear trailed down her cheek. "Got it memorized. Wait—what will your mom say?"

"She'll be excited."

"And your dad?"

"Away on an extended business trip overseas."

Andrew gave a very unladylike snort, then she gained a truly apprehensive look. "And your brother?"

"In Japan as a foreign exchange student."

Andrew snorted again. "Funny, but…what will they really say?"

"Well," Persephone looked thoughtful. "Mom will be just fine. Dad will probably just be mad that I'm with a child of Athena than anything else. And Percy…I can't give you an honest answer."

"That's reassuring."

"Better than outright saying he's gonna kill you though, right?"

"I guess…do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

" _That_."

Persephone strained her ears, and sure enough, she heard it.

Singing.

 _Horrendous_ singing.

Sweet Christ, it sounded like these peoples' vocal chords had been removed, saw into pieces, put through a blender, given to angry snapping turtles, then used in a tug-of-war game between elementary school students, then they were given to Percy to use as garrote wire, before being put back into a blender and crappily sewn together before being put back into these peoples' throats.

Andrew seemed to like it though. Her eyes were glazed over and she was clearly hypnotized.

"Uh, Andrew?"

"…"

The daughter of Athena just walked up the stairs to the topside deck, and Persephone followed suit, wondering what on earth was going on. It was night now, with a half-moon shining above the calm waters of the Sea of Monsters. The source of the singing made Persephone gag.

There, lounging on a bunch of rocks, was a group of mutated sea slugs dressed in lingerie with probably ten pounds of make-up on their oozing faces. And the blonde girl decided it would be a good idea to jump off the deck and dive into the water.

Persephone's eye twitched. "Oh, for the love of-"

She stomped her foot, and Andrew came shooting back out of the water, only this time she was held tightly in a tube of water that left her head free but kept her body restrained.

"Cannons ready!" Several gun ports opened, and just as many cannon barrels slid out into the open, each one gleaming and shiny as new. "Fire!"

The night was split by the sounds of twenty guns going off simultaneously, spitting fire and metal. Rocks crumbled to pieces and the mutated sea slugs were reduced into fine red mist. Persephone sighed in contentment. That had been satisfying.

With a bit of will, the water holding Andrew dropped her, and flew back to the Sea of Monsters.

The blonde groaned from her spot on the deck.

"Were those the Sirens?" Seph asked.

"Yep…ow. Did you have to drop me so hard?"

"Had to make sure you were free from their influence."

"Well," Andrew sat up and cracked her back, "it worked. Were you serious, about Friday?"

"Absolutely."

Andrew smiled, a true, happy smile that made Seph smile back at her.

"You know," the blonde said, "right now, I don't think Andrew's appropriate for me anymore."

Seph raised a brow. "You want to change your name? I thought you wanted to be a boy again."

"About that, well…being a girl, it's…it's not so bad, I guess. I'll just have to get used to sitting down to pee, and having a period, but…being a girl got me—it got me a date with you, so…that's sounds bad. It makes it sound like I want to stay a girl just because it got you to go out with me. I'm sorry, that sounds really rude."

Persephone put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "We come from a weird family. I don't think genderbending is going to twist anyone's panties too much, for those that do get butt-hurt, they can come kiss my ass."

"You really mean that?"

Persephone kissed Andrew on the lips. Nothing major, just a quick peck, but to the blonde, it might as well have been a supernova for all the impact it just had on her.

"Every word."

"You know, I just realized something."

"What?"

"We're both girls, right?"

"Yeah."

"And we've kissed each other, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"And we're going on a date this Friday, right?"

"Yes."

"We're gay."

Persephone blinked. "Huh, guess you're right. We are gay."

"Does that…bother you any?"

"Nope. Mom never took me to church and I never read the Bible, so I wasn't really exposed to all that anti-gay stuff. Besides, we're Greeks. There's so much gay stuff in our family, it's unreal."

"Yeah, but that was all between gods and stuff, never any goddesses."

"Never _recorded_ that there were any gay goddesses. There were probably lots that just never got their stories told."

Andrew smiled. "Then we'll be the first."

"We're not goddesses though."

"Eh, we're close enough."

Persephone grinned, and hugged her girlfriend. When they separated, she asked, "So, if Andrew's not a good name for you anymore, what is?"

The blonde smiled softly. "Dad always said that if I had been a girl, he would've called me Annabeth. I think I like it."

"I _love_ it. Nice to meet you, Annabeth Chase. My name's Persephone Jackson." Annabeth smiled.

This would be a good life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two girls arrived at the Island of Polyphemus, and found it lustrous and covered in green. They ditched the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ , and scaled the rock cliff, with Persephone going up first so that she wouldn't have to look up Annabeth's dress the entire time.

Annabeth was thankful for her girlfriend's courtesy.

Topside, they found a grassy field, and heard something really big talking about sheep coming from below. Looking over the cliff, they saw a giant cyclops tending to a heard of rather large sheep, along with a tree that a golden goatskin hanging from it.

The Golden Fleece.

The two girls decided to rescue Grover first, so they scaled down the rocks and tried to move this really big boulder, to no avail. However, Annabeth was still a child of Athena, and accepting both her new gender and sexuality gave her mind that clarity it needed to invoke that advanced intellect. When the sheep came back and Polyphemus moved the boulder, one of the sheep seemed to gain weight for no apparent reason.

Then Polyphemus had an altercation with his old pal Nobody.

Inside the cave, Persephone found Grover and Clarisse, freed them, gave a watered-down version of recent events, omitted her new gay status for later, and made haste back out the cave, just in time to see Polyphemus drop Annabeth on her head from what was probably twenty feet in the air.

While Grover and Clarisse had been briefed on Andrew's new female status, they were still stunned still, which gave Persephone ample room to fly into a blind rage, slicing through both cyclops' Achilles tendons, bring him down to his face, and then end him by stabbing him through back of the skull and twisting viciously. There was so much golden dust.

With the bleeding from her head, the trio feared the worst, but Persephone had the idea of using the Fleece to heal her girlfriend, even though it may turn her back into Andrew. As it turned out, the Fleece didn't do that, whether it was because Circe's spell was too strong or there was outside influence of a (most likely) divine nature would never be answered, but the Fleece did heal Annabeth, which was all that mattered to Persephone.

When the blonde came to and was immediately brought into a deep kiss, Clarisse and Grover were gobsmacked. They recovered, with the satyr being happy that the two found love, and Clarisse now enjoying the supreme opportunity to relentlessly tease her two best frenemies with lesbian jokes.

With the Fleece in their possession and Polyphemus dead, nothing stopped the quest from making a beeline for the ocean…where they found Tyson the cyclops alive and well, much to Persephone's elation. Tyson explained how he had been unconscious for the longest time, dreaming of a person that looked a lot like his big sister.

When it was explained that Tyson also had a big brother, the cyclops exploded with joy.

It was unanimous to omit the fact that said brother was also a cold-blooded socio/psychopath that had a kill-count numbering in the many tens of thousands.

From the sea, many hippocampi came to the quest's aid, and Poseidon must have been feeling seriously generous, because when the magical horses dove under, shot forward, and resurfaced, they were at Long Island Sound.

The Golden Fleece did indeed revitalize Camp Half-Blood.

Persephone found Bianca and Nico, and asked where Tantalus was. Her answer was a pair of matching creepy grins that spoke volumes of the amount of pain the one-time camp head was in. And Persephone channeled her inner-Percy by not giving a single a fuck about that.

The newest additions to the strange myriad of Grecian sexuality never blatantly came out and said 'we're gay!' but their constant company and hand-holding was clue enough as it was. The Camp took Annabeth's new gender identity remarkably well, all things considered, but when you're backed by both the whole Athena cabin and Poseidon's daughter you _did not_ outright say anything negative.

Behind closed doors and in private, sure, but not out in the open. There were those that judged, there would always be those that judged, but the judges here had enough respect and decency to keep their comments and opinions to themselves. Much drama was avoided this way.

Eventually, the fabled Friday rolled around, and Persephone and Annabeth got special permission from Chiron to have their date in the city. Argus was their chauffer and chaperone, of course, and the girls' first stop was the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Sally's apartment.

"Wait out here. I'll call you in when I've diffused the bomb."

"I thought you said your mom would be fine with us."

"She probably will, but I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

"Freaking out is more like it. I know she's my mom and everything…but still. All I keep hearing about is parents getting mad about their kids coming out."

Annabeth grabbed her girlfriend's shoulders, and pulled her into a kiss. When she separated, she gave Seph a smack on the butt.

"Be confident. Your mom is going to be ecstatic. Now get in there and get the ball rolling!"

Seph nodded, now emboldened. Using her key, she opened the door and entered her apartment. Before she shut the door, she was on the receiving end of having her butt grabbed. Annabeth was grinning cheekily at her. Perhaps some of those male tendencies of playing literal grab-ass still lingered?

Anyway.

"Mom! I'm home!"

"Persephone! I thought you'd be at Camp! What are doing-pretty dress." The daughter of Poseidon snorted at her mother's sudden switch of gears.

Sally gushed. "Darling, you look absolutely wonderful. My goodness, what is the occasion?"

Now or never.

"I'm on a date right now-"

"Is it with Andrew? That boy from Camp?" Sally's eyebrows wiggled.

"Technically speaking, yes. There was a bit of a problem with Camp's borders, and we needed to take a trip out to sea, and a lot of things happened, and, well…Andrew's not her name anymore. Mom," Persephone took a really deep breath, "I'm-"

"Gay?" Sally grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Chiron called me about three days ago. Explained everything."

Persephone's jaw unhinged. "You're not mad?"

"Well, I am a little mad." The sea princess' face fell. "Because you haven't called Annabeth in here yet for pictures! Hurry up, child! You've got a date tonight, and I don't want to keep you, but I want pictures first! It's my baby's first date after all!"

was still trying to reboot.

"I don't…you're so… _huh_?"

Sally's exuberance became more lucid as she smiled serenely at her daughter. She walked over and hugged her child tightly, careful not ruin her hair, dress, or makeup.

"Sweetheart, you are my baby, and you will always be my baby. I'll love you no matter what, and that's a promise. If girls are what you like, then I'll be there to drive you and your girlfriend around whenever you need it. Just make sure I have some grandbabies to spoil in the future, kay?"

"Mom~!"

As far as parents went, Sally Jackson ranked amongst the most loving, tolerant, and supportive on the face of this fictional earth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown_

"We have a problem sisters," Clotho intoned. "There is a aberrancy coming this winter."

"The events commonly referred to as the _Titan's Curse_ ," said Lachesis. "In which Perseus must hold the sky long enough for Artemis to outwit Atlas."

"And even then," spoke Atropos, "he barely succeeds. There are so many in which he barely succeeds."

And then the cycle of speakers began anew.

"And so many in which it is child's play. The Leviathan could bench press the sky for days on end and not break a sweat."

"Indeed. However, in this current dimension, there is no Perseus Jackson, there is only Persephone."

"Yes, a girl. Unfortunately, even with her status as one of the most powerful half-bloods alive, she is still burdened with the limits of the female body. Even for the scant few seconds required for the sky, she will not be able to do it."

"Still, this is why he exists. We gave him to Susano'o to make him powerful. The challenges that lie ahead will be nothing to him."

"Yet the chaos he will cause by simply _breathing_ in this dimension will cause a host of problems in the future."

"Ah, but he is intelligent, more so than his sister, more so than Athena's children, perhaps even more so than Athena herself. He will have a plan, many plans, and many more…" Atropos grinned, as did the other two.

Quoth the Fates, "Time to initiate the Backup Plan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Northern Maine_

 _Near Westover Hall_

 _Late December_

In the snow covered ground and forest of Maine, there was a small, minute, unnoticeable flash of light. There was no great burst of power, no spike in energy, nothing to alert gods and monsters and mortals alike to the brief flash of light. However, despite its briefness, it carried with it an impact more devastating than all extinction events this Earth had ever seen _combined_.

A figure in a high-collared black cloak with long sleeves, decorated with sparse red clouds, stood silently in the snow, a cigarette burning idly in the mouth, the top of their face hidden by a conical straw hat that was adorned with paper streamers and single, dangling bell.

Then the figure spoke.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Cue maniacal laughter.**_

 _ **Shit just got real, ladies and gentlemen. After twenty long months of writing, we have finally reached the first critical point of this story. Oh, God, this is going to be so much fun. I'm going to have so much fun. You guys are going to have so much fun.**_

 _ **Let us kick off this monumental event with a stream of Favs, Follows, and Reviews.**_


	45. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 1

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 1_

 _ **I've waited so long for this, it's unreal. I've been fantasizing about this since way before chapter one, way before I even started writing. An OP, cold and badass Percy coming and whipping ass, and taking no shit from anyone, and manhandling the gods and everything.**_

 _ **Oh, this is going to be fun.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Northern Maine_

 _Near Westover Hall_

 _Late December_

Shin'en was annoyed.

He and Kisame had been busy—actually, they were right in the middle of something. The Akatsuki Swordsmen had been on their way to investigate rumors circulating around the Land of Grass about some wish-granting box that had mysteriously disappeared. Pain hadn't ordered that of course, it was Shin'en wishing to discover what this box truly was so that he may decide whether it was worth adding to his list of backup plans in the event that his illusions failed him that spawned this investigation.

The box wasn't the first thing the Akatsuki Swordsmen had investigated under the guise of performing a bounty mission. They had heard of a chakra-enhancing meteor in the Hidden Star Village; they went there, snuck in, and almost took the meteor for themselves, but Shin'en happened to overhear a few Star ninja talking about how the meteor's radiation caused multiple degrees of organ failure.

Shin'en had enough bodily problem already; he did not need organ failure.

He and Kisame put the rock back where they found it.

More time passed, with the Akatsuki Swordsmen doing menial work, collecting bounties, curbing insurrections, quelling rebellions, inciting revolutions, some assassinations here and there, a few escort missions, and a burglary of over a billion ryō. Let it not be said that the Akatsuki was an organization of poverty.

Then the Abyss and the Shark caught wind of something called Gelel…and they investigated. At first, it seemed like a dream come true. Full power right at his fingertips, just take a stone and stab it into himself. Then Shin'en learned that the stones were made from the dead bodies and souls of people. That actually wasn't the problem; the problem was that said materials used for the made stones were from orphaned children.

Shin'en had few morals, and fewer lines he wasn't willing to cross; orphan children were one of them.

Using a new jutsu derived from his Kura Okami, the Kura Okami: Blastwave—in which it was the same jutsu only expelled in a manner similar to Pain's Almighty Push—Shin'en froze the Gelel vein, and watched with a certain degree of satisfaction as it shattered into billions of little pieces.

There were some other things on Shin'en's list of potential power-ups that he intended to investigate, such as the Hidden Waterfall's Hero Water, the Ley Line under the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind, and the ruins of the Hidden Eddy Village in the Land of Whirlpools. However, he first wanted to take care of this magic box.

Which was the source of annoyance.

Shin'en was not a fool, and he had paid attention during geography class during his few years at the Hidden Cloud Academy. He and Kisame had been in the Land of Grass, about a day's travel from the Blood Prison. Even though it was winter there, the Land of Grass was called such for a reason. It did not have dense forests of trees, least of all _pine_ trees, and the climate did not allow for temperatures _this_ low, and especially not _this_ much snow.

Factoring in the distinct lack of brimming energy in the atmosphere, the dirty air, the horrible smell, the dozens of teenage bodies about 450 meters to the north, and the unfamiliar ocean about 470 meters to the north (unfamiliar because there was only one available ocean in the Shinobi World, and Shin'en had been there; besides, the ocean ahead was very dirty), it was a safe bet that is was Persephone's world.

The _Greek_ world.

Although, the deciding factor was the foreign object twenty meters to Shin'en's right that went barreling past at a safe bet of fifty miles an hour, with four female bodies occupying the inside, three of which had the half-written blood of demigods.

And Shin'en knew what the bodies of Sally, Persephone, Bianca and Andrew felt like. Granted, Andrew was now Annabeth, but the only difference in their bodies was the extensive presence of estrogen and female reproductive organs. Ah, the beauty of hydro sensing acute enough to read a person's DNA.

But of that meant anything compared to Shin'en's annoyance.

He had been in the middle of something, dammit! Now he was just sucked into this dimensions via a flash of light after time stopped, with no clear way on how to get back, or why he was here. Bottom line, he was not staying in this world for any longer than he had to for a multitude of reasons, chief among them being he had other things to do in the Shinobi World.

Shin'en took a deep breath.

…

Okay, he was here now, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was in the Olympians' sphere of influence, and if they didn't already know he was here, they soon would, and that would lead to confrontation, and most likely vicious battle, because his dear uncle was a paranoid ass. However, Shin'en had ways of dealing with Zeus and significant others.

His experiment with Persephone was proof that he could use genjutsu on these chakra-less beings, so his Sharingan was going to be extra helpful in the coming days…hopefully just hours, or, by the grace of some other benevolent god, a few minutes. But, even in the event that his Sharingan could cover all of his back, he had other plans ready to be implemented.

 _He had plans already in place to be implemented._

Plans that had started the moment his extensive family all arrived en masse for the Chunin Exams.

If Zeus wanted to play hardball, he would find that Shin'en played to win, and made sure he was always the winner.

Besides, Shin'en knew what he was, he knew the purpose of his existence here. Just as the Titans overthrew the Primordials and the Olympians overthrew the Titans, so too would Shin'en overthrow the Olympians. He was their judge, their jury, and their executioner.

Right now though, he needed to move. It was not coincidence that he was summoned _here_ ; it was not coincidence that Persephone and others were _here_ ; and it was certainly not coincidence that Artemis and her handmaidens were 150 meters southwest of his location and steadily making their way for the ocean.

Something was up, and what Shin'en did not know, he quickly found out.

The S-rank shinobi dispersed into a flock of frigate birds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You girls be good now, okay?" Sally said. "If you need anything, just call and I'll here as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Mom. Love you!"

Sally smiled. "Love you too, sweetie. Annabeth, keep my baby out of trouble, alright?"

"Will do, Ms. Jackson," smiled the blonde.

Sally nodded. "Bianca, thank you for coming."

"Of course, Ms. Jackson. It's what I'm here for."

Sally smiled and nodded one more time, shared one last look with her daughter, and drove off.

Suffice to say, Persephone and Bianca were good friends now. The only reason they were at each other's throats in the first place was because Nico had been gay for Percy (which Seph was not okay with) and when she told the boy off Bianca was there to fulfill her role as big sister. However, with Nico being in a budding relationship with Will Solace, son of Apollo, there was no reason to be hostile, especially with Persephone being gay herself.

Although, while one could argue that the circumstances were different between the homosexuality of the daughter of Poseidon and the son of Hades, the bottom line was that the two parties had settled their differences and were content with being friends.

Now, if they could just get Thalia to get over her jealousy of Percy, and join the growing Big Three Club, life would be grand.

"Come on," Annabeth said. "Grover called us here for a reason, and there's a dance going on. Plus, it's cold out here."

"You're just looking for an excuse to grab my butt."

Annabeth promptly grabbed Seph's butt anyway, grinning the entire time. "I don't need an excuse to grab your butt."

"Then I don't need an excuse to touch your boobs." With that, Persephone promptly grabbed Annabeth's chest. "Mine are still bigger~."

Bianca sighed. "Children, please. This is not playtime. You can touch each other later, but for now, focus on the task at hand."

"Hey, Seph? I think someone's a little jealous she doesn't have someone to play with."

"I agree. Should we play matchmaker? There's this really cute son of Hermes that's single~."

Bianca gave her friends a look so dry it could've put a desert to shame.

"Yeah, and I know this girl in Cabin 4 that's bi, if the Corpse Bride is looking for a little same-sex action."

Bianca blew a steady stream of air out of her nose, which turned to vapor as soon as it contacted the frigid air, creating a very interesting image. However, the dry look never faded nor ceased in dryness. If anything, it just seemed to get dryer. That look remained for so long that Annabeth and Persephone began to fidget in place.

"When I have a boyfriend, I will tell you, just for the satisfaction of you two not being able to play your matchmaker game anymore. Let's go."

Without another word, Bianca spun on her heel, and trudged up the stairs to the front doors of the castle-like boarding school.

Annabeth leaned into Persephone's ear, "She hasn't masturbated in a week, so she's a little tense right now."

The sea princess snickered.

Together the two girls followed after the daughter of Hades. Above them, unknown to them, crimson eyes watched this all unfold from beginning to present. If there was a silver lining to what the owner of these eyes thought, it was that at least the possibilities of their sister's lover getting her pregnant were now zero.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After dealing with a snarky old woman and a Frenchman that obviously some kind of monster, with help from Grover, the girls found themselves in the gym. Music blared loudly and it was difficult to see anything due to the piss poor lighting. The dance floor was crowded, yet there were enough cliques in the dark corners to occupy the entire area.  
"Who are we looking for!?" Bianca shouted over the music.

"A girl about ten years old! Kinda on the chubby side, glasses, tan skin!" Grover shouted back.

Four pairs of eyes scanned the crowds for the person of the satyr's description. Annabeth found her first, and pointed. "There!"

The others followed her finger to the topmost corner of the bleachers, in the shadows. The girl that Grover described was up there, wearing a casual green dress, sitting by herself, looking absolutely bored.

"What's her name!?" Annabeth asked.

"Meg McCaffrey! I think she's a daughter of Demeter!"

"How are we going to get to her!?" shouted Persephone.

The music changed, going from a bouncing rave song, to a slow dancing tune meant for couples to dance to with seriousness. Annabeth smiled. "We dance. Bianca, you're with Grover."

No one got a chance to argue as the daughter of Athena quickly grabbed her girlfriend's hand, and melded into the throngs. She put her hand on Persephone's waist, only to have jerked up to her shoulder.

"Uh-uh. I'm the man in this relationship."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

Annabeth barely kept her surprised squeak hidden when Seph roughly grabbed both her ass cheeks, and then smoothly slid her hand to Annabeth's waist, and extended her other hand to hold both their arms out.

"Told you I'm the man."

"I'm going to get you back for this."

"Good luck, Wise Girl."

"There's no such thing as luck, Seaweed Brain."

"Shut up and dance with me."

The girls fell silent with calm smiles on their face, and they casually danced their way through the crowd, stepping in perfect synch with the song. If anyone saw the two girls dancing with each other, they kept their comments to themselves. The song did come to an end eventually, and the two felt a mutual sense of disappointment.

They were enjoying that.

Annabeth promised they'd dance some more later after giving Seph a quick kiss. They looked up, and their jaws dropped at seeing Meg no longer up there. However, Seph just happened to look fast enough to see the girl and Dr. Thorn disappear out a side door.

She and Annabeth followed, seeing no time in trying to find Grover and Bianca in this massive group of bodies.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Long story short, Thorn was definitely some kind of monster, Meg McCaffrey had an attitude problem and knew about Greek gods and monsters, though not who her parent was, and had a couple of rings on her fingers. Thorn had access to poison knives or something, and he had grazed both Persephone and Annabeth. Currently, he was leading the three females out into the cold night and into the woods…for something.

While Annabeth was thinking of a plan to get them out of this without getting killed by Thorn, Persephone was busy trying to control water, without success. It was snow, dammit! Frozen water! It should not be this hard to control! But here she was, struggling, gut burning, and apparently with a look on her face, because Meg asked with clear derision, "Are you trying to crap yourself? Because it looks like you're trying to crap yourself, and that's gross."

Persephone abandoned the snow in favor of looking at the supposed daughter of Demeter. "No, I am not trying to crap myself."

"You sure?" Meg sniffed the air. "Smells like you succeeded."

"That would be your own personal atmosphere," Annabeth said.

Meg opened her mouth to retort, but the good doctor was not as obliging. "Quiet, all of you. Keep moving…"

He looked around with his mismatched eyes, searching for something, like prey making sure a predator wasn't near. The girls went marching through the snow once more, but Persephone decided to fish for information, and started with, "What'cha looking for? Scared something's following us?"

"Shut up, _putain_ , and keep moving."

"What did you just call me?"

Thorn bared his fangs. "Doesn't matter. Move!"

Persephone glared, but she did start walking again, as did Meg and Annabeth.

"You're lucky the General wants you alive, sea-spawn. Otherwise…well, there are other uses for half-bloods these days, with Great Stirring underway."

"The what?"

"The Great Stirring," Thorn grinned viciously. "Monsters are rising, child. The oldest, the nastiest, the most powerful. They can sense it, you know, the impending downfall of Olympus and subsequent rise of the true masters of this world."

"You mean the Titans."

"Indeed, but with so many monsters joining the ranks, that creates a lot of mouths to feed. That's why I suggest you consider yourself lucky the General wants you alive."

"And what about Annabeth and Meg? Does this General want them too?"

"I suppose he would let the… _thing_ of Athena live, most likely for entertainment due to your disgusting relationship. As for _this_ one, her uses go far beyond the both of you."

"Did you just me call me a thing? I am a girl, thank you."

"Right, and I'm a cyclops. Circe's magic or not, you were born male and chose to remain female. You need your head examined."

"Says the animal sneaking off into the woods at night with a bunch of girls fifty years his junior."

"Yes, because the several _thousand_ years old gods doing it is so much better."

"At least they do it with grown adults…most of the time."

"Yes," Thorn mocked. "Most of the time."

"Yes," Annabeth mocked right back. "Because the Titans are going to be so much more cordial when they sleep with someone."

Thorn gagged.

"Titans sleeping with mortals? That's even more of an abomination that whatever you claim to be! It will be a good day when my masters take this world back; won't be any of this homosexual and transgender nonsense that Zeus started because he was curious over what a man's anus felt like."

Before anything could be said on that little tidbit, the quartet reached a clearing in the woods. It was a cliff, covered in snow. The Atlantic churned below, yet it could not be seen, only heard. Persephone could sense its mighty presence down below, but it was just out of her hydrokinetic range.

She tried calling, but it was just too far away.

Thorn mistook her look for something else. "Yes, jump, daughter of Poseidon. The ocean is just down there…I'll kill you before you can step off the cliff. There are others than can be used."

Persephone glared at the monster. "What are you talking about?"

Thorn grinned. "That would be telling. Ah, our ride is here."

In the distance, out over the water, there was what appeared to be a moving searchlight, one that was steadily getting closer. Then the chopping of helicopter blades was heard.

"I do not like your benefactor, girl, and I imagine he will not be pleased with your little excursion, but I must admit…he has been a most wonderful ally."

Meg glared at the snow, leaving Persephone and Annabeth to share a look of mutual confusion.

Then the sound of reed pipes became clear, and little vines sprouted at Thorn's feet. Bianca was suddenly there, having melted out of the shadows, and she bull-rushed Thorn, tackling him to the ground. Persephone's Riptide and Tyson-made shield and Annabeth's knife and cap were out. The daughter of Hades was thrown off the monster, who stood up with a pissed off look on his face.

A tail had sprouted from under jacket, while his hind legs had morphed into something like a lion's, while his hands hand turned into fur-covered claws. With a sense of dread, the assembled demigods, sans Meg, realized that they were facing a manticore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _We all know how that song and dance went; Persephone and Bianca did not change a thing._

The half-bloods were all panting and beaten by the sheer might of the manticore. Meg had stayed out of the fight, thankfully, so there was one less thing to worry about since Thorn wasn't interested in attacking her. Still, that did nothing to lessen the grimness of the situation. Thorn and a military gunship—looked like a Blackhawk—on one side, black forest on the other.

Persephone looked at the helicopter, and her blood froze when she saw something that she hadn't been able to see before due to the chopper's distance and the previous battle. There, stabbed into one of the rocket rods, was a very out of place knife, one that had a piece of orange and red paper attached to the ring on the bottom of the hilt that danced wildly in the winds generated by the helicopter's rotor blades.

That kind of knife and that kind of paper only came from one place…

"Percy," Persephone breathed quietly, "he's here…"

Those next to her gave her confused looks. Thorn didn't hear her.

"Now, little heroes, do you see how hopeless it is? I'm stronger than all of you." The manticore grinned maliciously. "While there are more of you than expected, I'm sure the General will be pleased to have two daughters of the eldest gods in his company. Much more soft ground to land on if things go south—"

A hunting horn sounded in the distance, and all went still and silent, except for the helicopter.

A silver arrow suddenly sprouted from Thorn's shoulder making him howl and blind-fire his tail spikes by the dozens into the trees, only for more silver arrows to retaliate, intercepting and destroying the deadly barbs with insane accuracy. Persephone was still struggling to move on from the realization that Percy was somewhere nearby.

The Hunters of Artemis came stalking out of the woods, their goddess with them.

"Perfect," Bianca said, "Thalia's here."

Thorn glowered at the silver-eyed goddess. "Direct interference is against the Ancient Laws!"

"Not so," Artemis intoned calmly. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my domain, and you, foul creature, are most certainly a wild beast. Zoё, permission to fire grant-"

The goddess stopped dead when she saw the same thing Persephone had seen earlier. A foreign knife with a fluttering piece of paper tied to the ring on the knife's hilt. And then everything went…strange.

The sounds of the world went drastically different, the sounds of the helicopter blades becoming a dull thumping that was so muffled it was difficult to hear properly. The sounds of breathing practically vanished. The churning waves from below became all but silent. It was amazing what happened when you use the ambient water vapor to set up counter-vibrations to that of the airwaves, creating a sort of vacuum.

However, in this vacuum, there was a single sound that was heard loud and clear. Hissing, like that of a lit fuse quickly making its way to the explosives. All eyes were drawn to the sound, and they saw the knife, the piece of paper, and how the paper was quickly disappearing. It was recognized too late what was about to happen, and Artemis, a goddess, was too slow to react.

And a deadly voice intoned, _"Boom."_

The helicopter erupted in fire and shrapnel, however, with everyone's eyes closed and everyone tense and trying to dodge out of the way of the incoming debris, they were all highly confused when nothing came. Sure, they felt the shockwave and heard the soundwave, but there was no heatwave that came for them, and no deadly pieces of metal came flying to impale someone.

Actually, because of the explosion, there should have been a massive flash of light…there was no light period.

Eyes cracked open, and jaws promptly went slack as all present saw the massive wall of snow blocking the effects of the helicopter's demise, with Thorn on that same side. Everyone immediately looked at Persephone, all thinking along the lines of snow is frozen water, so she should be able to manipulate it, but the daughter of Poseidon was just as awestruck and confused as everyone else.

 _CRUNCH_

 _CRUNCH_

 _CRUNCH_

 _CRUNCH_

From out of the darkness of the woods, _he_ emerged. His body was hidden by the black cloak he wore, and his face kept in shadow by his straw hat. The sleeves of the cloak hid his hands and arms, but everyone saw the black staff in his left hand, and everyone knew that his right arm was covered in bandaged, with a red ring on that ring finger. His cloak was buttoned up, hiding his mouth, cheeks, and nose, but it was unbuttoned just below the waist, allowing the bottom half to calmly swish behind him as his open-toed sandals crushed the snow underfoot.

His head was raised enough to where his eyes would be visible, but only twin crimson beams shined from the depths of that endless void.

The Hunters, the half-bloods, Artemis, and Persephone—his own _twin sister_ —suddenly felt like they were a school of fish. A school that was swimming at the bottom of the ocean, where the pressure was devastating, the water beyond freezing, and the light nonexistent. They all felt like a great, unseen predator was swimming right through middle of their school.

A massive giant, hidden in darkness, one that knew exactly what it was doing, one that knew exactly what effect it was having on the tiny little fish, one that knew that if it wanted, it could open its all-encompassing maw and swallow all of them whole, and there wasn't a thing any of the tiny little fish could do about it.

The scariest part of this was the he wasn't even leaking any chakra, least of all Killer Intent. This was just the effect his mere presence had. This was the effect of him _walking_ through a crowd.

This unseen predator started circling around the school, and it set its invisible eyes on Annabeth.

 _He_ stopped walking right next the girl, his vermillion eyes belaying nothing, not even the direction in which he was looking.

"You may have Sally and Poseidon's blessing, but you do not have mine. Please, refrain from further groping my sister, and I shall refrain from peeling your epidermis from your underlying tissues while you are still conscious."

The predator continued circling, unseen, yet its presence was absolute and unyielding. It decided on a new target.

 _He_ stepped forward just a few scant feet, stopping next to the stunned sea princess.

"This is the second time we have met in person, and the second time I have arrived to see you in a lethal situation. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is stupidity. Fix it."

With that, this unseen behemoth of the depths calmly swam off in search of something else to terrorize. It found a manticore.

"Excuse me for a bit. I need to perform an interrogation."

The snow wall calmly returned to the earth, revealing that there was a smaller wall of powder shielding Thorn, and even a wall shielding Meg. Those walls also fell to the ground. The manticore blinked, and then he saw the red-eyed wraith slowly gliding towards him. He turned as white as the surrounding snow.

"N-No…y-you—you can't be—Lord Kronos…he said…he said…you were stuck…out of o-our w-way."

"Unfortunate. I'm strongly feeling in your way."

Thorn's terror collapsed into anger, and he screamed. Shooting as many spikes as he could, he peppered this abyssal nightmare with everything that he had, only for it all to pass through him with no effect. The world flashed white with _his_ silhouette being pure black. Thorn's spikes rendered holes through this shadowy wraith, allowing white to glare through, but each hole was quickly filled with ink.

In no time at all, this inhuman terror was standing above Thorn, crimson quasars peering into the manticore's soul and ripped him apart from the inside out.

"H-Help me…"

Amazingly, there was something there to actually help Thorn. In his terror, he had forgotten that Meg's benefactor had provided extra muscle, just in case, and the trigger phrase was 'help me.' The snow between this unnatural fiend and the Greeks erupted as four men, each over seven feet tall and absolutely ripped, wearing sparse clothing, and equipped with massive weapons.

Persephone was galvanized. "Look out, Percy!"

Her warning was unnecessary.

He calmly turned around, his cloak and hat still hiding anything but those two vermillion stars. The four giant men charged, all letting out war cries, and the snow attacked. A jet of snow shot straight up, splitting the first man right down the middle, spraying blood all over the world. A tendril of snow reach up from behind and grabbed the second man by the head, and crushed his skull. The third was engulfed in a white cloud, and was crushed in a way that would've had Gaara green with envy. The fourth and final man actually made it to the walking fiend, and got close to raise his oversized hammer.

The snow rose in defense of its master, engulfing the lower half of this foolish attacker. The snow shot into the air, connected to the ground to make a tendril. Another tendril rose up, and both constructs took shapes: serpentine dragons, with the man caught in the jaws of the first beast. He screamed as the second opened its maw and clamped down on him, but his screams ended when he was torn in half with a wet snap. The snow constructs collapsed, and gore littered the cliff.

 _No one_ had anything to say to this brutal display.

He hadn't even moved. Not a gesture, not a motion, not even a twitch, or even a slight movement of the head. _Not even the slightest hint at locomotion._

Thorn decided now was the perfect opportunity to make his exfil. He was so terrified he forgot to grab the sole reason he was even here, and just dove straight off the cliff. Or at least, he tried to. His tail was grabbed mid-flight, and he was thrown through the air, screaming. He slammed so hard into a tree trunk that all the snow on its branches came falling down at once, burying him up to his head in white.

It might've been funny in any other circumstance, but no one was laughing. They were all trying to simultaneously keep their dinners down and their pants dry. Not even Artemis, the eternal maiden goddess of the Hunt, the deity that had lived for four millennia, faced down hundreds of beasts and foes, and killed—nay, _slaughtered_ —too many men to count…could not ignore the feeling of impending oblivion.

 _Now_ the Abyss was leaking Killer Intent.

About five percent of it.

Thorn gasped and wriggled violently against the snow that covered him; the frozen water refused to budge. He was a cornered animal, plain and simple, his survival instincts demanding immediate action, no matter what it was. In his panic-stricken mind, he rationalized that if moving wasn't going to get him anywhere, then making enough noise might be enough to scare away to predator that was steadily coming for him.

So Thorn began screaming.

Screaming like a tortured man. Screaming like a dying animal. Screaming like a soul doomed for endless torture. Screaming like a lifeform being devoured alive. Screaming like a cornered rodent being stared down by an apex predator.

Then his screaming ended when the snow covered his mouth, allowing his nose room to inhale and exhale.

Twin planets of glowing blood looked down at the manticore from on high, and the beast felt his bladder release, but he was much too preoccupied with other things to care.

"We're going to play a game," spoke the Great Demon, with words sewn from liquid gold and breathed into life with a tongue of the purest silver. "The game is simple: I will ask a question, and you will answer. If you don't comply, I will hurt you. The game's winner is determined after I'm done asking questions."

The snow cleared from Thorn's mouth. "H-H-H-How d-d-d-d-do y-y-y-y—you w-w-w-win?"

The twin planets of glowing blood glowed brighter.

"By living through this."

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 _ **We hit 600 reviews, ladies and gents, and from here it only gets better.**_

 _ **Shin'en has officially made his entrance, and I believe I nailed it. Someone can argue though, I am sure.**_

 _ **Yes, I know the significance of Meg McCaffrey, and yes, I have a plan for it, do not worry.**_

 _ **The deal with Seph struggling with the snow and then Shin'en manhandling the snow was to show how monumental the difference in hydrokinetic prowess between the two of them is.**_

 _ **Next chapter is the Olympian council meeting of attempted execution, in which Shin'en will steamroll over the gods with Light Yagami-style efficiency and planning. It's going to be fun.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	46. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 2

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 2_

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This was all theatrics, of course. Just a show, just a display of power. Just a little act put on to send a message to these people: he was not to be toyed with. He would not be toyed with. He could _not_ be toyed with.

He knew that Zeus would demand his presence, and it would most likely be Artemis who delivered him to Olympus, if not a whole host of Olympians just to enforce compliance, but Shin'en was ready. He had been ready, since the very moment he entered this dimension. He was not about to be executed, and he for damn sure was not about to bow down to his paranoid fool of an uncle.

That was the whole point of _this_.

Blowing up the machine, the snow, the men, Thorn, all just a simple bit of theater. Well, not all of it was mere acting; most of this was actually real. They didn't need to know that of course, especially when Artemis herself looked ready crawl back to her mother for protection. She would be helpful during the incoming council meeting, with her sense of fear and trepidation making her a voice of reason on the council.

Still though, for all the precognitive dreams he had born witness to, for all of the knowledge of the future that he held, there were still a few details that were missing, such as what the General's plans were, where was he currently, who did he have with him, which of the emperors was Meg's benefactor. You know, the important stuff.

Questions that would be answered in time, of course, most depending on how much Thorn actually knew. While Shin'en could've very easily just use his Sharingan on the manticore and get what he wanted via genjutsu, but it all went back to making a statement.

"Who is the General?"

There was no inflection, change in pitch, shift in tone, nothing. Just a straight string of words that could've been just as easily mistaken for a statement as a question. The vocalizations came from the very back of Shin'en's throat, his maturing voice entering the airwaves as a commanding baritone that left room for no argument.

Of course, Shin'en already knew who the General was. He had known for years, actually, since he was a child experiencing dreams of the Titanomachy and Greek mythology in general…no pun intended. He even knew that the General's daughter was not fifteen feet away from him right now, staring at him with fear.

Thorn whimpered. "The G-General is-ahhh!"

The manticore seized up, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. When they rolled back out, his mismatched irises were gone, and only milky white pupils and irises stared at the world. An out of place grin found its way onto Thorn's lips. It was a sinister grin, a challenging one, and all it did was serve to make Shin'en's eye twitch.

"So, you've finally arrived. Kronos was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Shin'en hummed, undeterred by the possession. "The General, I presume."

"How astute."

"Are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to guess?"

Thorn's face was pulled into a tighter smile. "I'm afraid introductions will have to wait, child. Kronos wishes to extend the hand of alliance to you, and as he is currently in the process of reforming, it is I that act on his behalf. So what say you, child?"

"I refuse."

Thorn just laughed. "You say that now, child, you say that now. I'm curious, did you know that Zeus has ordered to be killed-"

"-on sight? Yes, he is quite unoriginal and fearful, just like his father."

The possessed Thorn didn't react to the jab at Kronos, but his smile did take on a more sinister appearance. "In time, you will come to see us as the right side of this war."

Shin'en leaned forward, and said in a voice so low that only Thorn could hear him.

"War implies both sides have an equal chance of winning. Against me, you'll find this not to be a war, but a one-sided annihilation. I'll be seeing you soon, Atlas."

Shin'en swiped his hand in a motion so fast not even Artemis saw the motion, only the result. Said result being Thorn's head erupting in an explosion bone fragments, gray matter, blood, eyeballs, teeth, skin, and hair. Three girls doubled over and were sick, while another's knees gave and she collapsed. The snow around her steadily turned yellow.

"Hmmm," Shin'en grunted. "It seems my interrogation skills have rusted through disuse. Oh well, I'm firm in the belief that they will return to me once I've gotten started on real flesh." He turned and looked directly at one Meg McCaffrey. "Thorn made mention of your benefactors, and how they were able to procure a mortal military-grade air vehicle. We're going to play the same game as with Thorn. I ask and you answer, or you hurt."

Shin'en was ready to have to do battle with those present, or at least shrug his way through the few who were galvanized to move for the simple reason of defending a child. However, it seems his killing of Thorn and miniscule output of chakra was keeping everyone rooted. Except for one.

His annoying sister spread her arms wide, standing in front of him.

"Step. Aside."

Persephone remained defiant. "No. I'm not letting you hurt a little girl."

"You assume I'm going to physically harm her."

She blinked. "You aren't…what?"

"She is weak-willed, mean-spirited, but weak-willed. I do not need my hands to get information out of this one, only my words."

"No."

Shin'en actually wanted real information out of little Meg, and he wasn't about to let his sister of all people stand in his way of getting what he wanted. And he knew exactly how to get her to move without even laying so much as a finger on her.

The demigod leaned in close the Persephone—he noted how they were the same height—and whispered in her ear, "I swear on the River Styx that if you do not cease to impede me from my interrogation, I will kill your inamorato."

A low rumbling of thunder sealed this oath, and Persephone gasped at what her little brother had just sworn to. She didn't know what 'inamorato' meant, but she was 100% sure he was talking about Annabeth. Her own sibling had just made an unbreakable vow to _kill_ her girlfriend if she didn't move out of his way…so that he could inflict massive psychological wounds upon a child.

Persephone did indeed step aside, basing her reasoning on that she loved Annabeth far more than she loved some girl she just met, one that had blatantly insinuated that she (Seph) was purposely pooping her pants, but even so. As her brother glided past, she gave the first glare she had ever given him.

The greatest irony to this whole situation was that inamorato meant boyfriend…something Persephone did not have…which meant that Shin'en's threat had been hollow as a dry bone. But Seph didn't need to know that.

Shin'en didn't feel like wasting effort into putting on a show for this one, and merely let his Sharingan twist the girl's will to his whims.

"Tell me everything you know about the god-emperors…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, that was certainly enlightening, but it was information that would only come in handy in the far future…most likely.

The Greeks were still frozen, petrified from his mere aura, and that single display of strength on Thorn…and the butchering of the four Germani. Bottom line, intimidation session was over, and it was time for camping, aka, the gathering of thought for the coming council meeting.

Shin'en approached Artemis, who stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth failing to make the proper movements for words. All eyes were on him, but the Huntresses were still too shell-shocked to move their asses. Even Thalia looked ready to flee for the hills.

"The night grows older. I suggest your handmaidens make camp before someone freezes to death."

Artemis remained doing her impression of a dying fish, so Shin'en sent her sprawling via a whack upside the head with his sheath. The Moon Goddess popped back into a standing position a frame later, and clapped her hands.

"Girls, it is time to make camp for the night, and we are having guests, so treat Bianca, Annabeth, Meg, the satyr, and Persephone with the utmost respect, and please do not irritate Per-"

"Shin'en."

"And please do not irritate Shin'en."

Not a single Huntress was dumb enough to argue this, nor were any of them braindead enough to bring up the bit about where Zeus had decreed that the son of Poseidon be killed on sight. After what they just saw, Hell, after what they had _been seeing_ via dream…of Zeus wanted this kid's head, he could get his happy ass down from Olympus and come get it himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Hunters set up camp with remarkable speed, getting the tents standing, a large fire going, and producing a bunch of logs big enough for many people to sit on. Wolves patrolled the perimeter, and falcons kept an eye on the sky.

Shin'en sat on his own personal log, his back facing the rest of the continental United States, while everyone else was generally angled towards the ocean. Those from Camp Half-Blood and Meg sat on their own log as well, the one immediately to Shin'en's left, with Persephone sitting on the edge, holding Annabeth's hand, with Grover and Bianca sitting on the left of Annabeth. The satyr was staring dreamily at Artemis, and the daughter of Hades and the daughter of Demeter were getting a seminar on what life as a Huntress was like.

It personally made Shin'en sick to watch, but his reasons were his own.

Directly to his right was Thalia Grace, and the rest of the Hunt filled in the circle. The daughter of Zeus actually had the balls to openly glare at him.

Shin'en had taken off his hat, setting it down next to him, while he had his staff resting across his legs. He had unbuttoned his cloak, enough to where his face could be seen, but he had his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded in front of mouth as if praying. His Sharingan was still active, and it made him look demonic in the dancing firelight.

No one spoke, save for the nearly inaudible conversation between Bianca and the Huntress, for no one could think of anything to talk about. That, and it was the general thought that the slightest utterance would incur the frozen wrath of Persephone's little brother.

Speaking of, the boy was merely waiting. Waiting for Zeus and his lapdogs to come barking—

 _SKREEEEEK_

A lightning bolt tore across the black sky, bringing with it a ground-shaking explosion of thunder, causing everyone, even Artemis and Thalia, to flinch. Well, everyone except for Shin'en. He just smirked from behind his hands.

Show time…

"Father calls us, Shin'en," Artemis said.

"Clearly. Come, then. Let us not keep him waiting."

The goddess nodded, and began to glow with silver energy. Everyone averted their eyes, and in a pulse of power, Artemis and Shin'en were gone. Yet, while quiet conversation immediately broke out amongst the Hunters, Persephone could not shake the foreboding feeling that something was very wrong with this situation, and it has nothing to do with Percy's supposed death sentence.

The sister of Shin'en looked at the dark woods outside the clearing, outside the fire's light. She saw nothing but darkness and shadow. She could not shake the feeling of being watched.

A cold breeze came from the ocean.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Artemis and Shin'en arrived at the throne room doors in a flash of silver, and the goddess did not look at all relieved to be in the presence of her family.

"Father is going to try…to…erm—"

"Yes, and he will fail."

Artemis gulped. "I don't think—well, you are powerful—but I don't think you're… _that_ powerful."

"Oh, it's not a question of power. It's a question how much Zeus loves his daughters."

"What?"

"You'll see."

Shin'en pushed open the doors, the several _ton_ doors, all by himself, and strolled into the throne room, occupied by all Olympians—even Hades was here—as if he owned this place. No, not as if he owned it. He strolled in here as if he just _conquered_ it.

His gait was powerful, his movements fluid, and his red gaze swept the room, challenging the eyes of all gods present, and winning. Only Zeus managed to hold his gaze, but that was because he was the last deity after Hestia that Shin'en stared at, and he was standing in front of the god's throne. Even still, the God of Justice made a valiant effort not to break out into a divine sweat.

"Well, boy? I have elected to let you live as of yet, will you not bow to me to show your appreciation?"

"No."

Zeus' nostrils flared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Seph, you okay?" Annabeth asked.

The sea princess was staring intently at the fire, a look deep consternation on her face. She didn't hear her girlfriend. So, when she was gently shaken, her head snapped up so fast it made Annabeth flinch.

"What?" she snapped.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that you look worried about something."

Persephone sighed. "Sorry for snapping at you like that. It's Percy."

"Worried that Zeus is going to kill him?"

The daughter of Poseidon snorted. "Best joke you've ever said. I'm worried about Percy because it was too easy. He knows that there's a death sentence on his head but he went with Artemis like he wanted it to happen."

"You think he's suicidal?"

"No…Percy always has a plan and a backup plan. Zeus will want his loyalty, which Percy won't give, which will make Zeus try to smite him, but Percy's not going to let that happen. He has a plan on how to counter that, but if he's on Olympus, surrounded by gods that will obey Zeus' orders to kill him, even he'll have a tough time escaping—unless!"

Persephone bolted up, almost tearing Annabeth's hand off, causing her to yelp. All conversation died, and all eyes were on the sea-child, but she ignored them all in favor of storming to the edge of the fire's light.

"Percy!"

Everyone gave her a weird look.

"Percy!"

Bianca reached over and nudged Annabeth, and jerked her head towards her cousin. Annabeth got the message.

"Uh, Seph? Percy's on Olym—"

 _CRUNCH_

 _CRUNCH_

 _CRUNCH_

The slow rhythmic sound of crunching snow caused everyone's eyes to steadily grow wider and wider as terror and dread set over them like a shroud of death. In the darkness of the forest, twin supernovas of blood exploded, and all stared into the all-encompassing red light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I am the master of this house, _boy_. It is by my will alone that you still stand there, breathing and in one piece. Poseidon has plead for your life and Artemis has convinced me that you may be of use to this house. However, I find my patience growing thin with your impertinence. You will bow, or I will destroy you."

"Brother-"

"No," Zeus cut Poseidon off. "He is a danger and a threat. If he will not join us, then I will end him and ensure he will not be against us."

Shin'en's laughter reverberated around the halls of the throne room, bringing all attention back to him. His laughter subsided, and his crimson eyes stared at Zeus with clear mirth.

"My, this is precious. The great king Zeus terrified of his own nephew."

The Master Bolt was leveled at Shin'en's face. "Say that again, _boy_."

"It doesn't matter what I say. The truth of the matter is that you're just burning up inside with thoughts of killing me, and are looking for the first viable excuse to smite me with your toy. Now let me tell you why that's a bad idea…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en was back on his log, and once more all eyes were on him, but like they were at the beginning, they were filled with fear and trepidation. Everyone was feeling like that school of deep water fish again, and that great, unseen predator was back, and was circling.

The Abyss spoke.

"What Artemis took to Olympus was my Shadow Clone. While it's handling Zeus and the Olympians, it's only fair that I inform all of you of your current situation…you're all my hostages."

It was quiet for all of three seconds, before the panicked school of fish let their survival instincts consume them, and they freaked out. Hunters and half-bloods scrambled for weapons, only for the snow to explode at their feet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I am a Shadow Clone, a duplicate of the original Shin'en. While I am up here, he is down there. What is happening right now is a hostage situation, with all of Artemis' handmaidens and all of those from Camp Half-Blood serving as the hostages."

Artemis was suddenly too horror-stricken to move, but Hades was not so okay with the idea of his daughter being a hostage. He stood up from his skeletal throne, taking the stage from Zeus.

"You dare!?" Hades' eyes turned pure black as the shadows of the throne room thickened and writher in agitation. " _You. Dare!?"_

Shin'en looked at his uncle with pure calm. "You didn't let me finish, Hades. Calm yourself and sit down, and let me explain."

The God of the Underworld was about as far from happy as Pluto was from the Sun, but he sat down nevertheless. Shin'en took over again.

"As I was saying, the ones currently down below are my hostages, and they are such because I know Zeus will try to kill me. Therefore, they are bargaining chips for my continued survival. Beyond that, they are a test. A test to see just how much Zeus truly does care for his daughter, and his other daughter's surrogate daughters, along with his grandchildren and nieces."

"Speak sense, traitor," Zeus snarled. "What test?"

From the fiery hearth behind him, Shin'en's front became obscure and hidden in shadows, with only his Sharingan able to be seen. The twin pools of liquid ruby bore into Zeus' furious electric blue without fear or concern.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en hadn't even moved when he commanded the snow to restrain the struggling girls and satyr. Only his sister was spared from these freezing shackles, and that was just because she was frozen in shock.

"Ho…sta…ges…?" she managed to squeak out

"Yes. Hostages." The Hunters and significant others stopped their squirming, and opted for paying attention to what was looking like an explanation.

"When Shadow Clones dispel, they transfer the memories of their limited time on Earth back to their creator. I'm making a point to Zeus. Should the Shadow Clone be destroyed by his hand, or by the hand of anyone other than itself, I will then proceed to kill everyone here. I swear this…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed and sealed the oath.

The Olympians stared at the boy in utter shock, although Poseidon took the cake for most shocked.

"S-Son…your own sister…she's down there-"

"I am aware, Poseidon. Also down there is the daughter of Hades, the daughter of Zeus, Artemis' surrogate daughters, and the daughter of _many_ on this council. Here's the real significance of this hostage crisis: if Zeus destroys me, these memories will go back to Shin'en, and he will those people, and he will run, and you will never see him again until he pulls Olympus from the sky. Yes, Shin'en will have killed your daughters, but whose fault was it really that they're all dead?"

The Shadow Clone looked around the throne room, his arms spread wide.

"So, whose fault is it really that your daughters have been slain? Mine?" He stopped his pivoting, and looked straight at Zeus. "Or is it the fool that decided to invoke my oath on the Styx?"

The King of the Gods was suddenly under the intense scrutiny of his family.

And suddenly, Shin'en was no longer the bad guy in this tale. Zeus was.

"Go ahead then, my king. Smite me. But before you do that, be aware that you will be causing the deaths of Poseidon's daughter, Hades' daughter, Artemis' surrogate daughters and beloved lieutenant, as well as the daughters of your children."

Zeus turned cherry red, lightning sparking across his body. There was a trident to his throat.

"Don't even think about it, little brother."

"He threatens our daughters, and you would stand against me!?"

"Our daughters' lives are indeed on the line, but it is you that would cut that line in the first place. My son has won this round. Accept defeat, and let us move on from this so that peace may return to our family."

Zeus wanted so badly to argue and lash out, and destroy this insect that dared to challenge him and threaten Thalia, but the intense stares of his family made even the mighty King of the Gods yield. The lightning around his dissipated and their returned to normal. Zeus turned a smoldering gaze towards the Shadow Clone.

"This insult will not go unpunished. You will pay for your actions this night, I swear it on the-"

"There's more," Shin'en said. "I'm not foolish. This hostage situation only guarantees my safety for as long as I exist—" off to the side, Athena scowled at seeing her discovered loophole exposed, and subsequently taken care of— "so I've devised a way to further ensure my safety during my entire stay in this pitiful dimension."

Shin'en raised his left arm, causing the sleeve to fall away. There was a number on the inside of his forearm: 80,022.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The son of Poseidon raised his left arm, and a line of squiggles and swirls appeared across his wrist. The band of ink glowed red, signifying some kind of activation. The snow that encased the Hunters and half-bloods forced their left arms to rise to their sides and reveal their own wrists.

The same band on Shin'en wrist was on all of theirs as well.

Persephone looked at her own wrist. She had a band too.

"This is a sealing formula I created. When active, like it is now, our bodies become linked, in a way. What happens to me is mirrored onto you. For example."

Shin'en produced a senbon needle, and pricked his finger. Everyone winced, gasped, groaned, or squawked when they felt their finger get pricked, and a little dot of blood leak out from the puncture area.

"That was just a small taste of what this seal can do. Tiny pricks from a needle, or full limb removal—all possible. The most extreme that can happen…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…is death. Should my heart stop beating, then the seal will cause the hearts of not only the Hunters and the half-bloods down there to die, but _all of Camp Half-Blood as well_."

"When," Athena started, pale and wide-eyed, "when did you—you only just arrived—you didn't have time—" she calmed down. "You're bluffing. Whether that sealing formula is true or not, you don't have seals on all the demigods."

"Oh, but don't I?"

"No," Athena said firmly. "You would have had to be moving several hundred miles per hour to get to Long Island and brand everyone there with the seal, something that would be impossible because entering the camp's border would alert Chiron to your presence, before being transported for the meeting. Seeing as how Chiron hasn't contacted us about a breach, or about glowing bands on the children's wrists—"

Athena was abruptly cut off when a massive Iris Message of Chiron popped into existence by the throne room doors.

"Excuse me lords and ladies, but there's been a development. The half-bloods, even myself, have all noticed these red bands of markings on our wrists. We don't know what they are, or where they've come from, and we cannot get them to go away. I thought it best to contact all of you and let you know."

Athena was paler than what should have been possible, even for a divine being who could frequently do the impossible.

"Th-Thank you, Chiron. Just-Just stay calm. We know what the bands are, and how do deal with them. We'll contact you later about how to deal with them."

The aged centaur looked worried. He bowed his head, "Thank you, my lady." The image popped out of existence.

The Olympians slowly turned their gazes back to the calm face of the Shadow Clone.

"…when…how…?" Athena couldn't even get her mouth and mind to work properly, and such was the same for all Olympians, even Zeus and Hades.

The boy smiled, and it sent shivers down many a spine.

"They've had those seals on them for over a year now-eighteen months to be exact."

Athena just barely managed to squeak out a pitiful, "W-What?"

"Remember when you all got to see me in person for the first time? Yes, it was all the back during the…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…Chunin Exams," Shin'en said calmly upon his sister's inquiry. "Sitting in the stands, on your way to the bunker, in the bunker itself. None of you noticed, because I didn't want you to notice."

"Impossible," Thalia sneered. "We would've felt you touch us."

"Really? Just like you felt me take this?"

Shin'en held up Thalia's mace canister.

"Or this?"

Her Aegis watch.

"This?"

Annabeth's cap.

"This one?"

Bianca's skull ring sword.

"These?"

Grover's pipes.

"Oooo, how about this one?"

He held up a fucking bra.

Jess the Huntress gasped. "I put that on this morning! How did you-oof!"

She was silenced when her underwear was thrown into her face, and considering how she was still being held in place by snow, she could do nothing but frown and ponder how Persephone's brother had stolen her own bra right off her body. Thoughts of perverseness didn't even cross Jess' mind, as it was far more occupied with the terror of dealing with someone who could steal clothing undetected.

If he was that quiet and unnoticeable in the arts of theft, just how good was he in other otherwise illegal matters?

"Like I said…you didn't notice because I didn't want you to notice."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Athena sat stunned in her thrown, as did the other gods of Olympus, even Zeus. The demigod before them had this all planned out over a year ago. What else did he have planned? How far did his plans go?

"You…you…you're despicable," Athena managed to get out.

"No, I'm just not as dumb as you thought I was, and you're struggling to comprehend that."

"Take the seals off, now," Zeus tried to command, but he still to stunned to put any venom into his words.

"No."

"Take them off, boy, or else."

"Hostages, remember?"

Zeus growled, cognitive thought slowly returning to him. "You dare threaten the children of Olympus?"

Shin'en smiled. "There we go; perhaps there's some hope for you people after all."

"What are you speaking of now?"

"A half child of the eldest gods," the Shadow Clone recited, "shall reach sixteen against all odds; Olympus to preserve or raze…not exactly how the prophecy goes, but that's not the point. The point is that when the Primordials were found wanting, the Titans stepped up to rule, and when they were found wanting, the Olympians rose to the top. Now it is the Olympians who are found wanting, yet unlike your ancestors you have a chance at redemption."

The Shadow Clone looked around, noted how the gods were shifting and fidgeting in their thrones, and moved on with his monologue.

"It is not some cosmic joke that I was the one dragged away from my sister at birth, nor is it a cosmic joke that I'm the one with the power to change the way this world works. I'm the one the prophecy speaks of, and it's I that gets to decide whether the Olympians are deserving of their continued rule over this earth. So far, it's looking like this world needs new leaders, but the reasons for this can be found by looking at any news outlet, so I'm not going into detail with all of your shortcomings.

"Know this," Shin'en said loudly, clearly, and with as much authority as Zeus had during the Titanomachy. "The Fates have decided it is time for you to own up for your mistakes and actions that have left this world divided and in turmoil. I am your judge…jury…and executioner. If any of you test me, you will _fail_."

The proverbial hammer had been dropped, and its echo thundered mightily in the ears of the gods.

The Shadow Clone looked around, and saw that his words had been taken with great consideration.

"I believe this meeting to be adjourned. Good day, Olympians."

However, before the Clone could dispel, Poseidon shouted, "Wait!"

The duplicate hid his annoyance extremely well. "Yes?"

"I would like to speak with you, in private…if that's okay."

"I suppose—oh, and one more thing. Don't bother trying to remove the seals from any of the half-bloods. They're all linked to themselves and connected to the wearer's bodily systems. If the seal is removed, either by cutting off the hand, stripping the flesh, or by divinity, the rest of the seals will detonate…results may vary. You can all go now."

Zeus slammed his Bolt down. "Meeting adjourned!"

The Olympians flashed out, and their king was none too happy with this development.

Poseidon approached the duplicate of his son, and touched him by the shoulder. In a flash of energy, they were no longer in the throne room, but on Poseidon's palace on Olympus, standing on a balcony that overlooked the Atlantic.

"Son," Poseidon said, arms wide and face hopeful for a return gesture.

He got a neutral shoulder.

Shin'en stared out over the city and the dark waters. "There was once a time when hearing you call me that would've been the most wonderful thing…now it just feels out of place."

Poseidon's arms and weak smile dropped in tandem, his eyes going dull with sadness and hurt. "I…I see…"

Shin'en gave the god a sideways glance, then went back to looking at the horizon.

"You expected rage," he surmised. "A violent outburst of emotion. You expected me to scream and bite at you, calling you names, blaming you for what has happened to me, siting things like 'this is all your fault,' 'you should have been there,' 'why did you let this happen to me,' etc. After all of this, you expected me to break down into tears, so that you may be there to embrace me and whisper soothing words in my ear, all the while being thrilled that you have this opportunity to be a father to me, after all this time. Is any of what I said not accurate?"

Poseidon coughed awkwardly. "Actually…that is exactly what I hoped would happen…a-hem. So, um, do you have a job?" he tried lamely.

Shin'en almost snorted. "I know you were there for Orochimaru and the Three-Heads."

"Right, right…so how's business?"

"Booming. How's the sea?"

"Growing steadily more polluted."

"You're the god here. Just will the pollutants out of the water."

"It's—It's not that simple."

"Really? Then, by all means, tell me why it is not that simple for the sea god to clean the sea."

"…"

"I thought so."

The two fell silent for a time, but the silence was broken by Poseidon.

"You do not see me as your father, but do you see Sally as your mother?"

The response was short, sweet, and simple. "No."

"She'll be devastated to hear that."

"Most likely." Poseidon kept the disappointed frown off his face.

"What about Persephone? Do you see her as your big sister?"

"Sister: yes. Big: no. I've had to save her life twice now, and I'm already more powerful and mature than she'll ever be. She may have been on the earth twelve minutes before me, but she is not my elder in any other field."

"She has a girlfriend," Poseidon pointed out in jest.

"And I'm no longer a virgin."

The Sea God's legs almost gave out. "W-What?"

"46 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes, and sixteen seconds ago was when I first entered a woman. Kisame said I was too tense and needed to relax, so he took me to a local brothel, where he paid three harlots to help me relieve stress. Satisfied all three of them and still had stamina to spare. Granted, all three women were shinobi from the Hidden Stone that were going to try to remove my head and collect the bounty after I fell asleep, but they failed after I stabbed them all through the head."

"…ninja hookers?"

"Most whores and prostitutes are kunoichi specifically trained to seduce people of both genders, use a combination of aphrodisiacs and truth serums to perform interrogations, and then kill after the person they're sleeping falls asleep after a good time. Effective way of information retrieval and assassination."

"Why are you so knowledgeable about the goings-on of ninja hookers?"

"Yes, that is a good question. It's almost like I haven't been a ninja since I was six years old."

" _Six?"_ Poseidon wheezed.

"Ah, Persephone hasn't told you the specifics of the night my life truly became a nightmare. Oh well, it gives you two something to talk about over a dinner or something."

"I-Indeed." Poseidon collected himself. "Perseus-"

" _Shin'en_. Only one person in this dimension can call me by that name and its shortened version, and you are not her."

Poseidon just smiled, happy to see that there was what appeared to be a small ray of light in his son's dark demeanor.

"My mistake. Shin'en, you may not see me as your father and Sally not as your mother, but I want you to know that we both love you very much."

"Your affection is noted."

Poseidon shook his head, experiencing a worry only a father could feel for his son. "What happened to you to make you this way?"

Shin'en stared darkly at the horizon, and that's when the Sea God saw it, saw the key difference in his babies. His daughter was like the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean, while his son was like the dark, frigid waters at the bottom of the Arctic Circle.

"War happened."

The Shadow Clone dispelled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en hid his wince well when the memories of his duplicate all came back to him at once. Well, that certainly went better than he expected, but that was the beauty of the Hidden Leaf's Forbidden Jutsu. You want something done right, you must do it yourself, and the Shadow Clone Jutsu was the best thing for that.

Reverse engineered through years of experimentation, and two graveyards' worth of mangled bodies, but the Hidden Cloud eventually got it down.

None of that was important though. What was important was the emotions left behind by the Shadow Clone's final words with Poseidon. Yes, it was the Blood War that had changed Shin'en even more than Ameyuri Ringo, but his aversion to his parents did not stem from simply the war. It was the missions that Yūrei had performed _involving_ parents that had toasted the last vestiges of Shin'en's wanting of parental interaction.

He had seen it all and then some.

The G-rated alcoholic beatings; the PG-rated sexual abuses; the PG-13-rated selling into slavery/prostitution for a little bit of money; there were a few that classified as R-rating because these parents were cannibals that either ate part of their children or all of them—hell, one family frequently inbreeded for the sole purpose of producing fetuses and infants to be cut out of their mothers and served up with vegetables and a roll of bread. Shin'en personally enjoyed killing all of those people.

However, there was one family—well, a man that had a harem—that frequently slept with any woman that he could for one singular purpose: getting his dick sucked. If he was simply getting head from the women he slept with, it wouldn't have been anything bad, per se. No, it was _who_ he wanted to suck his dick…and wasn't the women.

Babies, you see, had this instinct. A feeding instinct—when something touched their cheek, they turn toward that cheek, mouth open to feed. 99.99% of the time it their mother's teat or a bottle. But that .01% was solely occupied by this man, you see.

He liked putting his erection to his own infant children's cheeks to get his dick sucked by babies.

All of those instances finally culminated in the loss of Shin'en's desire to meet his parents. No, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that Poseidon and Sally were that unhinged—although he knew there were dimensions in which they were—but the want that had once been there had burned out long ago.

"Percy…are you alright?" Seph asked worriedly.

"Perfectly fine. Why?"

His sister meekly pointed behind him. Shin'en turned, and he rose a brow, "Oh."

There was a massive wall of snow towering over the trees, threatening to come down and crush everything in its path like an avalanche. Shin'en barely felt his gut tugging. He let the snow down easy, letting it settle in place as if it had never experienced locomotion.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare anyone."

"Yeah, right. And I'm a fairy princess."

"Continue with that attitude, and you'll be dead."

"Good luck, freak. My dad will-" WUMP

Thalia fell off her log, and bolted up with a scowl on her snow-powdered face. "Who the Hades-"

"Hey!"

"Sorry. Who the hell just threw that at me!?"

"Thalia," Annabeth said, displeased with her surrogate sister's behavior. "Shut up."

" _You_ threw that snowball at me!?"

"Yes. Now shut up before you get killed."

Thalia opened her mouth, but a flash of silver cut her off.

"Enough," Artemis said with power. "Dawn will be here soon, and Apollo will take you all to Camp Half-Blood, for there is a creature that I must hunt alone. I just realized that it's been resurrected, and it needs to be ended quickly." The she looked at Shin'en.

"Well played tonight."

"Thank you."

"Please, refrain from killing anyone."

"Please, keep your Hunters from saying and/or doing something retarded."

"I promise they will be on their best behavior."

On the horizon, light began to peek through the darkness. While most present were relieved to see Apollo arriving, even the Hunters just because it would mean dealing with someone they knew, Seph remained deeply concerned for her little brother. His powers simply didn't spiral out of control like that, which meant that whatever memories his Shadow Clone transposed onto him struck a chord.

Whatever was capable of striking Percy's chords would be enough to give other people nightmares.

Meanwhile, Shin'en had a completely different thought process from everyone else. Apollo was arriving to take them all to Camp Half-Blood while Artemis hunted the Ophiotaurus—and got herself captured—although just how Atlas was going to get her under the sky was unknown at this point—Shin'en knew that his impending arrival at Camp would cause more waves.

Traitors to deal with, spies to handle, and plans to be put forth into motion.

Step One was to ensure his life in this dimension.

It was time to move on to Step Two.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **So, how was Shin'en's handling of the Olympians? I told you that it was going to be like**_ **Death Note** _ **…at least I thought it was like**_ **Death Note** _ **. Speaking of, if it makes the scene feel any better, feel free to play any track from**_ **Death Note** _ **to help set the mood.**_

 _ **As for what happened in the Mist. Yeah, that happened. That place was not a good area to be in for anyone, especially for ten to twelve and a half year old boys. When it is time for the Bloody Mist arc, one that will be**_ _ **huge**_ _ **, I am going to cover those events in detail, and make people gag and cry in equal measure.**_

 _ **Next chapter is the arrival at Camp and the CTF game…in which Thalia will have her ass handed to her.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	47. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 3

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 3_

 _ **People liked the way Shin'en handled things, and are looking forward to the Blood War arc…degenerates, the lot of you.**_

 _ **Anyway, we progress the story with this chapter.**_

 _ **Also, everyone calm your dam tits about Shin'en healing his chakra coils. That is going to be fixed in the next goddamn arc.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You are too young to smoke!"

Shin'en barely deigned to give his sister a sideways glance. "We have a doctrine in my world: old enough to kill, old enough to smoke, drink, have sex, do drugs, etc. I've been doing this for four years now, and nothing you say is going to make me stop…and there's nothing you can do about it in the first place."

Persephone's eyes gleamed. "Is that a challenge, baby brother?"

"Call me that again, and you will not wake up the following morning."

"So it is a challenge. Okay then."

Everyone watching this unfold likened it to a sunfish messing with a shark.

Zoё leaned down to where she could whisper in her lady's ear. "Was it ever like this for you and Apollo?"

"No, no it was not."

"Ah, okay then."

Persephone lunged for the cigarette in her brother's mouth, only for him to step backward. She regained her balance, and launched into a furious session of swiping and snatching at her brother's face, only for him to casually step around each move of her hand with effortlessness. Finally, after another failed attempt that left Persephone with her back to Percy, she whirled around once more to get that cigarette out of his mouth, only to run smackdab into a pair of fingers.

Persephone stumbled back, massaging her forehead. "That hurt, dammit!"

Shin'en took a drag, and exhaled smoke. "That was the point."

The sea princess pouted. "You're mean~."

"You have no idea."

Suddenly, there was a glowing sports car parked on the edge of the cliff, melting snow and radiating warmth and light in equal measure. Apollo was here. The Sun God himself stepped out of his car with a flourish, his arms wide.

"Little sis! What can I do for you this morning?"

Artemis' eye twitched. "How many times do I have to tell you that _I'm_ the older sister. I helped _deliver_ you."

Apollo just waved his hand. "Sure, sure. Anyway, what'cha need, Arty?"

Artemis took a very deep breath. "I need you to take my girls to Camp Half-Blood. There's some hunting I need to do alone."

The Sung God whistled. "Some solo hunting, eh? Haven't done that since the Crusades. Well, good luck to ya, sis! Now, we need more room in the Sun Chariot…"

Apollo snapped his fingers, and his car glowed brightly. The glow faded, and the car had turned into a bus big enough for everyone to fit into. Shin'en stared at the yellow contraption. What the hell was this thing supposed to be? A transport? But with all those windows? That was like asking to have shuriken, kunai, and senbon thrown at you from all sides. Beyond that, this vehicle looked to run on those round things at the bottom, which meant if you disabled those—which wouldn't be hard seeing as how they had no protection—then this thing would have nothing to run on, and would be easily neutralized.

The people of this world were strange.

"Alright," Apollo said cheerily. "Everybody in!"

The Sun and the Moon caught each other's eye, and a nod was shared between them.

"Girls. Best behavior, and no funny business, yes?"

"Yes, my lady!"

Artemis nodded. "Good. Zoё, you're in charge. Thalia, you're acting lieutenant. I expect both of you to get along, and not cause an incident."

"Yes, my lady!" Artemis nodded one more time, then she disappeared into the trees.

Shin'en exhaled a cloud of smoke. Well, at least now he knew what was going to happen for the next week.

People began piling onto the Sun Bus, with Apollo giving various greetings as people boarded. "Octavia, nice sword…Bertha, wonderful to see you…ah, little Amelia, always a pleasure…Cathy-"

"That's Catherine to you."

"My mistake. Joana, how's it going? Naomi, Celyn, sup? Sarah Dukes, still rocking pink, I see." Apollo's eyes suddenly lit up. "It's my babies!"

Victoria Stewart and Esther Holland smiled, "Hey, Dad."

Thalia boarded. "Cuz! Great to see you!" Then Bianca. "Other Cuz, nice to see you still alive!" Then Grover. "Goat man, high five!" Annabeth. "I want you to know that it's amazing to see someone handle a gender bend so awesomely!" Then Meg McCaffrey stepped on board.

Apollo wrinkled his nose at this one, and peered down at her after lowering his sunglasses. "I get the distinct feeling that you're going to cause me a lot of negativity in my life."

Meg just blew a raspberry at the Sun God, spraying his face with spit. Everyone but Shin'en watched this with wide eyes. Apollo just stood there with a dull look on his face.

"That's just nasty."

Meg continued entering the bus, and now it was Persephone's turn to get on.

"Well, if it ain't Uncle P's favorite daughter. What's it like dating a fellow female?"

Seph grinned. "It's the best thing ever!"

Apollo nodded. "Well said. As long as you two are happy, right?"

"Right," she said firmly. She finished boarding, which left one last person.

"If anyone but you gets behind that wheel, I will personally castrate you and feed you your testicles."

Apollo paled. "N-Noted."

Shin'en looked around the Sun Bus, and noted with increasing displeasure that the seating arrangements seemed specifically engineered for death. This whole damn thing was a death trap with way too many places to attempt an assassination.

The Hunters were all crammed in the back, staying either as far away from Apollo or Shin'en (or both) as possible, with Thalia in the back with them, Bianca and Grover were sitting together, one staring out the window, the other playing with his pipes, Annabeth and Persephone were sitting with each other, obviously, holding hands (which Shin'en ended with a slight narrowing of his eyes—Annabeth quickly let go of his sister's hand), and Meg was sitting by herself, looking worried and nervous.

Shin'en also found a seat by himself, and he sat his staff down next to him as a clear indication to his sister to _not_ come sit by him. She did not get the message, because Shin'en, thanks to acute hydro sensing, knew that she did these things in order: looked at Annabeth, nodded, got up, walked down the aisle, moved his staff, and planted her butt where it was unwelcome.

And she just sat there. Grinning.

"Your girlfriend is back there."

"Yep, and my brother is up here. Here's your stick."

"Sticks are not made of metal."

"Fine then. Here's your pole."

"You annoy me."

Seph grinned. "Yep! It's my job as big sister to annoy you."

Shin'en turned around and looked at Bianca. "Are you like this with Nico?"

"No, she's just special."

"Agreed." Shin'en turned back around. "If you could be more like her, that'd be great."

"Not gonna happen. And stop smoking."

Shin'en exhaled the next round of smoke directly in his sister's face. "No."

Persephone coughed. "You are so _rude_."

"Mm-hm."

"Right then," Apollo said. "Time to get going. Please keep the windows up and all extremities inside the Sun Bus at all times. Keep track of all belongings. Air Apollo is not responsible for any lost articles. Thank you, and enjoy your flight."

Even with the distance between him and her, Shin'en still heard Thalia squeak out, "F-Flight?" He also heard her heartrate increase, felt the chemicals in her bloodstream, and knew that she just broke out into a sweat. So, fear of flying? How ironic.

On the bright side, Persephone didn't bother him during the entire bus ride to Camp Half-Blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Camp Half-Blood_

Seeing the glowing object come sailing out of the sky just to neatly park by the canoe lake drew the attention of the thirty or so demigods currently staying at Camp Half-Blood. It was the school year and it was right in the middle of Christmas Break. Granted, most Greek half-bloods didn't necessarily celebrate Christmas, seeing as how that was a holiday that basically condemned their existence, it was still a nice excuse to get together with family and get free stuff.

The campers, including but not limited to, Nico di Angelo, Will Solace, Lou Ellen, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Drew Tanaka, Clarisse La Rue, the Stoll Brothers, and Katie Gardner all gathered a safe distance away from the bus, and watched with interest as the doors opened, and people began to step off.

A young girl in a very out of place green dress for the winter, Bianca—to Nico's not-so-subtle elation—Grover, Annabeth, her girlfriend right after her, and then a procession of silver-clad females. Now, the amount of people present that had actually met the Hunters of Artemis were few to none, but their reputation proceeded them, and no one looked terribly happy.

The campers all thought that was all…then _he_ stepped off the bus.

A blue sandal with a white leg warmer followed very closely by the bottom of a black cloak, a red cloud emblazoned on the side. A black staff came next, and then the person holding that staff was fully revealed. Breath was sucked from many a pair of lungs at the sight of _him_. He was just…here.

There hadn't been any word of warning or informing that Persephone's brother somehow made it here from the other dimension. No heads-up, no dropped note, not even so much as a breeze. He was just…here. Just like that. And _alive_. Hadn't Zeus decreed that if _he_ were to ever show up, he would be killed on sight? Was that still in effect? Was it limited to just the gods, or were they (the half-bloods) supposed to take part in the obeying of that order?

It was too late to act, however, for _he_ was now fully off the bus, and facing them.

While his cloak was unbuttoned, his hat cast enough shadow over his upper face to where only twin beams of vermillion were visible. These unnatural searchlights stared into the windows to everyone's soul, examining, assessing, evaluating, laying them bare and fleshing out their faults. No one, not even Nico, the powerful son of Hades, or the headstrong children of Ares could stand up to that gaze.

Then _he_ began to walk forward, the snow crunching loudly under his feet. The campers weren't entirely sure whether Apollo had said something before flying off in the bus, or whether the Hunters had something, or whether anyone had said anything. They couldn't focus on anything past the approaching demigod with the cigarette burning idly in his mouth, almost a nub now.

The small crowd parted like the Red Sea before Moses as _he_ entered their midst. Hearts hammered against chests, breathing picked up, sweats started breaking out—all indication of fear became visibly known. However, for Nico, things were just slightly different.

He wasn't going to lie to himself, not like he had in the past before he was introduced to the tolerant and supportive world of the Greeks, he thought Percy was really hot, and he had _superpowers_! Double win! And even after he had gone on his murder spree, killing thousands, causing mass amounts of destruction, Nico still thought his newest crush was hot.

It was a child of Hades thing to be horrifyingly insensitive to the otherwise gruesome and macabre.

Nico had often fantasized about him and his crush meeting, all instances insanely impossible, but still. This moment would've been a dream come true for the gay son of Hades, if not for the fact he was happily dating Will Solace, son of Apollo. However, this feeling…it wasn't giddiness, nor was it the apprehension everyone else felt.

It was terror.

The Abyss loomed over Nico with more cold presence than Thanatos, staring down at him with red stars that shone from the cold depths of space.

"Are you still sexually and/or romantically attracted to me?"

Nico let out a string of noises that might have been considered speech by those of a foreign nation.

"I'll take that as a no. This place bores me, so I'll be in the woods if anyone needs me."

Before Bianca could attempt to get on his case for terrorizing Nico, before Thalia could attempt to say something that she thought would sting, before Persephone could protest his leaving, Shin'en vanished in a move too fast for demigod eyes to follow.

Nico collapsed to the ground, his legs unable to hold up his weight anymore. Will and Bianca were there, making sure he was alright. The campers let out breaths they knew they were holding, all feeling very much like they had just narrowly escaped the massive jaws of a great beast.

However, for one enterprising daughter of Aphrodite, things were a bit different. Drew's loins were on fire right now, her thong damp and sticky, Percy's power being a _major_ turn on for her.

Bottom line: she wanted a piece of that action!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en had more reasons for being in the woods of Camp Half-Blood than just killing time. His demigod dreams had been rather informative ever since his talk with Sukina and he had managed to find a sort of peace within himself. While the main plan was to not let any of that happen in any form or fashion, it still served to have a backup plan in place.

It wasn't hard to find what he was looking for, especially when he already knew where to go, but seriously. There was a system of tunnels beneath his feet, big ones, that had air movement running through them, and moving air also meant moving water vapor. It was a practical map to the Myrmeke Lair.

When he arrived at the massive tunnel entrance, he was greeted by a host of ants three times his size. However, he felt no hostile intent coming from these creatures of the underground, only weariness and compliance. All the better really, since he wasn't here to fight.

Shin'en entered the tunnel, and delved into what would otherwise be a maze if he didn't have this amazing ability to sense the flow of ambient water vapor, and the massive distortion in the air that was the queen. Following the route and ignoring the side caves and ants that stared silently at him, Shin'en found the main chamber where the queen resided.

There was a hole in the ceiling, letting the morning sun shine through, but it was off. Something Shin'en had noted with growing distaste was how dirty the air was here. None of that was important right now, though. What was important, was making sure the queen would play her part should future events come to pass.

Shin'en stared into those humongous, insectoid eyes, the tomoe of his Sharingan slowly spinning. While he wasn't exactly in telepathic contact with the queen, he was now connected to her, in a sense. After a time, the queen let out a low hiss, and Shin'en inclined his head. No need to be disrespectful here.

His business here concluded, he continued through the caves, pondering on something.

Asteria had been in those caves, and she had slaughtered all of the Myrmekes, aside from the queen and the larvae. She might apologize one day, but there wouldn't be any real feeling in it. Her biology didn't allow for such feelings as remorse, guilt, or regret. However, that wasn't what Shin'en was really thinking about. While he didn't know just how much time had passed between now and when they fought Ares, he knew that her menstrual cycle would be starting soon, if it hadn't already.

He had a pretty good idea of what her period would entail, beyond simple bleeding, but it wouldn't be pretty either way. If anything, it would involve primal instincts, brutality, dead bodies of all ages and species, and much propagation. Depending on just where she was when this happened, the Myrmekes may very well be subject to serving as incubators for Asteria's young, or there would be a mountain of corpses and a small lake of blood.

Meh. Wasn't his problem…yet.

If that Fates yanked him back to that dimension to subdue a rampant Asteria, he was going to find a way to kill all three of them.

But back to the present. Shin'en exited the Myrmeke lair, and found himself in front of a few metric tons' worth of oak trees, that all seemed to want to talk to him. They were all ignored. Shin'en didn't waste any time here. He took several kunai, and threw them at certain locations among the entrance to the Grove of Dodona. When all the kunai were in place, Shin'en made a half Ram sign, and a Sealing Formula spread from the kunai, encompassing the area between each knife. The Formula glowed, then became invisible, and the kunai sank into the ground.

There. If Nero ever made it to this point, the instructions Shin'en planted in Meg would save the day. Confident in this strategy, the demigod dispersed in a cloud of water vapor, and reassembled himself all the way over at the rock formation mistakenly called Zeus' Fist. It looked more like a pile of shit. And Shin'en knew what piles of shit looked like.

After a quick examination of the rock formation yielded the location of the Labyrinth entrance, Shin'en placed an exploding tag there, ready for detonation via instructions he had placed inside Persephone. The events of a few months from now would undoubtedly come to pass, no matter what Shin'en did, short of killing Daedalus but the man's persona of Quintus was needed for reasons, but it paid to be prepared.

Now that that was over with, all within the span of an hour, Shin'en was at somewhat of a loss of what to do with himself for the rest of the day until evening came, and his extended family played their little war game—hey. Why couldn't Shin'en participate in the action a little? Sure, it would be one-sided annihilation no matter what team he deigned to play for, but still. There was at least some iota of enjoyment in watching enemies flounder, and this was also an opportunity to further Step Three.

Step Two had been to place all 34 present campers under genjutsu, so they would play their parts to the letter in the coming war.

Now, about occupying his time…

…well, the Hephaestus Cabin probably hadn't had a challenge in trap making since their existence began, so why not put their creations on the spot with better creations?

Oh, the horrors these children were in for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was nearing time for dinner, and there hadn't been hide nor hair of Percy, and that made Seph more worried than if the woods were being constantly rocked with explosion and earthquakes, because then she would know that her little brother was doing a good job of keeping himself occupied and entertained, but for there to be nothing but silence this whole day…

When your younger sibling is one known for excess amounts of destruction and noise, and has been quiet all day, you get understandably concerned.

"You know he's fine, right?" Annabeth said, coming to stand next to her girlfriend. "There's not a thing in those woods that can hurt him." She put her arm around Persephone's waist.

She responded by putting her own arm around Annabeth's waist. "I know that, but…it's been too quiet."

"Well, he's supposed to be a ninja, right? Ninja are supposed to be quiet."

"He hates ninja. If he can, he tries to be as loud and destructive as possible, and since this isn't a place that he cares about or has to worry about assassins coming for him, he'll be as loud as possible."

"Oh…maybe he's meditating?"

"He has ADHD like the rest of us. He cannot sit still this long."

"Fair enough. Maybe he's-"

"-wondering what part of no touching is difficult for you to understand."

Both girls screamed and leapt no less than five feet into the air when Percy was suddenly just there, looking as neutral as he always did, but he was only looking at Annabeth as she calmed her racing heart back down.

"Strike two. One more and you start losing limbs."

Persephone glared, though it was more in protection of her lover than anger at her brother. "You can't control who I love and we do."

His Sharingan spun into existence.

"…we'll just agree to disagree on that one. What I can do is control what your lover does."

"No, you can't."

Shin'en glanced into Annabeth's eyes, and she went rigid as her grey orbs glazed over.

"Give yourself a vasectomy."

Once again, Persephone's vocabulary range restricted her understanding of the situation. She did not know the difference between a vasectomy and a mastectomy. She freaked out.

"Okay! Point made! No need for that to happen!"

Shin'en just looked into Annabeth's eyes again and the genjutsu broke.

"How can you even do that?" Persephone asked. "None of us here have chakra, and those eyes need chakra to do the mind-control thing."

The conch shell horn blew.

Shin'en spun on his heel, swishing his cloak behind him. "Sorry, sis. Trade secret."

Persephone's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. With his back to her, the son of Poseidon didn't see any of this, but he felt the way the water in her body moved. He chose not to comment. Annabeth put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "You okay?"

"He called me 'sis'…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **This was a shorter chapter, but that was not by design. I hit a bit of a wall writing this one, motivation not being there, but I also wanted to stick to my daily updating schedule, so here it is. I also flipped a quarter three times saying if it's Heads, I'll update, if it's Tails, I won't. All three times were on Heads.**_

 _ **Call it a sign from God.**_

 _ **Next chapter will be the CTF game, in which Thalia is handled and the Oracle gives a prophecy…debating on whether to make it serious like canon, or comical like in SoJ.**_

 _ **You guys decide!**_

 _ **Fa, Follow, and Review please!**_


	48. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 4

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 4_

 _ **Okay,**_ _ **this**_ _ **is the chapter in which we have the CTF game, and due to popular demand, the Oracle's prophecy will be comical in a way befitting he tone of**_ **Backup Plan**

 _ **We've also eclipsed**_ **SoJ** _ **in terms of Reviews, so that's cool.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Camp Half-Blood_

 _Dinner_

Persephone, as always, sat with her back to the ocean so that she could see everyone. However, her view was blocked by her brother. Honestly, she didn't how to feel about this. On one hand, Percy was _sitting with her_. Score! On the other hand, he brought with him all the atmosphere of a post-natural disaster civilization.

And he didn't even look moody.

This was just his natural demeanor.

The entire dining area was silent, an oppressive aura surrounding all of them due to Percy's mere presence. Chiron kept casting nervous glances at Table Three, while Dionysus kept both eyes on Percy at all times, watching him like a hawk to make sure he didn't do anything. The rest of the sparsely populated camp all made a conscious effort to sit in ways that made them unseeable to Percy's field of vision, which wasn't hard seeing as he was looking down as he ate.

Persephone had looked at him strangely when that happened.

"What? Didn't know I actually eat food?"

The sea princess coughed awkwardly, blushing. "Well…"

"You annoy me."

Then Percy went back to eating like nothing had happened.

Chiron had called the cabins up to sacrifice to the gods. From newly added Table Thirteen (Hades cabin) to Table Three. There were a few from each Table, most coming from the Hermes and Artemis Tables, but the real juicy bit didn't come until it was Table Three's turn. Persephone got up to go scrape some food off; Percy did not.

Of course, this caused friction.

"Hey, it's your turn to go sacrifice to the gods," Thalia sneered from Table Eight.

"Mm-hm."

Time passed, and Percy had continued to eat. No one else cared, not even Chiron, Zoё, Persephone or even Dionysus, but Thalia was Thalia, and she had yet to be broken out of her power-jealousy.

"Well, we're waiting."

Percy simply swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "You'll be waiting for a while."

"Why's that?"

"Because I am not wasting any of this good food by throwing it into a pot."

"You think you're hot stuff, don't you?" Thalia sneered again. "First you disrespect Lady Artemis, then you disrespect my father and the rest of the gods, and now you think you're so far above them you don't even have to give them a food offering."

"Yes."

Thalia scowled and stood up, only to be yanked down by a very displeased Zoё Nightshade. "Silence yourself before you are silenced forever," she hissed.

"You can't seriously be taking his side!"

"It is not about sides, little girl, it is about power. I do not approve of Apollo, but I am not foolish enough to insult him or fight with him, even with my standing with Artemis. The same goes for Shin'en. Now, _be quiet_."

Thalia scowled, but she said no more since that incident.

Persephone awkwardly finished sacrificing to her father, and returned to her seat. Nothing had happened since then, only the sounds of forks and knives across plates resounding from tables as everyone finished their meals. The daughter of Poseidon honestly thought they were going to get to the Capture the Flag game without any more incidents, but a certain daughter of Aphrodite had to ruin things.

Persephone watched with growing ire as Drew Tanaka made a show of applying some makeup, kissed at herself in her little hand mirror, and stood up, eyes glued to Percy's back.

"What are you doing, Drew?" Silena asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, nothing, sis," the Asian girl answered.

Drew sauntered over to Percy, who didn't even react to the foreign presence that was pressing itself against his back. Persephone glared.

"Get away from him, you bitch."

Drew just smiled at the sea princess. "No need for harsh language. I'll leave, if he wants me to leave." Then everyone knew her Charmspeak came on full force. "So, handsome, you don't really want me to leave, do you? Of course you don't, not without you going with me. Come on, handsome, I'll show you around…I'll even show you a good time~," she said saucily.

Percy actually _stood_ , and Persephone's jaw dropped when he did it. He…he…he couldn't really be affected by Drew's Charmspeak, could he? Seph and many people watched with baited breath as Percy slowly reached up to cup Drew's chin. Silena couldn't believe her half-sister was that bold. Zoё was having a hard time believing that someone with that much power could be affected by a child's Charmspeak. Dionysus was ready to intervene the moment things went South. Chiron was old enough to know when someone was actually under the effects of Charmspeak, and he knew for a fact that Perseus was just fine.

"I'm curious…can you still do that with your tongue in your head?"

Percy had Drew's cheeks in a grip so tight it was amazing her lower mouth didn't explode. Percy slammed Drew down on the table, and a kunai shot into his opposite hand, coming from the confines of that massive sleeve. The sleek metal gleamed.

"Let's find out."

The kunai came down, and while many people simply screamed, Persephone was the one that dove across the table to tackle her brother, only end up with the same results as if she had tried to tackle a building. Luckily for the wayward daughter of Aphrodite, Dionysus was there.

Grape vines burst from the ground, tightly latching on to Shin'en's arm. The kunai point was in Drew's mouth, and a thin trail of blood leaked from her tongue due to the tiny incision already made by the kunai's extremely sharp edge. However, even with his arm restrained, Drew could feel the cold metal slowly, painfully, micrometer by micrometer, go deeper into her mouth.

The scariest part of all this was Shin'en's face. There was no look of anger, there was no look of rage, or struggle; his glowing red eyes were devoid of any emotion or feeling. He was completely calm. Completely in control. If anything, he actually looked bored.

Drew felt true terror, her mind going wild with horrendous fantasies of the knife in her mouth going all the way in, cutting off her tongue, cutting through her cheeks, piercing the back of her throat, severing her uvula, cutting through her mouth into her brain, cutting down through her jaw—

The knife stopped moving.

Then there was a puff of smoke that obscured Drew's vision.

While she couldn't see, she could still taste and feel, and what was in her mouth didn't taste or feel like metal. It tasted like…rubber? Drew ran her tongue around what was suddenly in her mouth, and found it to be shaped like…a…oh, Hades. The smoke cleared out, and what Drew had in her mouth was revealed.

A pastel pink dildo.

Drew immediately tried to take it out of her mouth by pushing at it with her tongue and working it with her lips, but it wouldn't budge. She next tried to pull it out with her hand, but she ended up hurting herself by nearly ripping her lips up. Now panic-stricken, she brought her hands to her lips to see what going on, and she promptly screamed, although it was muffled by the dildo.

Her lips had been _fused_ the rubber dick.

"There. You wanted a penis in your mouth, and now you have one. Permanently. Unless you can get a god to fix it, or you're on good terms with Hecate's daughter and she knows a spell…or I decide to fix it myself. Please, feel free to run in terror now."

Drew scrambled to her feet, tears ruining her makeup, and she fled as fast as her legs could carry, a pink wang bouncing erratically about her face.

Shin'en calmly sat back down to finish his meal. This was some damn good steak. He couldn't remember the last time he had steak this good. He needed to find out where this camp got its steak, because he needed to take some of it back with him the Shinobi World-

"You fucking monster! Fix her!"

"Hm?"

Shin'en turned around on the bench he was sitting on, and swallowed. He was facing the horrified and aghast looks of those present at Camp Half-Blood. Chiron was pale as the surrounding snow, and Dionysus was rubbing the bridge of his nose. Persephone had buried her face in her hands, but she wasn't crying. Silena Beauregard was mad, and her boyfriend was physically holding her back from attacking.

It was an adorable sight.

"Fix her right now, or I swear on the River Styx that I'll-"

Shin'en was two inches from her face, his movement unseen. Silena and Beckendorf both collapsed to their rears in shock at his sudden appearance.

"You'll do what?" the son of Poseidon intoned coldly. "Kill me? Hurt me? Go after my sister? Use your Charmspeak on me? You have nothing to threaten me with, _girl_. Do not act like you do, or I will truly show you the error of your ways."

"Don't you threaten my-" Beckendorf shut up when Shin'en's eyes snapped to his.

"Control your woman before she does something you'll both regret."

The Abyss looked around the dining pavilion, taking note of all the horrified and shocked faces. It seemed that present company still hadn't got it through their heads that Shin'en wasn't the good guy here. It was time to fix that.

"What we've got here…is failure to communicate. You all still seem to be under the impression that I am a hero, like all of you. I wish to dash these false impressions. I am not a hero, I am not the savior, I am not the good guy. I am the guy that is being dragged from my simple life to fix the mess your parents have created the world over. If getting this message through to you means causing irreparable bodily harm, then so be it." Shin'en let a cigarette before the masses. "Would anyone like to say anything?"

Thalia being Thalia had something to say.

"You're an arrogant and despicable bastard who thinks he's better than everyone, and needs a dose of reality."

"And I am to understand that you will be the one to describe this dose?"

"You bet your ass I am. My sisters and I can take you, we can take anyone."

"Truly? Well, ladies, does Thalia Grace speak for all of you when she makes these claims?"

The whole troupe was about to say 'no' with their own varying levels of enthusiasm, even the toddler sucking her thumb, and the hyperactive pinkette, and the one with the broadsword, and the daughter of Atlas were going to fervently hop on that wagon, but Thalia was faster than all of them, loudly proclaiming with the utmost confidence:

"Yes!"

"I see," Shin'en said simply. Then he looked at the centaur. "Chiron, tonight's game of Capture the Flag will be proceeding on schedule, only _I_ will be representing the whole of Camp Half-Blood tonight. It has recently come to my attention that the Hunters of Artemis have grown overconfident in their abilities and need to be taught a lesson in humility."

Then he looked at Zoё.

"The game begins in fifteen minutes and I shall be taking the west side of the creek. I expect you and yours to bring everything that you have, and anything less will result in your total obliteration. Your goddess is not here, and she cannot save you. I also recall her telling all of you not to irritate me. Consider me irritated…good luck tonight."

Shin'en disappeared.

Catherine Fabian banged her head on the table. "We're fucked!" bemoaned the Hunter, "And not in the fun way…"

Her sister Joanna just rubbed her back comfortingly, feeling much the same.

Zoё was immediately on her feet, and she whirled around and necked Thalia straight in the face. The daughter of Zeus went _down_ , her nose bleeding. She glared up at her lieutenant, only to receive a much harsher glare, a glare that could only be managed by one with several thousands of years of experience in expressing displeasure, in return.

"Your jealousy will be the death of us, child. If you yet live after his duration here, I will have words with Artemis about this behavior."

"What? You really think we can't take him? There's only one of him, and over twenty of us!"

"Yes, and he has spent the entire day in those woods. Do you think he was merely meditating?" —Annabeth shared a look with Persephone— "Of course he wasn't! He was preparing the battlefield! Setting it up to his advantage! That is why he chooses the west side, because he knows the east side is a minefield! Thank you, _sister_ , for potentially costing us all our lives!"

Persephone coughed off to the side. "Uh…he's just aiming to knock Thalia down a lot of pegs. You guys should be just fine."

Zoё gave a distressed smile, clearly displaying that while she was grateful for the thought cushion, she was also finding it difficult not to snap at the daughter of Poseidon for her offered help.

"Thank you, child, but that does not bring me comfort."

"Just trying to help."

"It is appreciated…do you know what we can expect from your brother?"

"Only what we've all seen together in the dreams."

"Right," Zoё said. "This will not be pleasant."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The conch horn sounded, and none of the Hunters were up for this, aside from Thalia. She had made an honest attempt at morale-boosting, only to fail miserably. The Hunters were not idiots; most of them hated males, and some were just neutral to males, but not even one of them was dumb enough to insult a male god.

The same went for Shin'en.

Yes, he was not a god, per se, but he had all the aura and commanding presence of one. Also, where an Olympians god might go through all the trouble of either covering up something they did, or making it seem like it wasn't that bad, Shin'en did not. He straight-up owned whatever he did, whether it was murder or mass destruction.

He had blown up an entire civilization in the battle with that Cerberus on Steroids—common name for the thing—and watching that conflict had Hades doing all sorts of things with his three-headed guard dog. No one but Nico and Bianca knew what Hades had done, was doing, or will be doing with Cerberus, but they both snickered when asked, which either meant Hades was doing something exceedingly comical with the beast, or the two children were exposing their twisted senses of humor by finding fun in whatever horrors Hades was subjecting Cerberus to.

Bottom line: Shin'en didn't care one bit for human life, and he sure as hell didn't care about any of theirs.

Which is why the Hunters left Amelia in the tender care of Sarah and Victoria, the two youngest-looking of the Hunters, way outside the woods.

Still, in spite of the fear Shin'en brought with him, he was still a single man. It took a little mental hardwiring, but most of the girls got it into their heads that if they just got the flag across the boundary line, the game would be over, and they could get out of here, take nice long relaxing showers, and have even more relaxing sex with their partner…and if they didn't have a girlfriend at the moment, it would take nothing to scratch a mutual itch.

Or just masturbate.

A common practice when you're subject to teenage sex drive for over a hundred years.

Currently, we find groups of Hunters cautiously stalking their way through the woods, using every bit of their experience to not get jumped, or fall into a trap, as they tried to get to the creek. Honestly, there was no strategy, not one beyond get to the creek, find the flag, and haul ass. There were a couple of guards at their own silver flag, yes, but that more shit-detail than anything.

If Shin'en wanted that flag, he was going to take it, and nothing short of another god was going to stop him. Even then, Shin'en had already made it painfully clear that he had the Olympians under his thumb, so maybe note even a god could save the Hunters tonight.

And it was all Thalia's fault.

Call the immortals petty, but every one of them blamed Thalia for this situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ironic thing was, in Shin'en's opinion, was that none of the traps he had set were on the east side of the woods. They were all on the west side. His side. The Hunters were being cautious for nothing over there.

But it was amusing.

Shin'en could have ended this the moment the conch horn sounded. He was fast enough to get over there, grab their flag, and be back here before that horn ended. Moving that fast would've been just a light strain on his body, and wouldn't have jeopardized his heart any. He might be breathing a little bit heavier than usual when he got back, but nothing life threatening.

Another train of thought Shin'en decided to venture down was power scaling.

His skill against the Hunters.

In terms of physical prowess, forget it. He could bench press their combined body mass as something less than a warmup set. He wasn't exaggerating, either. There were about twenty Hunters, all of them teens, which put them in the hundred-pound range, give or take some, which meant their combined was a single ton, give or take some. Shin'en used to work out with that as a child when he trained in the Cloud.

In terms of stealth, things got a little more fun. The Hunters were good at what they did, with the Blessing of Artemis giving them a natural skill in the stealth field, but they hunted _animals_. They hunted Grecian _monsters_. Shin'en was a professional assassin, thief, hitman, spy, and could seduce both genders with equal skill…dressed as _either_ gender. His liquefication ability to warp his body had been exploited to the fullest. Granted, it also resulted in several instances where the personas he created ended up as actual people, but that wasn't important and he was getting off-topic.

In the Shinobi World, Hagoromo gave every living creature on the planet a chakra system, and that included the animals. Just like the shinobi, the wildlife had chakra natures, enhanced senses, enhanced bodies, and some of the more powerful animals could use raw elemental jutsu. Most even learned how to speak like humans. The bottom line here was that Shin'en had dealt with creatures _way_ out of the Hunters' league.

He recalled, with certain emotions, this one bear back in the forests about five miles away from Yūrei's hideout. Big thing, packed with muscle, massive claws, sharp teeth, liked to fire Wind Bullets powerful enough to blow apart trees. The bear had tasted really good to. Lasted him and Yūrei half a month.

That bear would've shat all over the Hunters, and Shin'en had downed it with a single when he was ten.

Well, it had been Kimiko that had done the punching, but still.

Shin'en outclassed his adversaries in every field imaginable.

Luckily for his cousin's handmaidens, he was only here for Thalia.

She had an attitude that needed to be handled, before it lead to detrimental consequences for her and the Grecian world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thalia was mad. She knew it was irrational, at least, a little voice told her it was irrational, but she ignored that voice. Another little voice told her that her anger wasn't real, and it was just her inborn nature as a child of Zeus to be ambitious and at the top, and her not being at the top was the source of her jealousy. She ignored that voice to.

It wasn't fair, dammit!

Why did Percy have all this power, and not her? Her, who lived with an abusive, alcoholic mother!? Her, who had lost her little brother due to said mother!? Her, who had spent years living in the wilderness, starving, freezing, smelling!? Her, who had to piss and shit behind trees yet had nothing to clean herself with!? Her, who had stolen underwear three sizes too small and almost killed herself due to cut-off circulation!? Her, who had to sleep in the dirt!? Her, who had been turned into a fucking tree!?

What happened to Percy to where he got so much power, and she didn't!?

There wasn't a chance in Hades Percy had through a quarter of anything she did, so just _why_?

"Hey, Thals, I know you're probably on your period right now, which explains all your recent bitchiness, but could you tone down the lightning? Thanks," Jess said.

Thalia blinked, only just realizing that she was emitting sprigs of lightning from her body. She closed her eyes in embarrassment, and rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, sorry."

She got no response.

She opened her eyes, and panicked when she saw that the three girls she had been with were suddenly on the ground and unconscious. But how-?

"I think's time to fix your attitude."

Thalia whirled around, firing her notched arrow. Percy leisurely reached up and plucked it out of the air. Then he snapped it half by squeezing his fist. Thalia quickly nocked another arrow, but she froze when she locked eyes with her cousin.

Those commas spun around his pupil, and suddenly the image of that eye was zooming in on Thalia. With a scream she wasn't entirely sure was real, the daughter of Zeus found herself falling through the pupil into an endless abyss of black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thalia landed on unfamiliar ground with a high-pitched grunt. Picking herself off the grass—shouldn't it have been snow? —Thalia looked around. The trees weren't right, the sun wasn't right, the air wasn't right, this grass wasn't right-none of this was right! Where was she!?

"You are jealous of me because you do not have my power," Percy said from everywhere at once. "You want it? Here, let me show you what happened to me to get it."

Growling was heard, and Thalia flinched. From out of the woods in front of her came a pack of wolves. _Huge_ wolves. These wolves were easily the size of horses, and all of them had their hackles raised, and lips curled back, revealing lots of teeth. Their wild eyes stared at Thalia with fury and hunger, and the girl was terrified.

She immediately turned and ran, only there was a problem with her legs: they were short and chubby, like when she was _five_. That was because in wherever she was, she _was_ five. Somehow, Thalia had reverted back into a toddler.

The child sprinted through the woods as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, and when she risked a glance back at her chasers, she almost peed when she saw they were casually _walking_ behind her…about five feet away. Thalia whined in distress, and poured on what little speed she could in her little body.

She heard heavy thumping behind her, and when she turned around, the last thing she saw was gaping jaws.

Then she was in the woods around Camp Half-Blood. It was night, with warm air. Thalia was her teenage self again. She remembered this night; it was the night she had been turned into a tree.

"You failed to get through what I did to merely activate my powers…let's see if you handle going through what I did to become the cold-blooded man I am today."

"Activate?" Thalia asked.

"Yes, I was almost eaten alive by wolves. I chose to stand and fight where you chose to run and get eaten. Moving on."

Thalia's view was suddenly swept forward through the trees, and she came upon a sight that she couldn't comprehend. It was Andrew, Luke, Grover, and Jason. They were all there…being _eaten_. Eaten by the Furies, eaten by Hellhounds. The monsters smacked their gums and chewed loudly as they devoured her family. The heads had been spared, so Thalia was subject to the wide, unblinking eyes of her loved ones as they stared lifelessly at her.

She fell to her knees, her hands over her mouth, her own eyes wide with terror.

"Thalia," Luke wheezed. "You let us die."

"Why weren't you here, Thals?" Andrew said weakly.

"Sissy," Jason whined. "It hurts sissy. Make it stop, make it stop."

"I'm sorry, Thalia," Grover gurgled. "I wasn't strong enough…if you had been here…ugh."

A Hellhound lowered its maw, and devoured Grover's head. Thalia gasped, but she couldn't do anything. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't even function. She wanted to blame it on Percy, but she knew for a fact that he wasn't doing anything. Her inability to move was solely her fault.

A Hellhound went for Luke. "Don't let me die…please-" CRUNCH

Thalia whimpered.

A Hellhound picked up Andrew's bloody head. "You're here now, save me, Thals, save-" CRACK

Thalia whined.

A Hellhound embraced Jason with its jaws. "No, sissy, please help me! Sissy, please-" CRUNK

This time, Thalia screamed. But she did not move. Even after witnessing the horrendous deaths of her loved ones, the only the daughter of Zeus could manage was to scream. She couldn't even generate a lightning bolt, or even a spark. Hell, she couldn't even manage to make the wind pick up.

The Furies descended on Thalia and tore her to pieces.

Suddenly she was in front of a three-story house, made of wood, with several people in masks surrounding it. There was a short woman with wild hair wielding two swords standing in front of an elderly lady, and in the house's front door entrance, that had been blown apart, stood a host of children that Thalia knew to be orphans.

The short woman spoke. "Lightning Style: Thunder Gate!"

To Thalia's shock, lightning shot right into the clouds, then came right back down, blowing the orphanage to pieces. Little bodies, charred and on fire, went sailing through the night. Thalia watched this with a horrified expression as this woman murdered children with a savage grin on her face.

The elderly woman screamed, picked up a sword, and charged the short one, only to be decapitated in a move so fast Thalia didn't even see it happen. Shortly after, Thalia heard another scream, this one far more young-sounding, and far more primal. Whipping around to the source of the scream, Thalia paled.

It was _him_ , a child, yes, but it was _Percy_.

And suddenly she understood. She understood it all.

Shin'en hummed to himself. Well, that was good. At least he didn't have to show her any of what happened with Yūrei. Watching his brothers and sisters get blown up again was hard in and of itself, watching Yūrei's heads get mounted on pikes and publicly displayed to the approval of a roaring crowd would have been cause for a tsunami and earthquake and quite possibly a category thirteen hurricane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thalia choked on a sob when she came back to reality. She looked at Shin'en.

"I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry—I didn't…kno-"

" _Quiet_." Shin'en's eyes glowed brightly in the dark.

"You felt entitled to my power due to the hardships you faced in your life; I merely showed you that your problems are paltry in the grand scheme of things. Now you have realized the error of your ways and have learned that there is someone that has it worse than you do. Pick yourself up and move on with life. I have no time for apologies and groveling."

Shin'en did waste any more time on his cousin.

He had a game to win after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Katie Price, drunkard and stoner extraordinaire, daughter of Dionysus, was guarding the Hunters' flag alongside Lucy, the firstborn child of Hecate. The high girl looked like she was trying not to fall asleep, and the witch was staring intently at the trees.

Crunching snow was heard, and Shin'en calmly strolled out of the darkness.

Katie cracked an eye open. "Oh, hell no. Zoё can get mad all she wants—I am _not_ dealing with this guy."

With that, she got up, and walked away. That left Lucy to deal with Shin'en all by herself, and she wasn't feeling like it. The son of Poseidon casually walked up and grabbed the flag, then he looked down at the purple-eyed girl.

"If I killed you now, would that wipe the rest of you from all other dimensions?"

Lucy snorted, cracking a tiny grin. "No, it wouldn't."

"Unfortunate. Stay ten feet away from me at all times, and if you even think of trying to seduce me or my sister, I will deliver your organs to your mother in a paper bag."

Lucy snorted again, her grin just a bit bigger. "I wouldn't go after you or Persephone. If I wanted anything out of you, it would be Sachiko."

"…you wouldn't be able to handle her."

"Oh, it wouldn't be about _handling_ …it would simply be about watching her pile up the bodies."

Shin'en looked at the witch girl from over his shoulder. He didn't feel like questioning how she knew about _that_ personality that he kept under very tight lock and key, but he did care about the fact that the four thousand year old child behind him would be sexually aroused by watching Sachiko commit mass murder…again. It was times like these when Shin'en found his sword to be amazing.

From the opposite end of the sheath, the end pointed behind Shin'en, a thin beam of light shot out, piercing Lucy straight through the head. She pitched forward, and the elongated blade was so sharp that it glided through Lucy's skull as she collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Shin'en didn't believe for a second that the witch girl was truly dead, but it made him feel better, and it delivered his message: Sachiko is off limits, and you will not be getting anywhere near her.

Sachiko had been out _twice_ , the first time was her birth, the second time she was involuntarily brought out, and each time had the exact same result: over two hundred mangled corpses of all ages and both genders, and veritable ocean of blood. Shin'en wasn't entirely sure Sachiko hadn't managed to slip out a little during the Chunin Exam, but that was a train of thought for later.

The demigod retracted his blade, the metal silently sliding back to its normal length through the tiny little slit at the end of the sheath, a slit specifically designed to not be seen and be just big enough to allow the sword to shoot through.

Kusanagi's elongating ability.

Gotta love it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The conch horn sounded when Shin'en crossed the creek, and he would admit to feeling amused at what he saw on the bank. The majority of the Hunt, all stuck in Sealing Barriers due to not seeing the kunai barrier points transformed as rocks. The only Hunters not present in the Barriers were the ones with Thalia and the two that were guarding the flag.

Chiron came trotting up, followed by the rest of camp.

"Thank the gods no one's dead," the centaur sighed in relief, then he coughed. "Winner: Shin'en! And due to his decision to represent Camp Half-Blood tonight, winner: Camp Half-Blood!"

Reactions were subdued because not one of the half-bloods actually felt victorious. Seph was just glad no one was dead.

"Can you let us out now? It's getting cramped in whatever this thing is," said a Hunter.

Shin'en made a half Ram sign, and the glowing circles vanished. The handmaidens of Artemis all exited their respective confines with sighs of relief. Thalia and her group came out from the east side, along with Katie and Lucy, with the daughter of Zeus looking subdued and the daughter of Hecate with her hair covering her forehead.

She wasn't dumb enough to bring this to Zoё, or even Artemis. She was on thin ice with the goddess already, and saying 'Shin'en attacked me' would only lead to more questions in an attempt to get to the true bottom of this, and the true bottom of this would be breaking a few interdimensional laws.

The Greeks knew that the Shinto had their own reality; they did not need to know about their own multiverse, in which there were an uncountable number of various Percy Jacksons.

Bottom line: Lucy and Shin'en's stint would be kept solely between them.

Before any dialogue could ensue between any party, someone gasped at something. Following that person's line of sight, everyone else collectively gasped at seeing none other than the Oracle, mummified and moving—or hobbling, really—through the snow. It was trailing green light and mist.

The Oracle stood in the middle of the gathering.

 _I am the spirit of Delphi. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python._ _Approach, seeker, and ask._

The Oracle looked at Zoё, then it looked at Shin'en, then back to Zoё, then back to Shin'en, then back to Zoё. Half-bloods and Hunters just stood there and watched as the Oracle went back and forth between the two, the mood somewhat ruined by whatever _this_ was supposed to be.

Finally, Zoё stepped up, and the Oracle looked at her. "What must I do to -"

"Yeah, nice try," Shin'en stepped right up next to her, smoking calmly. "What do I have to do to get back to the Shinobi World? And if you give me anything but a straight damn answer, I will personally flay every single child of Apollo that is currently here."

While appalled, everyone was pretty sure they heard the Oracle mumble.

 _You are worse than those other two kids. Right then_

The Oracle seemingly got serious again.

 _You and Zoё need to go west, and bring whoever you want_

 _One of you will probably die in a desert_

 _Need to keep a lookout for the Ophiotaurus—it'll help_

 _You need Campers and Hunters, so there's that_

 _Someone's might have to hold up the sky_

 _And you're going to experience crushing defeat before kicking major ass_

The Oracle sucked in all its personal green mist and fell limp in the snow. Everyone just stared at the Oracle.

Shin'en blew smoke from his mouth. "I love it when they cooperate. Granted, a little vaguer than what I was hoping for, but we'll make due. Right then," Shin'en clapped his hands together, "I believe you all have a place in which to discuss plans of action? Let us go there for further conversation."

Shin'en began heading for the Big House like nothing had happened. He walked past the Oracle's limp body.

"And someone take this thing back to the attic…it smells."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Sorry about not updating yesterday. Went to workout with a buddy in the morning and didn't get back home till noon. Took a nice long nap and started working on this at about three in the afternoon. Got to about 4k before I was like 'Okay, bedtime.'**_

 _ **But now it's finished so here it is!**_

 _ **Thalia has her ass straightened out, Lucy is an ever-present force, but not one dumb enough to mess with Shin'en like she did Asteria…hopefully; damn witch is highly unpredictable, and we got what is steadily becoming a DelayedInspiration signature prophecy.**_

 _ **Whatever could it mean?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	49. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 5

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 5_

 _ **We're back, and we're finally getting the quest underway, but with the typical DelayedInspiration logic twist as seen in**_ **Xenomorphic, Leviathan, Green-Eyed Ghoul,** _ **and**_ **Son of Jashin** _ **. In other words, canon go jump off a bridge.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en remembered these people had a meeting area. He did not know it was a basement with a single light and a ping-pong table. He also didn't know everyone got snacks and drinks like this was a daycare. Then again, he was used to shinobi-esque things, so of course this out of the ordinary for him.

The head councilors for the cabins were here, with Thalia representing Cabin 1, Persephone for Cabin 3, Katie Gardner for Cabin 4, Clarisse for Cabin 5, Annabeth for Cabin 6, Lee Fletcher for Cabin 7, Zoё for Cabin 8—accompanied by Phoebe and Bertha, Charles Beckendorf for Cabin 9, Silena Beauregard for Cabin 10, Travis and Connor Stoll for Cabin 11, Pollux for Cabin 12, and Bianca for Cabin 13. And Grover was here…for some reason.

Maybe because he represented the nature spirits.

Dionysus sat at the head of the ping-pong table, with Chiron next to him in horse form.

Shin'en was also there, standing behind his sister near the head of the table, directly across from Thalia. The daughter of Zeus did everything imaginable to not look at either child of Poseidon.

Of course, someone just had to point out that this was supposed to be a councilors-only meeting, even though there were two extra members from Cabin 8 here as well.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Clarisse asked with no small amount of rudeness. "Councilors only."

Shin'en gave her a sideways glance. "By all means…feel free to escort me out."

Clarisse faltered, then she turned to Dionysus for assistance. The Wine God just shrugged his shoulders, not looking up from his magazine. "Do not look at me. I don't feel like engaging the man."

Clarisse scowled, but she said no more on the matter.

"Right," Shin'en drawled. "Zoё and I are going, that's a definite. Since I don't qualify as a camper, do we have any volunteers?"

Hands were raised.

"Keep in mind that someone is going to die in a desert, and someone will have to hold up the sky…there's also all the monsters that will be looking to eat you. Just think for a moment about what their teeth will feel like tearing into your body, cracking bone, piercing skin, tearing through muscle and organs, spilling out all of your blood all over the place, all the while you are still alive, because the monster has yet to start eating you."

Hands were lowered.

"A satyr, a daughter of Athena, a daughter of Hades, a daughter Zeus, and a daughter of Poseidon. Counting me and Nightshade, that makes seven…any objections?"

Chiron raised his hand. "Ah…seven may be a bit of a large number, with that many half-bloods undoubtedly attracting many monsters, especially with so many powerful half-bloods among you. I advise… _downsizing_."

"I see…all of you leave. Nightshade and I need to discuss this further, in private."

"Percy-"

"In. Private."

"Per-"

"No."

"But-"

"Leave."

"If you do-"

" _Now_."

Persephone huffed. "Fine, brat."

She was the first to get up and leave, and everyone else quickly followed, even Chiron, Dionysus, and Thalia.

"Zoё, do you want us to leave as well?" Bertha asked.

"Yes."

The Hunters nodded, trusting their lieutenant's judgement on this.

When everyone was gone, Shin'en looked at the daughter of Atlas. "Do you have a map of this continent?"

Raising a brow, Zoё produced a piece of paper from her jacket pocket, and it magically unfolded into a very big 2D layout of the continental United States. Shin'en stared at it blankly. "And where would Atlas' prison be on this map?"

Zoё pointed at a location on the map.

"And where are we?"

Zoё pointed at another location.

Shin'en sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had seen the map scale, and that was a lot of distance between Point A and Point B. An on-foot journey would take much longer than what he wanted to spend in this dimension. Alright, brainstorming time.

"What is the fastest publicly accessible vehicle in this area?"

"747 jumbo jet."

"We're going to pretend like I know what that is, and move on with this question: using this thing, how long would it take us to get from here to there?"

"About six hours. You are assuming that Artemis is being held at this place."

"And we both know that she is, so there is no point in trying to look elsewhere. The Titans are rising and Zeus refuses to see it, and Artemis is one of the most vocal on the council about doing something. Her hunt for the Ophiotaurus will be her deciding proof that it is time to act, and keeping her under the sky will prevent her from bringing her findings to the Winter Solstice meeting."

Zoё blinked. She hadn't thought of that, she just assumed that her father had Artemis under the sky for the sake of her being under the sky. Alright, digesting that information, it became imperative to free Artemis before the solstice, so going by jet was now the best way. The problem with that was all the people going that wanted to go on this quest.

"A 747 is a flying vehicle. Zeus will not take kindly to so many of his brothers' children invading his domain."

"Zeus is not a problem remember?" Shin'en held up his arm, revealing the glowing Seal. Zoё looked down and saw that the Seal on her own arm was glowing.

"Zeus may be paranoid, jealous, hypocritical, and unfair, but he is not stupid. Bringing Thalia with us brings insurance against being blown out of the sky, unless Zeus doesn't care about his daughter, and bringing along Persephone, Bianca, and Annabeth provides more protection in the forms of Poseidon, Hades, and Athena, none of which will be too pleased to learn that their baby girls were killed by Zeus. Further, Artemis would also be very displeased to learn that her faithful lieutenant and lover was killed by her father. In summary, we'll be just fine in the sky."

Zoё stared at the boy standing across the table from her. She had dealt with children of Poseidon in the past, most of them sons, and none of them were this intelligent. Zoё said most because there was this one child, centuries ago, that could draw on the powers of the ocean's animals, and found a twisted amusement in using the clown fish's gender-warping ability to annoy people.

But anyway.

This was a well thought out plan, and Zoё was impressed. There was just a single hole she had to point out.

"What of the satyr?"

"Do you remember Pan, God of the Wild?"

"Of course."

"Good, that saves time. The satyr is supposed to be the one to find Pan, and he gets the first clue to Pan's whereabouts during this mission…or is supposed to. Using a plane, being in the air, doesn't leave a lot of time on the ground to listen for a supposedly dead god. Of course, there is the possibility of a third party bringing us to the ground. I suppose that would open a lot of time in the wild."

Zoё paled slightly. Being in a 747 and getting shot down by anything would not be pleasant. Now she was feeling doubt against flying, and it shown on her face, because Shin'en said, "Keep in mind that we're going to be in the air, which is still Zeus' domain. Thalia will handle it."

"Thalia is afraid of heights."

"Yes, and I will fix that. So, do we have a plan? The seven of us on a plane to the prison of Atlas to free the goddess?"

Zoё nodded. "I believe we do."

"Excellent. We leave in the morning so that everyone can rest. I leave it in your capable hands to break this news to the populace."

Before Zoё could protest this, Shin'en disappeared in a swirl of water.

The Huntress scowled. "Typical male…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _That night_

Silena Beauregard quietly slipped out of her cabin. In the dead of night, there was hardly any illumination, but her eyes adjusted quickly. Besides, she knew where was going. She had done this several times, both in the day to relieve herself, and at night, like right now, to inform Luke Castellan of current events.

She hated herself for it, of course. But it was this, or watch as Charlie got hurt.

Silena entered the girls' bathroom, and entered the stall furthest from the door. This way, even if she was discovered, she could just say she was taking a late-night pee, and if asked why she was seemingly talking to herself, she could say she was rehearsing her lines for when she asked Charlie out on their next date. If someone managed to overhear exactly what she was saying, _then_ Silena would resort to Charmspeak to get herself out of an otherwise sticky situation.

In the darkness of the bathroom, the daughter of Aphrodite reached down into her pajama pocket for the cursed scythe-charm bracelet that served as what amounted to a cellphone…only to not find it.

And then Silena felt that she wasn't alone anymore.

She didn't see it, and she never would see it, but it was there, weighing on her, squeezing her, pressing her, grabbing her. It was there, sucking the air out of her lungs, draining the life from her body. Her heart hammered against her ribs as her breathing became low and shallow, her lungs not able to bring enough air into her. Her colon and bladder had been emptied several hours before, otherwise they surely would've released in the presence of this unseen entity.

Silena's eyes had adjusted to the dark, yes, which was what allowed her to see an even deeper darkness, one that consumed all light, one that consumed her. Near the top of the abyss, where its eyes would have been, two perfectly round red light simply appeared. The lights had no soul, no emotion, no humanity. For everything Silena could make about these lights, they could've belonged to one of Charlie's automatons.

Except that under the scrutiny of those lights, Silena found her blood chilling, her breath steaming, and her body shaking.

The abyss moved, seemingly levitating something from its side. Against all logic, Silena could see what it was with perfect clarity. It was her scythe-charm bracelet. It was flung at her, and with her body petrified as it was, her mind dead as it was, the bracelet hit her in the chest, and fell to her lap.

 _I have dealt with the others_. _You are the last. Tell Castellan that the quest leaves in the morn by vehicle to follow the goddess' trail. Fail me or lie, and everyone you love will suffer._

The presence faded, the red lights shutting off, but the cold remained. The fear remained. The terror and the panic remained. The impending feeling of death remained. Silena managed to shakily and jerkily get her body to move, picking up the bracelet and bringing it to her mouth.

" _The others all say that the quest is going to consist of Perseus, Persephone, Bianca, Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and Zoё Nightshade. Can you confirm?"_

"Y-Yes s-sir."

" _They will be travelling by van, using Grover's nose to track Artemis' scent. Can you confirm?"_

"Y-Y-Yes s-s-sir."

" _You're stuttering. Is everything alright on your end?"_

"Yes sir," Silena managed to calm herself down just enough to keep the stutter out of her voice, but she was still terrified. Her terror-stricken mind went with the first thing it came up with.

"There was a rat in the bathroom and it startled me. I ended up, uh…"

" _Pissing yourself?"_ Luke supplied helpfully.

Silena's mind rolled with that. "Yes sir. I-I was startled and hadn't been to the bathroom in a while."

Luke's response was as derrogatory and dry as humanly possible. _"Did you crap yourself too, or do have at least that much control over yourself?"_

"I-I'm fine back there, sir."

" _Whatever. Keep me informed of happens. Luke out."_

Nothing happened to the bracelet physically, but Silena could feel the magic that powered it go dead.

It wasn't probable, seeing as she had gone to the bathroom hours before, but Silena's mind was too terror-stricken to make that connection right now, and her hand quickly made its way down to make sure she was dry.

With a breath so shallow and low that she barely heard it herself, Silena shakily stood to her feet, her underwear devoid of any waste. Barely managing to open the stall door she was shaking so much, Silena moaned in fear when she saw that, on the floor of the bathroom in perfect clarity, was a message in literal blood.

 _You did well_

That did it for Silena. She didn't scream, or make any noise, really. She just sprinted out of the bathroom, making a beeline straight for her cabin. Without any concern for her sleeping brother and sisters, the councilor of Cabin 10 practically ripped the door off its hinges when she opened it, nearly shattered the walls when she shut it, and very nearly teleported to her bed, where she proceeded to bury her face in her pillow and start to bawl.

Lights were on in an instant, and everyone in the cabin was crowding the distraught and terrified daughter of Aphrodite. Her response to was scream in Charmspeak.

"ALL OF YOU GET BACK TO BED AND TURN THOSE LIGHTS OUT!"

The lights were off and the children of the Love Goddess were back in bed and sleeping soundly. The same went for everyone else in the camp, those who had heard the earlier commotion and had awoken. In the silence of the night, Drew's Charmspeak carried far and true, and no one resisted, not even the children of the Big Three.

Except for one.

From atop the inactive lava wall, overlooking the whole of Camp Half-Blood, vermillion suns burned the entire area.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shin'en meant morning, he meant about a whole two hours before the Sun rose. The best part about that was that Zoё and Thalia were already up and getting ready. That left the waking up of Bianca, Annabeth, Grover and Persephone, which was easy to handle when you're a stealth/infiltration master, capable of sneaking into places undetected and unseen, and getting people and things out with just as much skill.

The latter four members of the quest were all rudely awakened by being dumped into the canoe lake en masse. They came up spluttering and coughing, making more for an amusing sight for Shin'en than anything else. However, the collar of his cloak kept any vestiges of amusement hidden from the eye.

"All of you get dressed and make sure you've packed all that you're going to need. We leave in thirty minutes."

He spun on his heel and swished his cloak behind him, leaving no room or time for arguments. Persephone, Annabeth, Bianca, and Grover collectively glared at his retreating back, but there wasn't a thing any of them could do about it.

Well, Persephone tried to fire a waterspout at her brother's head, only for the stream to curve around his skull and shoot straight back into her own face.

So there's that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Have you packed _everything_ you might need?"

"Yes."

"Shirts?"

"Yes."

"Pants/shorts/skirts?"

"Yes?"

"Underwear?"

Persephone's face twitched. "Yes."

"Shoes?"

"Yes."

"Instruments to be used in the case menorrhea?"

Persephone blinked, "In case of wha…?" while Bianca, Thalia, and Grover also blinked, Zoё raised a brow, and Annabeth was aghast, "Why would you ask your sister something like that!?"

Shin'en calmly lit a cigarette. "Oh, don't worry. I'm going to ask you the same questions."

"What's menorrhea?" Seph asked.

Annabeth was just a little flushed. "He's asking if you have tampons in case your period starts, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh…uh, no. I don't have any tampons."

"Get some. Now."

"I finished two days ago!"

Shin'en leaned in close, the fiery stick in his mouth less than an inch away from Seph's face. "Does this look like the face of someone who cares? Tampons. Find some. Now."

" _Why_ is this important!?" Persephone raged.

Shin'en was unfazed, nor was he being comical. He was being dead serious.

"Because, dear sister, I have been in the unfortunate situation of a woman beginning her cycle without the proper items on hand. The scent of her blood in the air compromised us, and what was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission quickly devolved into a bloodbath…no pun intended. I will not be in a similar situation because your body decides to act up. Now, tampons. Find. Now. Or we leave without you."

Grumbling to herself about 'stupid brothers' and 'stupid puberty,' Persephone trudged back to her cabin.

Shin'en turned to Bianca.

"Shirts?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thalia began freaking out when Zoё pulled into the airport.

"Uh, you r-really think Artemis came here?"

Shin'en, who, while riding shotgun during the whole way here, could only think about much faster he could move than this vehicle, turned around to face his cousin in the seat behind him, Sharingan active and blazing. Thalia looked into the eye, and that was all it took for her to become a glaze-eyed zombie.

"That will save us time. Zoё, how does this airport system work?"

Zoё explained mortal airports to the boy from another dimension.

"I see…we don't have time for that. I trust you can manipulate the Mist to our advantage?"

"I can manipulate the Mist to make the entire population of a small town think they are three-year-old girls."

"Excellent. We should have no problems then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Indeed, there were no problems getting in, getting tickets, boarding, and placing luggage where it went. Zoё displayed that, while accustomed to the simple life of nomadic camping, she had a penchant for class…first class that is. Shin'en didn't care much for the slight opulence, having seen _much_ better. Not on a plane, of course, not a plane like this at least, but he had been in many a palace and mansion.

And a blimp. The blimp had been nice. Granted, he and Sukina and Bullock had murdered everyone on board before crashing the thing on one of Yagura's forward bases, but still.

Nice blimp.

"Have you ever been on a plane before?" Persephone asked. "Do they even have planes in that other place?"

"Not ones this big, no. They had a few, once upon a time, but they're all gone now."

"Oh, what happened to them?"

"I destroyed them."

…

"Percy," Seph said after a time, "what…what happened in those two and a half years?"

"The Blood War."

"…the what?" Persephone squeaked. The rest of the quest was listening too.

"I am not going into detail about that event. I didn't ask Susano'o to bar you from dreaming about me those years just for me to tell you in person."

The girl blinked. "Wait…I didn't have any dreams of you for over two years because you _asked_ for me not to?"

"Basically."

"You butt!" Persephone accused.

"Most people your age would've said 'ass.'"

"Yeah, well, I'm not most people—and don't change the subject!"

"Speaking of language, I recall you calling our cousin over there a 'lesbian fuck.' That was rude, you might want to apologize. Actually-hey, Thalia! You need to apologize to my sister for fighting with her!"

"Duhhhh…"

"Right, genjutsu."

Shin'en released Thalia from the illusion he had on her, and she blinked blearily, as if waking up from a dream.

"Where am I?"

"On a train. Please, apologize to my sister for the arguments and fights you've had in the past regarding me and my powers."

"What? Oh, right…uh, sorry…Persephone. I was being a dick…because I was… _jealous_ of Per-"

"Shin'en."

"Yeah, that. Um, I was being a dick because I was jealous of Shin'en's power, and I took that out on you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry too for calling you a lesbian fuck, and all the other things I called you." Persephone turned her attention back to her brother. "I believe we were talking about you cutting me out of your life, mister?"

Shin'en was sound asleep.

Persephone's eye twitched. Luckily, the first class cabin they were in was completely empty aside from the quest members, so there were no eyebrows raised when the sea princess poured a glass of water on her brother…to no effect. So she screamed in his ear…to no effect.

She punched his face, and promptly held her hand in pain as she was pretty sure her fingers broke. She poured another glass of water on her hand, though, and everything was fine. Persephone then tried to flip her little brother out of his chair, only for his hand to shoot out, whether on unconscious reflex or on purpose because he wasn't truly asleep was anyone's guess, and send Persephone slamming into the ceiling. She fell back to the ground with a groan.

Nothing was broken, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurting.

As comical as this situation might have been, when Persephone went up, Thalia's eyes strayed too far to a window, and she saw rapidly moving clouds and morning sky. She instantly realized what was really going on, and she lost her shit.

Now, a child of Zeus in the sky was the equivalent to a child of Poseidon in the sea, which just meant a major power boost due to home field. Basically, when Thalia's fear, terror, and panic instantly went through the roof, her power spiraled _way_ , _way_ , _**way**_ out of control, and suddenly the jumbo jet was subject to lightning strikes and sudden tornadoes.

The plane took a nosedive the instant Shin'en's eyes snapped open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Champion of Susano'o moved with breathtaking efficiency. Due to the plane's steep dive, and not everyone in the plane falling as fast as the plane, it created that interesting floating effect seen in movies. That did not stop Shin'en from shooting over to the door, and blowing it open.

Suction was instant, with anything not bolted down going out the opening in a flash. Shin'en kept himself anchored with chakra, and the other six held onto seats for dear life, but their grips didn't mean shit for dick against Shin'en's strength. He tore them free and let them fly, all of the miraculously missing the plane and therefore not getting their bodies smashed to paste.

If he had more time, he would've grabbed the bags, but the ground was rapidly approaching, and Thalia couldn't fly. Shin'en cancelled the chakra flow to his feet, and suddenly he was looking at the tail end of a jumbo jet as it went down fast. Interesting sight, but he had a job to do.

Unfortunately, his sister cared for those other people, so he would have to spend the extra effort in saving them from certain death.

His gut tightened when he called the water vapor to him, and his wings, wings he hadn't made in over a year, formed on his back and a harness over his chest. Then he went to work. It wasn't as hard as you might've thought, grabbing them all out of the sky and keeping them from weighing him down.

The physical strength in his arms was enough to lift several _tons_ , because chakra was awesome like that, and it wasn't weight that controlled his wings, it was his will, and his will was not something to be underestimated. Still, he missed one, and it was the one his sister would've been the most distraught with in the event of their death.

Annabeth went screaming for the ground.

And he couldn't safely go down after her without losing someone.

Luckily there was a body of water down below, which meant that his sister (hopefully) could safely handle everyone within bodily contact. In other words, Persephone should be able to extend her water immunity to others within reach, but then again, she had yet to acquire power over snow, something Shin'en had since he was six.

' _Poseidon, if you care about your daughter, your nieces, and those other two, you are going to get your ass in gear and exercise some divine authority.'_

Prayer said, Shin'en dropped his passengers, and listened to them scream as they went plummeting for the water below. Weight gone, the demigod went rocketing after his sister's lover. The plane hit the ground nose first, and went up in flames. The shockwave from the explosion was barely anything to Shin'en, and the shrapnel was easily dodged, but Annabeth was not so lucky.

Her demigod body handled the kinetic wave easily enough, but stray metal? A small piece went flying up in that magical way to where it caused extreme bodily harm to the sex-changed child of Athena. Namely, it shot straight through her heart and killed her instantly.

Shin'en caught her, but his speed took him straight into the inferno, right into the heart of the flames.

Still, this jet fuel-fueled fire's heat barely phased the Champion of Susano'o, even with its several thousand-degree heat. He went shooting out of the inferno, wings and body steaming, his package also steaming, but otherwise unharmed. Aside from the gaping hole in her chest. She was dead, yes, but the brain survived a few minutes after death, and that was more than he needed for revival.

Shin'en banked hard, shooting back to that lake he had dropped his sister and insignificant others in. He approached rapidly, and was marginally relieved to know that his sister was still alive. The others were too, but he didn't particularly care for them. Instead of wasting time on conversation, Shin'en dove right into the heart of the lake, shooting straight for the bottom.

Immediately, the water obeyed his will, rebuilding Annabeth's chest and organs in a way modern medicine could never hope to do. In mere seconds, the girl was perfectly healed, every cell back to the way it should have been. Now the hard part: getting her heart and blood to start pumping again.

It shouldn't have been hard, not with Shin'en's ability to control internal sources of water, and it would have been easy too, if not for the fact that, on top of his damaged chakra coils and shredded stamina, his hydrokinesis had also been…limited. In simplest terms, he could no longer bloodbend.

All thanks to the same god that had prevented the ocean from healing him after his meltdown with Ay, and the same god that was preventing this lake from doing the same thing.

Still, Shin'en did have Lightning Change in Chakra Nature.

His hand began to spark with electrical energy, and he touched Annabeth's chest. She spasmed, but it wasn't enough to get her heart restarted, even with her brain still active. Shin'en shocked her again, and again, and again. He was beginning to make plans for an Underworld raid for her soul, when he shocked her one more time, this time with more chakra, which meant more voltage.

Her eyes flew wide open, and she reflexively inhaled…sucking in an unhealthy amount of this dirty water. Not to worry, Shin'en just willed the water away from them, creating an air pocket, and calmly drew the water from her lungs. Annabeth coughed and flailed out of his arms, eventually bringing in fresh air…but there was a problem.

Her grey eyes had no life in them, no intelligence. Her reaction had simply been human instinct, but no more. She looked at Shin'en blankly, not recognizing him or her surroundings on the muddy ground or at the bottom of the lake.

It wasn't hard to figure out what situation he was: Annabeth's body had been brought back to life, but her _soul_ had remained in the Underworld.

Why people thought the human body needed a soul to operate, Shin'en didn't know, but a soul was instrumentally helpful to everyday function. Without it, you got what Annabeth had become: an animated vegetable. It was a wonder she hadn't relieved herself out of sheer instinct yet-

Shin'en spoke too soon. Annabeth's jeans were growing darker by the second, and she didn't even react to her wetting herself. And she didn't even have that infantile look of concentration while doing it. She just looked on blankly, like a machine. This was what happened when you didn't have your soul to provide you intelligence beyond animalistic instinct.

When animals were hungry, they found something to eat; when animals were thirsty, they found something to drink; when animals were tired, they found somewhere safe to sleep; when animals needed to piss, they just pissed where they were; when they needed to shit, they just-

Shin'en hit Annabeth with his staff, knocking her out before she could defile herself even more. Stomach and bowel neurons were connected to the consciousness, so when you were out, they were out, which is why, beyond cases of nocturnal encopresis, people didn't shit in their sleep like they did piss.

Animals were soulless creatures, which was why they didn't have an afterlife, and Annabeth currently didn't have a soul, which basically meant that she was an animal, which meant that she didn't have the higher intelligence or personality of the human being.

There were two ways to fix that problem, and one could be performed right now. If it failed, Annabeth would simply be kept in stasis until an opportunity rose to get her soul out from the Underworld. With that in mind, Shin'en intoned, "Thanatos. I seek an audience with thee."

He didn't have to wait long, because soon after her said that, two pearl lights suddenly glowed in the water. Then a man with unnatural black skin waded into Shin'en's bubble. He wore a tunic, had black wings sprouting from his back, pure white eyes, and thin, stringy dreadlocks. He also came equipped with a black device more commonly known as an iPad.

"I want this one's soul back in her body. If bargaining is required, then let us begin, elsewise tell me that now that no bargain can be struck, and we can begin to do battle."

"Let there be peace," Thanatos said. "It was not this one's time to die anyway…however, even in that event, there are still laws and rules that must be abided by. The Fates have permitted me to release the soul of this child, but they have also decreed that, when the time comes, you cannot stop me from taking hers again…nor your sister's."

Shin'en's Mangekyou glowed brightly. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but a word of advice: come ready for battle."

Thanatos seemed to resist the urge to smile. "I shall take your words to heart, child."

Death outstretched his hand, and a black pule of energy was fired from it. The pulse hit Annabeth in the chest. The pulse ceased after a bit, and Thanatos held a staring contest with Shin'en, unwavering white against blazing crimson. He waded back out of the bubble, and his white eyes faded from view.

Annabeth shot wide awake, this time with higher intelligence in her grey eyes. "Where are we? Why is there water? Why does my chest hurt? Why are my pants so warm? Where's Persephone?"

Shin'en lit a cigarette.

"In order: at the bottom of a lake; I am keeping it from drowning you; you took a piece of shrapnel and it killed you but I revived you; you pissed yourself in your unconscious state; she is on the shore."

"I died?"

"Yes."

"And you brought me back?"

"Yes."

"I do not think Thanatos or Hades were happy with that."

"It was handled."

"I see…I peed myself?"

"It happens. Unfortunately, all of the clothes were on the plane that Thalia crashed. I'm going to have a word with her about that."

"I'm supposed to go the rest of this quest in wet clothes!?"

"No, that would be disgusting, and I'm not dealing with the smell of urine for any longer than I have to. Speaking of."

A tendril of water pulled Annabeth out of the bubble, held her under for a bit, and then spat her back into the bubble, dry as a bone. The urine had been cleaned from her pants, underwear, and body.

"Please don't tell Persephone about this."

"Why would she want to know about the second instance during the time of your sex change that you urinated upon yourself? Unless you have a humiliation fetish and wish to be verbally degraded."

Annabeth flushed with anger. "Excuse me? What on Gaea gives you that idea?"

"I've seen some shit. People are weird. Come, our continued interaction has become vexing."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Imagine Persephone's relief and surprise when her girlfriend came shooting out the water like she was fired from a gun, and landed on the beach with a grunt.

"Annabeth!"

After getting to her feet, she was knocked flat on her back, and her lips claimed. Persephone eventually had to come up for air, and she immediately asked, "Where were you? What happened?"

Annabeth didn't get a chance to answer, because a familiar sandal appeared in Persephone's peripheral vision. She looked up, grinning, at the displeased eyes of her baby brother. He was smoking again.

"I thought I said no touching."

"You're not the boss of me, little bro."

"Oh, that can be quickly fixed. Want to see just what these eyes can do?"

Persephone wasn't intimidated, but for the sake of time, she rolled off her girlfriend, got to her feet, and helped Annabeth to her own. Shin'en had already moved on.

Thalia was on her knees, hugging herself, pale, shaking, and traumatized. The arrival of a black cloak in her field of vision didn't help her at all, but she received no help from others. None of them were particularly happy with her in the first place. Thalia looked up, and saw red eyes.

Then she was back to the zombie-like state she was before she boarded the plane.

Bianca blinked. "That's all? No chewing-out? No threats? Just that magic stuff you keep doing with your eyes?"

The demigod's response was cool as always. "There is no point. What's done is done, and we are on a schedule that does not permit wasted words. Besides, the amount of care I have for her mental troubles is equal to the amount of care I have of the dirt I stand on."

Shin'en looked at Zoё.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Kanopolis Lake, Kansas."

"And where does that put us in regards of our destination?"

"Very far away."

Shin'en did not look happy about that. He wanted _out_ of this dimension, so he could go back to regaining his power and fulfilling his _real_ life's mission of eradicating the shinobi system.

"Do you know of any transportation hubs nearby that can aid us in travel?"

"There is a small town of Kanopolis nearby. Near it is I-70, which will take us to San Francisco, and from there it is a short distance to our destination."

"How long will that take?"

"Not counting stops for gas, food, and bodily relief? A full day."

"Very well then. Zoё, lead the way."

The Hunter marched off in the direction of the small Kansas town, the S-rank shinobi right behind her, with the lesbians right behind him, Thalia following like the zombie she was, and Bianca right next to her.

"Are we going to ignore the crashed jumbo and the massive pillar of flame rising into the sky?" Grover asked indignantly.

"Yes," was Shin'en's crisp response. "If you desire to do something about it, please, satisfy yourself. The rest of us will be moving on to save Artemis."

Grover cast one last dark look at the fire, before he followed the rest of questers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Like I said, canon can go screw itself, but damn does Thalia have a penchant for messing things up. Oh well, couldn't keep it**_ _ **exactly**_ _ **like**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **, could I?**_

 _ **Anyway, the spies of Camp Half-Blood have been dealt with, and they are now under the genjutsu of Shin'en. I'm surprised no one's been hounding me about how that's possible without chakra, but anyway. A bit of foreshadowing there with Shin'en and Thanatos, and how about Zoё knowing the roads of the United States, huh?**_

 _ **If you are immortal, might as well learn everything you can, right?**_

 _ **Next chapter is more stuff, featuring more canon-y things, only for Shin'en to completely decimate them all.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	50. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 6

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 6_

 _ **Wow, we are almost to 700 reviews, guys. Awesome. Maybe we'll get lucky and hit it with this chapter!**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto or PJO

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 _Kanopolis Kansas_

 _December 17, 2007_

 _7:30 A.M._

The town may have been small—there was a sign that said Population: 479—but in a small town, anything that happened was known by all. Granted, a crashing plane wasn't exactly something that went unnoticed. The entire population was gathered in one area, filming the rising flames with their flip phones or hosting group prayers.

News anchors had already showed up, and the wailing of sirens in the distance could be heard.

This was the perfect environment for those looking to steal and loot.

Of course, in a small Kansas town like this, _no one_ was there to steal and loot, and the people that did have such thoughts in mind were only there to steal. Steal a car, that is. The problem here was that in this small country town, there weren't many families that needed vehicles capable of seating _seven_ teenagers.

In fact, the quest was having a hard time finding something big enough for them all to fit comfortably and practically. It would've been easier for them just to steal two cars, and have two drivers, only they _didn't have_ two drivers. Grover was about as tree-hugger as you could get and hated cars; Thalia never learned how to drive; Persephone and Annabeth were too young for learners permits; Bianca was of age to drive, with her sixteenth birthday in a few months, but she hadn't gotten her permit, and she also had zero driving experience; and you can forget about Shin'en trying to drive.

The morning continued to wear on, with the quest not finding a big enough vehicle, until Shin'en finally had enough.

"Zoё, is there somewhere else you know of that can afford us ample traveling ability?"

"There is a railroad a few miles to the west of here. We should be able to board a train from there."

"Ah, trains. Something I know of. Lead the way then."

"What've you done on a train?" Persephone asked.

"Killed all the people on board before blowing it off the tracks down the side of a mountain."

Persephone wished she hadn't asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was high noon before the quest hiked all the way to this train yard, and Shin'en was doing a good job of hiding his disgruntlement with the situation. Of course, it didn't help that there had been eyes on them during their stay in Kanopolis, eyes that did not want to be seen, eyes that had broken their line of sight when the quest left the small town.

And they weren't eyes that belonged to Luke's army.

Regardless, Zoё lead the quest to the train yard. Now it was just a matter of picking the right train.

"Perfect," Persephone said. "Now what?"

"Now we find the yard office and the train schedule," Shin'en answered. "And we go from there. Grover, you're with Persephone. Thalia and Annabeth are together. Bianca, Zoё, cooperate. I'll search by myself. When someone finds what we're looking for, I'll know about it, and inform the others. Now, move."

Thalia was still like a zombie, so she just followed orders, and Zoё, for all her anti-male sentiment, was not about to argue with the next best to a god. The quest separated in different directions, each with their assigned partner, and disappeared among the trains.

Shin'en already knew where the yard office was, considering that among this massive pile of metal, there was only one location that had multiple bodies moving about it. If the others were smart, they would climb one of the cars to get a better look around due to the higher elevation. None of them had thought of that yet, but that was by design.

Genjutsu was such a wonderful thing.

Shin'en was not headed for the yard office, because he could sense something. A large body, quadrupedal, bigger than any animal this world was supposed to have, let alone something that should've been in this area, populated by humans, and this animal wasn't in a cage, either. It was moving freely about, moving to Shin'en as much as he was moving towards it.

That is to say, leisurely.

Either this animal was wholly confident in its ability, or it didn't know what was coming for it. Based on the way the animal displaced the water vapor, Shin'en got a mental image of what he was about to kill, and he was 100% sure that lions did not get that big around these parts. Most likely the Nemean Lion, which explained its confidence.

Having an impenetrable body would give anything a bit of arrogance.

There were so many ways Shin'en could kill this creature. Brute force came to mind, just smash its skull, crush its throat, shatter its spine, splinter its ribcage, etc., because while the Lion's fur was impenetrable, it did not make invulnerable. That's why Heracles was able to kill it. Shin'en's sword would mostly cut it apart, seeing as it was forged from weapons reputed to 'cut anything,' but also because it was a Shinto-forged sword. The magic behind the blade would most likely allow it through the magic of the Nemean Lion's skin.

There was also Inter-Pantheonic Law.

Shin'en didn't know if he had enough standing to qualify as a Shinto half-blood, but he was the Champion of Susano'o, so that counted for something.

Regardless of what-ifs and possibilities, the Lion was now a hundred feet away, and it was staring right into Shin'en's eyes…his emerald eyes. He didn't need Sharingan for this beast. When the two combatants were less than fifty feet away, the mighty Nemean Lion did something incredibly stupid: it opened its mouth _wide_.

This was one of those _moments_. The kind of moment that created dozens of splinter dimensions due to all the different things that could've happened here. A jutsu could've been fired, and that would create splinter dimensions depending on what jutsu, and then dozens more splinter dimensions on what happened next. Combat of a hand-to-hand nature could've ensued, and that opened up a bunch of different cans of worms, and each can would've come with its own internal can.

However, in this particular dimension, Shin'en chose simply to reverse his grip on his staff, and elongate his blade at speeds comparable to gun fire, turning the Nemean Lion into a shish kebab, which cut off its roar before it could leave its throat. Just like that, one of the mightiest monsters in Greek Mythology was silenced, its body dispersing into a pile of golden dust with a tan duster coat draped over Shin'en's sword.

The blade retracted, bringing the coat with it. The demigod grabbed it before it could fall to the ground when his sword became fully sheathed, and inspected it. Not a bad design, similar to his own Akatsuki cloak, but a lot bulkier. It may have brought its wearer invulnerability, but Shin'en had no use for it.

He could liquefy his entire body, allowing anything to pass harmlessly through him. This coat didn't offer any protection to the head, hands, chest, or leg areas, depending on how it was worn, therefore Shin'en wasn't going to wear it.

Still, that didn't mean that his sister couldn't accessorize.

Shin'en kind of felt like kicking himself in the ass. He saw the Lion open wide, and he simply reacted. That had been the perfect opportunity to test whether the Laws applied to him, but he had jumped the gun. The impaling method he used could've been accomplished by any weapon, regardless of make, seeing as the Lion's mouth was not protected by its fur.

The demigod sighed to himself.

Oh well. There was bound to be another time for the experiment.

With a fluctuation in his chakra flow, something that caused him to growl through a burst of pain, Shin'en worked his genjutsu to where it gave the others this unconscious idea to meet up at this one train that gave off a distinct aura.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Woah, where you'd get the duster?" Persephone asked upon meeting her brother.

"Got it from the Nemean Lion."

" _The what!?"_ four voices cried at once. Thalia moaned, and Zoё was just wide-eyed.

"The Nemean…Lion…?" Annabeth said brokenly. "How? When?"

"Few minutes ago. None of you heard the battle because there wasn't one. Damn thing opened its mouth and I impaled it with my sword."

"I thought it was invulnerable," Bianca muttered.

"It is, but not its mouth. No fur there. Anyway, I don't need this thing. Persephone, you want it?"

"Uh…sure…"

She was still in shock, but she took the duster and slipped it on. It resized itself to fit her body perfectly.

"You look hot in that."

Seph regained a sense of presenters, and blushed at Annabeth's praise. "Thanks."

"Remember, if you touch her, I hurt you."

The daughter of Athena paled, but the daughter of Poseidon just stuck her tongue out.

"Whatever, Barnacle Butt."

…

Annabeth looked at her; Grover looked at her; Bianca looked at her; Zoё looked at her; Shin'en looked at her; Thalia moaned like an idiot.

Seph blinked. "What?"

Shin'en just patted her on the head like she was a puppy. "Don't ever call me that again, and we'll get along just fine."

He boarded the train, the one with the freight that had SUN WEST LINE emblazoned across its side. It was a car-hauling train, with three decks of cars all stacked on top of each other, and thin walls of steel mesh to keep things from falling off the sides. Shin'en opted to simply sit on top of the top row of cars.

One by one, each of the other quest members boarded the train, finding cars for themselves, and each one gave Persephone a look, even Zoё. Thalia didn't, because she was just a glaze-eyed zombie.

The daughter of Poseidon was completely lost. "What did I say?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was about three in the afternoon when everyone besides Shin'en woke up from their little naps, with Shin'en not even sleeping, and they all woke up with the same problem. It was a problem hardly ever touched on in works of literature and cinema, because it offered nothing except for perhaps a bit of humor. However, it was a very real problem, and it was a problem that needed to be solved.

Everyone besides Shin'en needed to use the bathroom, and there weren't any toilets on a train such as this. Since this was a group-wide issue, they all decided to convene at Shin'en's location to talk this out. Thalia had been dragged up here, but luckily her zombified state did not make her incontinent. Shin'en wasn't dealing with that issue in regards to Annabeth, and he certainly wasn't dealing with that issue in regards to Thalia.

"Are you people for real?" the S-rank shinobi grumbled.

"Yes, yes we are," Persephone said.

"We are on a vehicle occupied by many smaller vehicles, all of which can be accessed. Simply pick one that you like the least, and do your business in there."

"That's gross!" Bianca complained.

Shin'en ignored and turned to Zoё. "You're the Hunter living the nomadic lifestyle. You should have experience with excretion in the absence of plumbing."

"I do. I was hoping that you might have a better idea for cleaning material than mine."

"That depends on what your idea is."

Zoё did an amazing job of keeping a straight face. "My hand."

She did an even better job keeping her face straight under the incredulous looks of the others.

"In ancient times, that is what the Hunt had to use. We thought nothing of it and used the dirt to clean our hands. Forgive me for not wanting to revert to such methods in a time with the commodity of toilet paper."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, we used to have toilet paper, but someone crashed the plane."

"That does not help us now."

"Fair enough. If you want something more sterile than your own body, start tearing strips off your clothes and use that. _You_ have done this before, so why it's a big deal is beyond me."

Persephone blinked. "Oh yeah I did. Uh, excuse me."

With that, the daughter of Poseidon disappeared to the lower deck.

"Well? You have been presented with a solution. Further debate amongst yourselves away from me. Now, shoo."

Zoё still managed to keep a straight face in this situation, but the other three didn't look too happy to be tearing up their own clothes to serve as toilet paper. Thalia was just a glaze-eyed zombie, so she didn't have an opinion on the matter.

Shin'en didn't give a rat's ass about them needing to shit as piss and not having something wipe themselves with.

Back with Yūrei, the water daimyo's summer retreat was powered entirely by Arashi's Seals, not electricity. However, making Seal to simulate running water was something the Uzumaki had never gotten around to, so whenever the Ghosts of the Bloody Mist needed to shower or relieve themselves, they had a waterfall pond that was helpful for showers, and an unlimited number of trees to do business behind.

Then they used leaves for cleanup.

It sucked and they didn't complain.

Currently, living the nomadic life with Kisame and being wanted men didn't afford one the luxury of a hotel room every night. No hotel meant not having a toilet, or a shower, or a bed. However, that was the nature of the shinobi lifestyle. Taking on nature and kicking its ass.

Another nature of the shinobi lifestyle was simple biology. Bodily waste was made when a person consumed either too much food and drink, or consumed food and drink that the body didn't digest. Therefore, if you consumed only what you needed _when_ you needed it, _and_ was active enough to where your body burned all available calories and used all available fluids, trips to the bathroom became few and far between.

Just as well, of course. On a mission, the last thing anyone needed was to take a potty break. That was how windows were missed, clients could be killed, cover blown, and all manner of things went sideways. It had been one of Yūwaku's running jokes for the longest time that they should get Shin'en diapers in case he couldn't hold it for a mission.

The jokes ended after the demigod used his hydrokinesis to relax both of her sphincters in the middle of a reconnaissance mission.

It had been morbidly satisfying for the then-ten year old to watch a grown woman relieve herself in her pants, and even more so when the rest of Yūrei completely tore Yūwaku apart for it.

But anyway.

The bottom line was that Shin'en rarely had to go to the bathroom because he rarely ate. He rarely slept, too.

Although, the worst part of this situation was that Shin'en's hydro sensing kept him well-informed of the goings-on of everything within a mile of him. People shitting and pissing in cars…yeah. Not a fun thing to keep track of.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Night rolled around, and Shin'en was once more approached by people. Well, just his sister, but still. He was enjoying the peace, and she came up here to ruin it. She climbed into the passenger's seat, and she sat there for a moment, seemingly content to merely be in her brother's presence.

After this moment passed, Shin'en asked, "Any particular reason you are in here with me?"

She shrugged. "Just wanted to be with you for a bit is all. I won't bother you, I promise."

"Whatever."

The twins devolved back into silence, and they were content with that. The night grew darker, and Persephone continued to simply stare out the window, staving off sleep. Her eyes were red and her lids kept shutting as she fought against her body. Shin'en realized she was trying to out-wake him, to where she would fall asleep after he had. The problem with that was that Shin'en wasn't tired.

At all.

He could go days without sleep— _had_ gone days without sleep, and it had only been three days since he last entered that blissful realm, and his body was tuned to not going back to sleep for days more. Shinobi were trained like that, to stay awake for long periods of time, and use only a few hours of rest to propel them back into the cold war-like fray that plagued their world.

"You should get some rest. Tomorrow will be even worse than this one was."

"Oh, really?" his sister yawned, eyes bleary. "You should…you should get some sleep too…" Her lids shut, but they opened back up. It was touching, how hard she was trying.

"I'll get some sleep after you do."

"Promise…?"

"Promise."

"Okay…"

Persephone's will crumbled, and she was out like a light. Since this was one of those sports cars, it didn't have anything in the way of a console, and she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, so she flopped over into her brother's lap, causing his eye to twitch.

"Who's the older sibling here, again? Not his one, that's for sure."

Shin'en stared at the creature in his lap. He wondered if he truly cared for it, or of he was just grasping at that final piece of normality that was available to him. She was his big sister, and he was her little brother; he was supposed to be that cute, clingy, 'Sissy, Sissy!' thing, the one that absolutely adored his elder sister, and wanted nothing more than to fuse with her.

But he wasn't.

Or was he?

Or was he forcing a delusion upon himself?

Or was he forcing himself not to accept what was there to grasp?

Of that last one was the case, why did he not take what was there? Was it fear of her getting hurt? Was it fear of the pain that came with having to leave her, or her leave him? The fear of the pain of loss, like he had felt too many times in his life? Did that make him cowardly, or appropriately cautious?

He lost his orphaned brothers and sisters, he lost Yugito, and then he lost Yūrei…could he stand to lose his sister too?

Then again…could you lose what you never had? Could Shin'en push her away hard enough to where she no longer wanted anything to do with him, therefore losing her on _his_ terms, and not to some outside force? No… _that_ was he cowardly thing to do.

"What is it about you two," Shin'en muttered quietly, "that makes you both able to crawl under my skin and make yourselves unable to be dug out?"

Shin'en slowly reached down, his hand gripping her throat, his eyes blazing with madness and fury. He squeezed, and she grimaced in her sleep, before starting to choke. Amazingly, she didn't wake up. He could do it, just a bit more pressure and her vertebrae would splinter, her trachea collapse, and her esophagus rupture.

He could cut this poison out of his body right now—he could remove the source for all this confusion and turmoil with just a tighter grip. He could have that peace he had wanted for so long, the peace of not having to feel anymore, of not trying to understand _why_ those two did what they did.

The peace of being without emotion.

 _Emotions aren't a weakness, Percy. Don't' be afraid to_ _feel_ _. You might only be half human, but you're still human enough, and part of being human is experiencing emotions, and not burry them down deep. If you don't want to lose anyone else, fight to keep them with you._

Sukina's words from so long ago rang loud in Shin'en's ears, and he released his sister's throat in a flash. He brought his bandaged hand up to his face, and he stared at it in mute horror. He had just been about to kill his own sister, for the sole purpose of being afraid of the feelings she caused him to experience.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have…I couldn't have…I wasn't going to…I can't…I can't lose you. I'm _not_ going to lose you…I won't lose anyone ever again." Unconsciously, Shin'en uttered the same words of the other person he had been referring to in his recent thoughts, the other person that stirred his icy flames, "That's the promise of a lifetime…"

Suddenly exhausted by this emotional ordeal, Shin'en fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And he dreamed, because why not? Granted, he had dreamt every time he had fallen asleep in the past months and before, and while none of them had been particularly nightmarish (actually, most had been rather informative regarding the future), they were all still things that came with something negative.

That negative thing had yet to reveal itself, but Shin'en knew it would eventually. Right now, he was looking at the bald form of Atlas conversing with Luke Castellan. Neither looked pleased.

"I thought your spies said they would be travelling by land."

"They _did_."

"Then we have a problem here. Either your leverage over your informants is not as great as you though it was, or Perseus has found better ways of controlling them than you, or Perseus is smarter than we all thought, and intentionally let slip misleading information. At the very least, we can no longer trust the half-bloods to report accurate information. We'll have to use other methods…what of the Nemean Lion?"

"Perseus killed it, my lord."

"Damn. And the _Sparti_?"

"En route. Apollo may be helping them, but we have our own help."

"Indeed."

"My lord, how do you plan on handling Perseus? He is more powerful than any half-blood, perhaps even more so than Heracles during his heyday, and he was smart enough to make the Olympians submit with only words and a glowing wrist band. He will not be easily defeated, and there's nothing we have that can be used as leverage."

"Patience, my young friend. Kronos and I have discussed what can be done, and we already have a solution to the problem that is Perseus."

"Oh? Do tell."

Luke whipped his sword from its sheath at his side, while Atlas calmly smiled as an apparitional Shin'en made himself known. He almost looked solid. Almost.

Luke glared, but there was more uncertainty and fear in his eyes than steel. "How is this possible—how are you here? You should be on a train."

"Essence projection, Castellan. An advanced demigod technique that involves controlling your divine essence to obey your whims during dreams. Rather helpful for information gathering. You should try it sometime, granted you have enough power and control."

Luke sneered, ready to retort, but the ever-smiling Atlas raised his hand, halting hostilities.

"Now, now, children. There is no reason for fighting here. Although, I am curious as to why you would reveal yourself to us like this."

"You said you have a solution to me. I want to know what it is."

"Child, why would I tell you this?"

"Because you also have questions that you want answered, and I'm willing to trade information. Call it a show of sportsmanship between enemies."

"Sportsmanship?" Atlas chuckled. "Yes, I can see how war could be a game for men like us. Very well then, child, let us show sportsmanship. You go first."

"What do you want answered?"

Atlas rubbed his chin. "Hmmm…what happened to the spies in the Camp?"

"They are under my genjutsu, and nothing you say or do will break them of it. Now, my turn. What is this solution?"

"Higher levels of power, and new abilities. What is 'genjutsu'?"

"Genjutsu is my world's term for mind control. Using our internal power, we can put anybody we want to under our control. How did you come by these power levels and new abilities?"

"A generous benefactor looking to make things more interesting for himself. How do you break yourselves out of genjutsu?"

"Someone has to do it for you, or you become smart enough to avoid being ensnared in a genjutsu. What is this benefactor's name?"

"He calls himself Jashin. How do you get rid of those seal-things?"

"Our business is concluded."

Atlas' smile fell, but Shin'en essence was already gone, and there wasn't a damn thing the Titan could do about it. Of course, with his essence leaving the area, he did not witness the final parts of the meeting between Atlas and Luke. Oh well, it would be handled in time. For now, Shin'en had to worry about the conundrum that was Jashin helping the Titans.

Unfortunately, his essence did not immediately return to his body, which meant that there was a higher power at work, one even higher than a Titan, as Shin'en had resisted Atlas' pull just seconds ago.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demigod found himself standing on a flat mountain top, at night, with a sky free of pollution, if the number of visible stars was anything to go by, with a city less landscape stretching on for infinity, meaning that only darkness was below.

Standing before Shin'en was a man with paper white skin, stringy, flat grey hair parted down the middle, wearing black clothes that weren't made of any mortal material, with a lazy expression on his face. His mouth was set in a neutral line, and his eyes were half-lidded. His hands were clasped behind his back.

"Considering you have the power to not only rip my own essence out of my control, bring me here, and inhibit me from leaving, I can only assume you are a Primordial."

"Very good," the man said. His voice was difficult to place, being neither deep nor high, neither female nor male, adult or child, or with an accent. It was just a voice, a sound that was almost human, yet more than machine. "I am Erebus."

…

"…and what do you want with me?"

"A moment of your time. If that's alright with you, of course."

"I don't think I have much choice in the matter."

Erebus's expression nor tone ever changed. He remained forever calm and neutral. Forever in control.

"When you were pulled here, I sensed a source of darkness beyond anything I have ever felt since Tartarus. Not even the child Hades has a darkness such as your own. I was curious as to who had such an aura about them, and I found myself surprised when it was not another god of darkness, but a young child. I merely wished to meet you myself."

"If that's all, then will you let me return to my body now?"

"Oh, not yet. I want to know what happened in your life to produce such darkness. Children of Poseidon are rather bright creatures. Your sister embodies that rather well, making you an outlier. I merely wish to know how and why this happened. If you would let me, I would like to see your memories."

"If it means getting back to my body faster, then by all means, do as you will."

Erebus's expression nor tone ever changed. He remained forever calm and neutral. Forever in control.

Shin'en didn't feel anything happening. No probing or invasion of his mind, no stabbing pain, not even a hint that anything was happening. Erebus remained completely still, as he had since this confrontation started. His face never changed, the light in his eyes never changed, nothing about him changed.

Then he spoke.

"Interesting. It is rare to see my nieces perform such a bold move. I do not believe Ananke is happy with them."

Erebus _looked_ at Shin'en, truly _looked_ at him, and the demigod felt like an ant underneath the sun. This was a being that was ancient millennia before the Titans were born. This was a being that went beyond godly. This was a being that if it wanted to, it could step forth and erase dimensions with ease, because where the Titans were 'of' something, and where the Olympians were 'of' something, the Primordials _are_ something.

They were the physical manifestations of the universe's most abstract and eldritch forces. Light, dark, life, death, earth, sky, water, fate, time, day, and night. They were beyond deities, beyond something as simple as Greek or Roman. They transcended religion and worship, and existed on a plane of existence beyond anything man or science could ever hope to comprehend.

In the simplest form of description, Primordials were everything and nothing at the same time.

"How interesting that you would think of us like that," Erebus said. "I recall a world in which you and Tartarus fought in single combat, and it was you who won. I wonder…does that mean that you overestimate us…does that mean that particular Tartarus was weak…or does that mean that you are more powerful than you give yourself credit for? Regardless, your presence in this world will bring…change. You will do great things, Destroyer. I look forward to the show."

Shin'en was suddenly aware of his sister vigorously shaking him. His eyes snapped wide open, and he saw that the sun was shining between a couple of mountains. The air was cold, snow was everywhere, there were some really tall trees in the distance, and a small town.

He looked at his sister. "Yes?"

She looked worried. "I've been trying to wake for you ten minutes, and you didn't wake up."

"Apologies. I was talking with our great-great-uncle Erebus. I managed to catch his attention, and I'm not sure that is a good thing."

"…who's Erebus?"

Shin'en stared at her for a full five seconds, before he shook his head. "Never mind. Where are we?"

This is where Seph looked disgruntled. "Some place called Cloudcroft, New Mexico."

Shin'en didn't get why that was a bad thing. "And far does that put us from Mount Othrys is California."

"That's just it. We started in Kansas, here," Seph pointed to the air, "we need to be here," she pointed to the air far away from her first finger, "but we somehow ended up here," she pointed to a place far below and kind of in the middle where her fingers used to be. "That is _not_ how trains work, meaning we're being screwed with by a god."

Now Shin'en was unhappy. "Perfect. And what are the others doing?"

"Zoё, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover are getting food and supplies, while Bianca is looking for something to get us out of here and back on the road. I was trying to wake you up."

"You succeeded. Come, this train appears to longer be of any use to us. Let us rejoin the others."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Trudging through the snow towards Cloudcroft, Shin'en noticed his sister trembling.

"You're freezing," he noted.

"Y-Y-Yeah, a-are y-y-you? T-Those s-sandals."

No, Shin'en was just fine. He was trained for the cold, and knew how to ignore its effects. On top of that, his hydrokinesis extended to cryokinesis, which allowed him to break the laws of physics regarding ice and snow.

The frozen water just wasn't cold to him.

However, Shin'en recalled his talk Sukina so long ago, regarding his sister. He promptly unbuttoned his cloak, slid it off his shoulders, revealing his bare, scar-covered torso, and held out his cloak to Persephone.

"Here, take it. It'll keep you warm."

Persephone was staring at his chest, and it had nothing to do with his chiseled torso. It was his scars. None of them were deep or wide or long—the deepest was probably less than half an inch, the widest less than half a centimeter, and the longest not even five inches. Persephone had a flashback then, and she saw her brother, surrounded by green flame, his body blackened, little cuts dotting his entire body, little cuts that were oozing green fluid. She snapped back to reality, and all the scars lined up perfectly with what she just saw.

It wasn't a massive lattice work of horror, but a display of randomly placed little lines on her brother's chest and arm, and most likely his back and legs as well. Persephone also saw the bandages that covered his arm, and her eyes were drawn to his shoulder. The way that bandages were pulled taught over that area…was that a _face_?

Persephone blinked, and the features that may very well have been eyebrows, a nose, and a mouth were gone. Trick of the light, maybe? Regardless, the daughter of Poseidon focused back on the offered cloak.

"N-N-No, I'll b-b-be o-okay. Y-You k-keep th-th-that."

"Quit worrying about me, and take the stupid cloak…you're making this awkward."

Realizing that this wasn't going to end until she took the black cloak of the Akatsuki, Persephone buttoned the top few buttons of her duster, took the offered cloak, and slid her arms into it, before buttoning it like her brother mostly had it, with his collar bones showing and the red cloud in the middle perfectly visible.

She moved around in it a bit, getting a feel for its loose fit on top of the duster. It wasn't bad, and when she felt comfortable, she struck a pose, with her left hand on her hip, a sideways peace sign on her forehead via her right hand, and an impish grin so wide it closed her eyes.

Shin'en rolled his emerald orbs, and channeled chakra to his left palm. In a puff of smoke, he had another Akatsuki cloak in hand, and quickly did he don it and button it up to where the middle cloud and his collar bones were visible.

Persephone deposed, saw what her brother was wearing, and swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in her throat. In a move that had her heart racing from apprehension over rejection, she clasped her brother's right hand, ignoring the texture of the bandages. Her eyes were scrunched tight, ready for rebuttal, but it never came.

She finally opened her eyes, and saw that her brother was just looking at her over the collar of his cloak.

"What? I thought siblings were supposed to hold hands."

Persephone's heart soared. "Yeah…they are."

"Come on, sis, the others are waiting."

The twins walked down the main street of Cloudcroft, hand-in-hand, wearing identical ensembles of black with red clouds, one feeling elation at finally having her brother want to be her brother, the other one finally letting his repressed emotions regarding his role as a sibling out to the surface.

Shin'en was done losing those that he cared about. He wasn't going to lose his sister, the last person in his heart, no matter what, even if he had to fight tooth and nail, he wouldn't lose her. Never.

But, to ensure he never lost her, he needed his full power back.

He needed to have words with Susano'o after this mission was finished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's a wrap. Jashin is aiding the Titans for whatever reason, the Fates are screwing with Apollo's train, Erebus himself has taken up an interest in Shin'en, and the S-rank shinobi himself is finally doing what Sukina told him to do back in chapter 36.**_

 _ **Go re-read it if you are lost.**_

 _ **Alright, I've got a big favor to ask all of you people that read this. It is a struggle for reviews on this one, don't know why, but I don't care, it gets reviews and that's the important part. Feedback is helpful and greatly appreciated. Now, we are 20 reviews away from 700…can we get there with this chapter?**_

 _ **If we do, I'll put a poll on my profile regarding which story will be updated next. The poll will end on Thursday, and I'll put this on hold while I work on the next chapter of the winning story, but this is only IF we get to 700 this chapter.**_

 _ **Consider this a social experiment testing the demand of the people for another chapter of one of my stories.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	51. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 7

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 7_

 _ **Holy crap. I asked to get to 700, but we went past that and into the teens! Hell yeah!**_

 _ **I am a man of my word, and the poll I spoke of is on my profile. Go vote, it closes sometime this Thursday.**_

 _ **Expect some character death this chapter. Oh, and no one was terribly curious over why there seems to be a face on Shin'en's right shoulder? Seriously guys. Surely more than one person is dying to know what is up with that arm.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The girls, sans Bianca, and Grover were in the coffee shop, procuring food for everyone, not using money, so much as Mist to make the cashier think he was getting paid. In light of everyone starving and the fact that they just ripped off pieces of their own clothing for a bathroom break in the backseat of a car, no one really cared about cheating the acne-ridden boy.

Especially not Zoё, for obvious reasons.

And Thalia was still a glaze-eyed zombie who thankfully had enough processing power in that head of her to take care of herself. Annabeth would not have been a happy camper if she had to wipe her sister-figure's butt.

But anyway.

The quest was dining in the warmth of the café, waiting on Bianca to return with news regarding transportation, and Persephone to arrive with her brother, who was apparently a very heavy sleeper. The daughter of Hades arrived shortly, the little bell on the door ringing.

"Bad news, guys. We can call a taxi from at the bottom of the mountain, but it will take about an hour for it to get up here, and it's going to cost a lot of money. Beyond that, we're S.O.L."

Zoё blinked. "I am unfamiliar with that acronym. What does S.O.L. mean?"

"Shit outta luck."

"Ah."

However, Grover wasn't paying attention to any of this. See, when Bianca had walked in, his eyes had been drawn to her, as was natural reaction instinct, but his eyes had quickly been drawn to the _something_ behind Bianca, further down the street. Considering his position at the circular table and the positions of the girls, he had been the only one to see it, but it was his reaction to what he was seeing that clued Annabeth in to something was wrong.

"Grover, you okay?"

The satyr's face had gone completely blank. It was the face of someone that had seen something so shocking, so out of the ordinary, so against the norm, that the person's brain had to do a hard reboot to get back on track. Although, there was enough consciousness in there for Grover to say blankly, "Twin girls."

The quest blinked, then they looked at where Grover was looking, and now they understood just what had short-circuited Grover's brain.

Persephone and Perseus were talking down the street, holding on to each other's hand (shock number one), wearing the same cloak, (shock number two), _and they looked exactly the same_. Their facial structures were perfect mirrors of the other, and only their hair styles gave them away…that, and Perseus was the one with the black staff.

However, if you didn't know who those two were, you could've been forgiven for thinking they were twin girls.

It was funny. Persephone by herself looked like a girl just fine, and Perseus by himself looked like a boy just fine, but side by side like they were, it became impossible to tell. Shit, did that mean Persephone was just a masculine female, or was Perseus a feminine male, or was it both?

Forget that, how was Persephone holding his hand without hers getting cut off?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They're freaking out in there."

She snorted. "I can't blame them. I'd be freaking out too if I saw you walking down the street, together with someone."

"Fair enough."

They arrived at the café door, and Shin'en opened for his sister.

"Thank you, brother."

"Mm-hm."

They sat down at the available seating, and were on the receiving end of many stares.

Persephone looked around. "What?"

"You were holding hands…" Bianca said blankly.

"Yes, siblings tend to do that. Don't you and Nico do that too?"

"Yeah, but Nico's not a cold-blooded murderer…"

"Well, you got a point there, but still. I can hold my brother's hand if I want."

"Here's an idea," Shin'en cut in before this pointlessness could go any further, "sit-rep. Now. What are we looking at in terms of transportation?"

"Uh," Bianca said, her mind still trying to catch up with the present. A small burst of chakra jolted her mind to where it needed to be. "Oh! I asked around, and everyone said the best bet is call a cab from Alamogordo, which will take at least an hour to get up here, and will cost a lot of money."

"Anyone got a better plan B?"

He received lost looks.

"Well, we're not going to hike all the way to Mount Othrys. Call this cab, call two, actually, or just big enough for seven people; we'll just have to wait up here until it arrives, and when it gets here, Zoё, you or I will put the drivers under, and we'll go from there."

The Hunter nodded, and Bianca got up to go use the indoor phone. Shin'en's eyes snapped to the tree line adjacent the café.

"Now that just doesn't make any sense—actually, forget it. This is the perfect opportunity. You, come with me. I need to perform a science experiment."

Thalia just moaned dumbly and got up from her chair.

"What's going on, Percy?"

"The General sent me some test subjects. I'll have to thank him later."

"Test subjects?"

" _You_ focus on acquiring our transportation. I'll call you if I need you."

"Percy. What is going on?"

Shin'en exited the café, Thalia right behind him.

Persephone made a very undignified growling. "That little—he just thinks he can—ugh!"

Bianca patted her cousin on the shoulder. "Welcome to the coven of Big Sisterhood. I shall be your guide."

" _How_ did you handle Nico for so long in the Lotus Hotel!?"

"Well considering it was only about two weeks for us, it wasn't that hard. I just kept him busy with his card game and coloring books, and allowed him to go down and play some games for an hour, before coming back to the hotel room for a nap."

"I don't think any of that applies to Percy."

Bianca nodded. "True, but my point is to try and find something that keeps him entertained, and then get a little bit of control over that, so he has to be good for you so he can get it."

"I'm pretty sure murder is what keeps him entertained."

"Hey, I'm just offering advice. I can't say I know what he likes and doesn't like, but it's not my job to find out. You're his big sister, it's your job."

With a final pat, Bianca left for the telephone.

"Yeah," Seph said quietly, "but you and Nico were always together, so at least he has respect for you, and will listen to you."

Annabeth put her arm around her girlfriend, squeezing her shoulder. However, in a surprise twist, it was Zoё that offered the verbal comfort.

"He is family," she said. "You can't give up on him, no matter what."

Persephone looked at the Hunter, and she saw the age and wisdom in those dark eyes. She nodded, "Thanks, I won't—what in my uncle's name are those things?"

Caught flat-footed at the abruptness of the sentence change, Zoё, Annabeth, and Grover turned around to see what she was looking. They all paled at seeing the translucent skeletons with the glowing eyes, although it was more out of fear in Annabeth and Grover's case; Zoё actually knew what those things were, and it was not good, even if they did have a child of Hades close by.

" _Sparti_ …wait, what is Shin'en doing with them?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Right, let's keep this simple."

With nary a movement or gesture, the snow rose around the skeletons, encasing them in cocoons so that only their heads were visible. They chittered and struggled uselessly against their bonds. Shin'en drew his sword, and decapitated one of them. It burst into flame. He handed his sword to Thalia. She decapitated a skeleton. It burst into flame.

Okay, so the sword had enough Shinto in it to where it qualified to be subject to the Inter-Pantheonic Laws. Now, did Shin'en have enough standing to qualify as well?

A kunai shot into his hand, and he casually flicked it into the head of a _Spartus_. It burst into flame. Shin'en twitched his finger, and the unseen wire attached to the kunai's ring came shooting back into his sleeve, bringing the kunai out of sight. Another kunai shot into his hand, and he gave it to Thalia and she gave him his sword back. Not knowing how to throw the ninja knife properly, she just stabbed a _Spartus_ in the forehead.

It chittered angrily.

Alright then. That settled the question over whether the Inter-Pantheonic Laws applied to him, which meant that neither the Golden Fleece nor the Ophiotaurus' entrails would be of any benefit to him. Well, that kind of sucked, honestly. It meant that he would have to broker a deal with one or more Shinto gods to get his body back in shape.

Most likely it was Susano'o on orders from Izanagi keeping his body limited, so it stood to reason that Amaterasu, the fabled sister-rival of the Storm God, would be more than happy to help Shin'en, subtly of course, so she wouldn't get in trouble, just to see her brother flail under the wrath of their father. Admittedly, it was fun to watch gods get in trouble like they were children.

Anyway.

Shin'en took his kunai back, and the proceeded to swiftly chop off every last _Spartus_ skull, until all were piles of ash that simply blew away in the wind. He was aware of the audience behind him. "Yes?" he asked.

Zoё was stunned. "Thou just… _Sparti_ …only children of Hades can…explain, please."

"Magic sword. Cuts through divine rules and stuff. I could've cut the Nemean Lion apart with this thing, and it would've been easy."

"Oh."

Then there was this strange, warm breeze that blew softly past. It was a breeze not meant for the colds of this mountainous region of snow and evergreens. The breeze carried with it strange things, like the feeling of sunshine, the smell of grass, the chirping of birds-

"The Wild!" Grover gasped, and those chirping birds were revealed to be literal chirping birds, because the birds on the paper of the satyr's coffee cup flew right off, mobilized by magic. Then Grover fainted.

While the presence of Pan at the border of Texas and New Mexico was grand and all to feel way up north, Shin'en was more occupied with the approaching Pig from Hell.

A giant boar, the Erymanthian Boar to be exact, came charging out of the trees, and it did not look happy. It pawed the snow, squealed, and charged. The rest of the quest scattered and dove in random directions, with Bianca grabbing the unconscious Grover and hauling him away with her. Shin'en just stood there, and channeled enough chakra to his eyes to where his Sharingan blazed to life. Then he glanced into the Boar's eye.

The monster put on the breaks, its momentum carrying it forward until it came to a perfect stop in front of its new master.

Shin'en smiled deviously. "Good piggy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The quest road the Boar for miles. Cloudcroft disappeared behind them, as did the mountains and the snow. The landscape changed as well, going from bumpy and hilly, to flat and barren. The deserts of Arizona was where the quest had made it by sunset. The Boar needed to stop and refuel, however, due to Grover's way with animals, he discovered that this was ad far as it was willing to go.

Now, Shin'en didn't really care about what the animal was and wasn't willing to do, but his sister, ever the compassionist convinced him otherwise. Must have been her friendship with Grover that spawned this act of charity. However, due Persephone and Grover's combined efforts, the quest was now stranded near a sand-covered excuse of a road.

On the other side of this road was a boarded-up house, the ancient remains of a prehistoric taco stand, and an abandoned post office with a crooked, tattered, well-worn sign hanging above the door that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA. This was but one of many ghost towns that littered the barren deserts of the United States. In the distance, there was a giant ass junkyard.

That no one felt like exploring in the dark.

So they set up a small camp, and Shin'en lit a cigarette.

"I just want everyone to remember that we're in a desert, and the Oracle wisely informed us that someone would probably die out here. Wouldn't have this problem if we were still on the boar, making our way west."

"My butt was starting to hurt."

"If I'm reading Annabeth's hormone levels correctly, she also wishes to make your butt hurt."

The daughter of Athena pulled off an excellent deer-in-the-headlights look, while the daughter of Poseidon turned as red as the clouds on the cloak she was still wearing. Everyone else let their jaws hit the floor. Thalia just stared blankly ahead.

"Which will not be happening…ever. Hands to yourself, or they get removed. And don't think that I don't know about you sneaking glances in every time you can."

Persephone was the only one with the presence of mind to speak. "She is my girlfriend. She can look at and touch my butt all she wants to," she said academically.

Shin'en blew air out his nose. "Not while I'm here."

His sister's eye twitched. "Well, tough. And another thing-"

"Shh."

"Don't you shush me mister! I oughta-"

" _Quiet_ …we have company."

Headlights shone from down the road, and an engine was heard. There was some fleeting hope here and there that it was Apollo to the help again—wasn't hard to figure out that the freight with SUN WEST LINE was from the Sun God—but that didn't make any sense because it was night, the engine was too quiet for the Sun Chariot, and the vehicle in question was a too-white limousine.

Everyone but Shin'en grabbed their stuff and scrambled away, but the demigod remained seated where he was, mostly because he was on the side of the small fire opposite the road and therefore out of the car's path. It came to silent halt, and the backdoor opened, and someone incredibly stupid did something even more incredibly stupid.

They put a sword to Persephone's throat.

Shin'en was there before Ares was fully out of the car, gripping the sword with his bandaged fingers, effortlessly angling it away from his sister's jugular. Ares grimaced at the pain in his arm that came with being overpowered.

"You've got balls," Shin'en said calmly, "but no brains."

He snapped the sword in half, and quickly held his part of the blade at Ares' throat, ready to split it open in a heartbeat.

"What do you want, God of War?"

"For you to get that away from my neck before I end you."

Shin'en's burned red. "You couldn't handle the girl in the mountain bunker during the Chunin Exams, and you think you have enough power to threaten me?"

"That was there, where we gods didn't have our powers. This is here, no drop it, kid."

Ares snapped his fingers, causing all the drawn weapons of the quest to drop to the desert sands…except for the blade against his throat. Even though he wore sunglasses, you could see the wave of fear that passed over his face.

"How the hell are you doing that?"

"It's the same principle behind why minor gods can't exercise their divine power over Olympians. They don't have enough juice to affect you, just as _you_ don't have enough juice to affect me. Now, one more time: what do you want?"

"Not me…"

"Calm down out there, boys," came the most beautiful voice ever to be heard by mortal ears. Shin'en almost wanted to calm down; it was really tempting to just lower his hand and listen to that voice, to do whatever the owner of that voice wanted, no matter what it was…it was tempting, and temptation can be ignored. Such was the willpower of the Ghost of the Bloody Mist.

"I only want to have a quick chat with Persephone. It won't take too long, I promise."

Shin'en wrinkled his nose, pulling his upper lip into a mix of sneering and snarling. "Why should I believe you, Aphrodite."

"Because I have no reason to lie. I just want to talk is all, nothing more, nothing less."

"Talk about what?"

"Percy!" Persephone cut in. "It's okay. I'll be fine. Let's just get this over with so we can get back to saving Artemis."

A guttural growl rumbled out from the depths of Shin'en's throat, but he stepped away from Ares, broken sword still in hand. Amazingly, the War God said nothing; no biting remarks, no scathing comments, no jeers, no quips. Perhaps his girlfriend was telling him to keep quiet.

Persephone walked forward, shared a meaningful look with her brother, before disappearing into limo. Ares shut the door behind her. "The rest of you punks can wait at that taco shop."

"But it's closed-" Grover tried, but the god snapped his fingers, and through divine will, the taco shop was suddenly brand new and operating. With no other choice, the quest made their way for the taco shop. Shin'en lingered, staring through Ares at the limo.

"There a problem, punk?"

"Five minutes…five minutes, and then I'm ending this meeting myself."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact."

Shin'en brushed past Ares, his powerful gait causing his cloak to flutter behind him. The War God stared after him in fury, but he was not foolish enough to raise his hand, not yet. While Ares didn't care at all for just about any of kids, until they proved themselves worthy of his love, he was not dumb enough to put his nieces and nephews at risk. That punk had them all in a hostage situation, and there were only two ways to deal with a hostage situation: bargaining and brute force.

Ares had nothing to bargain with, and brute force would only get people killed.

So, for now, he would that punk's attitude slide.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

No one had the appetite for a taco, and Shin'en didn't know what a taco was, but by the looks of it, he wanted nothing to do with it. It looked diabetes crammed into a half-moon shape, and shinobi had a rather strict doctrine about what they did and didn't eat. Whatever the hell a taco was, just based on its appearance, was near the top of that list.

They all sat at the same table, although everyone did keep a wide berth from Shin'en, not that he even noticed on a conscious level. He sat at a chair that allowed him to face Ares and the limo. His cloak may have been unbuttoned, but his hands were clasped in front of him, hiding his mouth, with his arms propped up on the table. From the curtain created by his raven bangs, only bits of his red eyes could be seen glowing.

No one said anything, no one was dumb enough to try and say something of comfort. Really, this situation wasn't all that terrible, it was just Aphrodite and Persephone alone in a limo together, one that guarded by Ares…okay, perhaps it was bad, but Shin'en was treating this as if the two deities had just kidnapped his sister.

None of the outside opinion mattered, because Shin'en was solely focused on the limo.

He couldn't hear what was happening in there, too many barrier and too far away, but he could lip read like a boss, and right now, he was getting in depth detail over the words being exchanged due to water movement due to cell movement due to muscle movement. Everything said in there was known to him, as where heartrates, breathing speed, chemicals in the blood, and motions.

Everything said was steadily pissing him off, steadily making his hands clench tighter, steadily making his lips curl back, steadily making his KI rise, steadily making the temperature fall, steadily making-

Aphrodite fucked up.

The quest saw it, too. They saw his head jerk back, they saw his eyes widen in an expression of fury so great, Zoё was reminded of Artemis when she found out that a Hunter had gone astray, they saw his irises shift, the little commas spinning and coalescing into the shape of nine-pointed star, and they saw him disappear.

All of this seemed to happen in dead silence, which made the subsequent sonic boom all the more deafening.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en didn't waste any time.

His chakra flowed painfully through him, reacting to his wrath, but the pain was ignored. He wasted no words on Ares, simply backhanding the god with such might and fury that he went skipping across the desert floor at terminal velocity. Shin'en's body was indeed damaged, which meant the ratio of Yin and Yang chakra within him was not what it should have been, with the mental energy of his mind eclipsing the physical energy of his body by a wide margin, but that still did not prevent Shin'en from generating enough ninjutsu chakra to give himself extreme boosts in strength.

Ares being hit with enough force go faster than sound being the prime example.

Shin'en disposed of his cousin using the backside of his left knuckles, gripping his staff, so it was with his right, bandaged hand that he struck at Aphrodite. His hand crashed through the window with unyielding rage, and he found the Love Goddess' throat with ease. She gagged and coughed for all of a nanosecond, before Shin'en ripped his arm out of the car, tearing the door clean off the hinges, tearing through the roof of the car as well.

Aphrodite screamed as she was launched into the air, and she screamed when gravity brought her down, and she stopped screaming when she slammed down with enough force to splinter the desert of Arizona. Shin'en was there, his foot pressed mightily down upon her head.

The rest of the quest had come sprinting out of the taco shop, with Annabeth being the first to the limo, the first to her lover. Persephone sat there, trembling, eyes wide, skin pale, face gaunt. There was a smell in the air, a sweet smell. Annabeth didn't recognize it, as she had yet to do such things to herself that would result in such a scent, while Bianca was accustomed to it, but she couldn't be sure, and Zoё was flat out petrified.

She knew that scent well, having been one to cause many a female to release that aroma, having been one to release that aroma from herself many times, most of time due to Artemis' ministrations. This was the sweet scent of a woman who had reached climax.

Zoё slowly looked up at the situation between Perseus and Aphrodite, ignoring the panicking daughter of Athena as she tried to get a response out of her lover, the full weight of the situation sinking on Nightshade's shoulders. Whether it had been using her hands or her powers, Aphrodite had forced Persephone Jackson to orgasm, but no matter how it had happened, it had triggered Shin'en's fury.

And Zoё was perfectly okay with what he was doing to the Love Goddess.

Ares teleported back into the fray, a massive broadsword set to cleave Shin'en's head. Emerald fire as dark as the boy's eyes sprung up around him, and Ares' sword shattered against a ribcage that simply materialized around the demigod. Before Ares could recover, he was lifted off the ground, held tight in the clutches of what could only be described as a gigantic skeletal arm.

Unbelievable cold and dread settled over the land, and the present Greek knew a terror the likes of which they couldn't explain. The emerald fire around Shin'en erupted, and the ribcage around him grew bigger, the bones thicker. The arm grew larger as well, becoming bigger than Ares. On the other side of the full ribcage, another arm grew, one just as big as the other. From the vertebrae, came the skull. Its teeth were canines, all sharp, and its eye sockets were narrow and slanted, with nothing but empty voids occupying that space. The horns of a bull sprouted from the skull's temple, while a third horn, this one like rhino's horn, only facing the opposite direction, extended from the forehead, right above the eyes.

The Susano'o.

Shin'en's Mangekyou blazed with all the fury of supernovas as his foot held Aphrodite's head still under him. She screamed and writhed, her legs and arms flailing, her voice muffled by the very ground she was being pressed into. Ares was being crushed to death, and the power of the Susano'o kept him from exposing his true form, or even calling on his divine power. The others weren't fairing much better.

The sheer presence of this skeletal monster created a sort of distant howl, and it raked across the minds of those who heard it, stripping them of bravery and courage, revealing only terror and fear. Zoё, Thalia, Bianca, Grover, Annabeth and Persephone weren't even the subject of this demon's wrath, but they all felt it.

The impending presence of Death.

The Susano'o reared back its head and opened it palm, then it bore down on the screaming Ares, its jaws clamping tightly around his waist. It went one way with its head, and another with its hand, stretching Ares' skin and muscle and bone. The quest watched in mute horror as the War God's body was pulled apart, gaps starting to show through him, before, with a wet pop, he was pulled in half in a shower of golden entrails and blood.

The Susano'o chewed what was in its mouth, before spitting it all out on the ground. It tossed the rest of Ares into its maw, and repeated the process. All that was left of the God of War was a soupy mess of chewed up, golden remains. Grover fainted.

Inside the Susano'o, Aphrodite also met her temporary end.

"It is a good thing your children do not need your godhood in order for their powers to work, otherwise something would have to be done with Piper McClean's role in the future," Shin'en bit out harshly. "Enjoy Tartarus, and if you come near my sister again, you will do everything you can to make yourself _fade_."

His foot reached maximum pressure, and Aphrodite's eyes popped out of her skull as it was crushed under heel like an overripe tomato.

The Susano'o reared its head back, opened wider than what should have been possible, and roared. The remaining Greeks covered their ears immediately, and even then it was too much. The Susano'o's roar caused massive gales to rip across the desert, sending the limo crashing into the small dwellings on the other side of the road, and causing those small dwelling to disappear over the horizon. The nearby junkyard was not spared from the Susano'o's mighty roar, and the mountains of scrap were blown away, creating a turbulent sea of junk.

The displacement was enough to activate the security protocols of the defective Talos prototype. The massive automaton might not have been as big as the real Talos, but it was huge, towering above Shin'en's Susano'o by an easy estimate of 200 feet. The demigod was hardly intimidated. He turned his frigid gaze to the charging robot, and he commanded his chakra avatar to materialize its first piece of weaponry.

The Epirus Bow.

There was nothing overly fancy about the massive chakra construct that materialized in the Susano'o's left hand. It was just your average bow from centuries past. The skeletal hand gripped this weapon tightly, and its other hand drew back the string, causing an arrow of pure chakra to materialize, already knocked.

The Susano'o let the arrow fly, a shockwave erupting from its release point. A trench was carved underneath the arrow as it flew and nailed Talos right in between the eyes, and then it detonated in an explosion of emerald energy that completely shredded the automaton.

Even though its slanted eyes were hollow, the Susano'o's sockets seemed to gleam with malicious pride. Even when it began to dissipate, that gleam never faded.

Even with Ares and Aphrodite turning to golden dust as their essences went to Tartarus to reform, Shin'en never stopped radiating _that_ aura. An aura of doom and cold, damnation and condemnation, pain and death. Grover and Annabeth remembered this aura during their first quest, the one for the Master Bolt. It was the aura of Hades, only magnified to something inconceivable.

Shin'en took a deep breath, and where the aura dimmed, it did not completely diminish. He spun on his heel, approaching the Greeks with an air of no-nonsense beyond what he usually had about him. He went straight for Persephone.

"Can you travel?"

Her wide, petrified eyes shakily rose to meet his serious emerald ones, and she promptly leapt out from Annabeth's arms and into her brother's, where her dam shattered and she broke down. A flash of hurt appeared in Annabeth's eyes at her girlfriend just abandoning her like that, but one look from Shin'en, one look from those horrifying red eyes, quickly had the blonde rethinking her negative feelings.

The message in those crimson eyes was clear: get over yourself _now_.

Annabeth stood by Zoё, "What…what did Aphrodite _do_ to her? And what was that smell?"

"Should you not already know what that smell was?"

"Ah, Zoё?" Bianca said quietly. "Annabeth's only been a girl for a few months…she hasn't touched herself like that yet."

"Only been…?" the Hunter's eyes widened. "Right, I remember now. Circe, yes?"

"Yeah."

"To answer your second question, that smell is that of a woman who has reached sexual climax. You will know what I speak in time, I am sure. As for your first question…" Zoё trailed off, leaving it to Annabeth to pick up from there.

She did not disappoint. Her eyes widened and her face drained of color, a sharp intake of breath coming from her.

"Are you saying Aphrodite _raped_ my girlfriend?"

"Not in the way you are thinking, no. Aphrodite does not take advantage of others in that manner, not physically." Zoё was grim during her explanation, and she stared at the sobbing child of Poseidon with pity.

"As the Love Goddess, she has the power to make others fall in love with anything she desires, and it's because of this that so many Hunters have been lost, because Aphrodite cannot sit well knowing that there are immortal girls that do not love men, so she decides to perform a form of punishment on Lady Artemis in the belief that it was my lady's fault for robbing the world of what could have been a beautiful couple.

"What Aphrodite typically does is approach a Hunter in a dream, and cause their body to experience phantom sensations of pleasure and ecstasy, all revolving around fornication with an animal. In the morning, the Hunter wakes up in bedding wet with her fluids, and her mind becomes addled with an ever-growing lust for that animal, until she eventually sneaks off to find whatever creature Aphrodite has cursed her to fall in love with, and sleeps with it. That's what happened to Polyphonte, and so many others that weren't spoken of."

Annabeth was positively horrified. "Are you saying that Persephone is about to go fuck an animal?"

Zoё remained unfazed and grim as ever. "No, she would not do something such as that. Poseidon's wrath would be too much for her."

"Then what-"

"If I had to guess, I would say Aphrodite tortured Persephone with phantoms of her brother."

"She _did_ ," Shin'en said icily, "and you can tell the Huntress daughters of Aphrodite that I do not regret the killing of their mother, and I will gladly do it again."

Zoё shook her head. "Once I tell them what Aphrodite did, they will not fault you."

"I don't _care_ what they think. I just want to make it clear that their parent's death does not weigh heavily on my conscience, nor does Ares' demise."

Persephone had cried herself to sleep, mentally and emotionally exhausted, and Shin'en stood up with her held bridal style.

"Pick up the satyr and let's move. We have somewhere to be, and it doesn't involve this place."

No one dared to argue with the demigod that had just slain two Olympians. No one dared argue with the furious son of Poseidon. No one dared to argue with the S-rank shinobi.

No one dared to argue with the Destroyer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Told ya there'd be character death…technically speaking. Gods don't die so much as fade, but damaging them enough does cause their essence to go to Tartarus to reform for a time.**_

 _ **Yes, Aphrodite did essentially mind-rape Persephone, and I do believe Shin'en responded accordingly. If he hadn't been consciously regulating his breath to keep his heart in check, he would've gone full Awakening and triggered a tectonic event.**_

 _ **Anyway, next chapter should be the last filler-ish chapter of the**_ **Phase One** _ **arc, with the one after that being the confrontation between Atlas and Shin'en, and the revelation of just what Jashin has done this time.**_

 _ **Oh, speaking of chapters, the poll for the next story to be updated is on my profile. Poll ends Thursday, go Vote Now!**_


	52. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt 8

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Pt. 8_

 _ **Okay, everyone's under the impression that when I say Jashin is helping, I mean that**_ **SoJ** _ **Percy is here and ready to throw down. Uh, no. That would be fun to see though. Although, I can't really see much of a fight there; Shin'en's just too smart for his psychopathic interdimensional brother.**_

 _ **That's just my opinion.**_

 _ **It would still be a fun fight, watching their respective powers deadlock each other.**_

 _ **Now, for reactions, dams, and a mountain.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Olympus, after Shin'en eradicated Ares and Aphrodite_

Hera was tightly gripping her wine goblet, a wedding anniversary gift from Hephaestus. It was a beautiful thing, jewels here and there, intricate carvings of heartwarming memories of better times. It was the type of gift that made Hera feel guilty for ever getting rid of her deformed child. The goblet was supposedly able to withstand force equivalent to that of a collapsing star, but here Hera was, almost putting a dent in it her grip was so tight.

A few tears silently dripped from her eyes.

No, Ares was not the ideal baby for a mother, with his lust for blood and carnage and battle, but he was still _her_ baby. She had carried him, birthed him, fed him, taught him, raised him, everything. Yes, it was a little irrational, because he would reform after a time, and he would be back, but still.

Perhaps the best the analogy for this was that Hera had to sit there and watch as her son was convicted and taken to prison.

Still, Hera would not lie to herself and say that Ares didn't need punishment. He had grown restless and more bloodthirsty than usual in recent decades; he hadn't been the same since the Great War. Perhaps now the world could experience a brief little time of peace, or at the very least, a lowering in crime and death the world over.

It was difficult, loving your son so much, yet knowing that he was the cause of so many problems in the world today.

The throne room was quiet, and the hearth was subdued, Hestia poking at the tinder without much enthusiasm. Perhaps there should have been heightened emotions, like rage, anger, wrath. Perhaps there should have been shouting, demands for blood…but there wasn't.

Zeus should've been the largest proponent for execution, seeing as not only had Perseus just killed two Olympians, but also his son, Ares. However, Zeus was uncharacteristically quiet. Mostly because he had nothing to stand on, no ground for which to base his argument. Aphrodite had, for all intents and purposes, _raped_ Persephone, filling the child's head with phantoms and sensations that had brought her to climax.

And Ares had just calmly stood outside the limousine, fully aware of what his 'girlfriend' was doing to the daughter of Poseidon.

Speaking of the Stormbringer…he was gripping his trident with such force it was a wonder that the shaft hadn't snapped in twine. He was silent, the air around him cold and dangerous. Saying he was 'not happy' would be an understatement. Hell, Zeus wouldn't be either if he found out Aphrodite had mind raped Thalia.

Perseus' involvement in the matter was perhaps the most opportune, because if he hadn't been there, there's no telling what else Aphrodite would have done to Poseidon's daughter. Besides that, the Love Goddess's actions did not go unnoticed, and after the matter with Artemis' capture had been resolved, Aphrodite most likely would have sentenced to Tartarus anyway.

Zeus' thoughts travelled back to Perseus, and that skeletal _nightmare_ that had surrounded him. Even here, on Olympus, watching the crisis unfold via magical viewing screen, the gods had felt stirrings in them at the sight of that nightmare. Zeus' children, those present at least, had all gripped the armrests of their thrones, their bodies tense and ready to fight or flee…just like it had been with Typhon so many centuries ago.

The main differences between now and then, however, was that where Zeus had stood his ground and battled Typhon himself, whatever it was that surrounded Perseus had made the God King grip his Master Bolt a little tighter than usual. Did that mean that this skeleton eclipsed Typhon on terms of fear-inducing ability, or did that mean that Zeus had grown soft in the millennia of godless conflict?

Either way, the thing that could not be ignored was the nightmare's power. Just making a vocalization created enough of a shockwave to erase wooden buildings and topple Hephaestus' junkyard, which activated the Talos prototype, but then that revealed the skeleton had the ability to form weapons, namely a bow that fired explosive arrows.

What else the skeleton could do was unknown, because after Talos had been completely wiped from the face of the Earth, the emerald horror faded away, and then Perseus gathered his sister and stormed off, justifiably livid.

Zeus sat in his throne, a hand resting supportively on his wife's shoulder.

Perseus was a danger, a threat, and a powerful half-blood, perhaps one even more powerful than Heracles had been, and he was cunning too. Cunning enough to put the entire Olympian council in bind, one that had them moving carefully to not endanger their children. Ares and Aphrodite apparently didn't get that deep enough into their heads, and they had paid for it. That was another thing: Perseus had slain two gods, two _Olympian_ gods, like it was nothing. He had crushed Aphrodite's head underfoot, and that _thing_ had bitten Ares in half, and then literally chewed him up and spat him out.

That was power that wasn't to be trifled with; that was power that could not be controlled…perhaps it didn't have to be controlled, merely directed. Yes, that was it. Zeus didn't have to worry about trying to bring Perseus to heel—all he had to do was sit back and watch as the brat handled everything by himself, and eventually bit off more than he could chew.

When that happened, Zeus would be there, the benevolent King of Olympus ready to save the day and protect his brother's son…protect his nephew.

Yes, that would be a good story for the coming generations: the mighty Perseus could not handle it by himself, so the great king Zeus took pity on the boy and saved him from certain death. From there, Perseus respected Zeus, called him lord and king, and gave his loyalty to the God of the Sky, and in return for this loyalty, Zeus granted the boy immortality, so that he could spend the rest of his days as a loyal warrior to Olympus.

Well, more like loyal bitch. The child pulled off the feminine look rather well, and Zeus wondered just how tight that ass really was. Give him a few years, and he would find out first hand. Nothing asserted _dominance_ over another male like making his ass gape, and Zeus wanted everyone to know that it was _he_ who was the Master of this House, and that he wasn't taking shit from anything, let alone a half-blood girly boy.

Imagine the Sky King's terror when he finds out that Shin'en's got a form of Susano'o that can not only fly, but has enough power in its overhead swing to split Olympus open like a piñata.

Now _that_ was going to be fun to watch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _At Camp Half-Blood_

Due to time zones, where it was late evening in Arizona, it was dark thirty at the Grecian safe haven. However, that did not stop the children of Aphrodite and Ares to all shoot wide awake at the moment their parent's essences went straight to Tartarus. No, they did not suddenly lose their demigod powers; something that extreme could only happen in the event of their parent fading into the Void, taking with them every scrap of essence they had.

They didn't all go screaming to Chiron, even if they did know that Ares and Aphrodite were temporarily no more. They knew what had happened, they knew that Shin'en murdered them…but they didn't know why. And the problem was that they didn't care to find out. All they knew was that Persephone's brother had just killed their mom and dad.

As was with any decent child, that did not sit well with them, at all. Where none of them particularly liked Shin'en (really, they were all terrified), now they felt hatred for him. Even Silena felt unexplainable ire consume her. Sure, Ares and Aphrodite hadn't been model parents, but they were still someone's father, still someone's mother, and yes, meetings were almost nonexistent, but there was always that glimmering blossom of hope that one day, they could meet face to face.

Now that hope was gone.

Oh sure, every half-blood knew that if a deity was 'killed,' they were sent to Tartarus to reform. Ares and Aphrodite would be back of course…but how long before then? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? _Centuries_? How long would it be before any of these parentless children could hope to see their father and mother again?

…perhaps the children of Ares and Aphrodite weren't devastated by Shin'en killing their parents, but by the loss of the hope of seeing them some day.

That night, Silena contacted Luke, and told him that there were many defectors wanting a chance at Shin'en's head. That night, many children of Love and War disappeared into the woods. That night, only the councilors, Silena and Clarisse, and the younger children remained in Camp Half-Blood. That night, the children of Ares and Aphrodite that were already members of Kronos' army welcomed their brothers and sisters with open arms.

That night, Shin'en's sleeper cells infiltrated the enemy stronghold.

Exactly as planned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Arizona_

Even though Shin'en had completely totaled the junkyard, reducing the neatly packed mountains of Olympian garbage into an ocean of garbage and scrap, crossing through the mess was easy, even in the dead of night.

Not a word was said between any of the questers, mostly because Shin'en was radiating an aura so cold that literal frost engulfed everything within ten feet of him, and his breath steamed against the air. He held his sleeping sister bridal style the whole way through, and while the quest recognized that Aphrodite had tortured the girl, they couldn't stop asking themselves 'how.'

Zoё theorized that it was with torments of incest, but Annabeth silently disagreed. If Aphrodite had indeed tortured Persephone with images and feelings of Shin'en sexing her, she wouldn't have leapt into his arms. Put it this way: if Annabeth had a dream in which she had just been sleeping with her brother Malcolm, she wouldn't wake up and rush into his embrace; she would've made a conscious effort to keep far away from him.

Then again, that was how Annabeth would have reacted. She was not Persephone, and it would have been presumptuous to say she knew how the sea princess would've reacted in that situation.

Still, it didn't make sense to Annabeth why Persephone would seek comfort from the same man she had just been made to dream of sleeping with…unless Aphrodite's magic had done its job, and the next problem the quest would face is making sure Persephone didn't try to act as a proverbial sheath for her brother's proverbial sword.

The quest reached the other side of the junk yard, where they found an old four door truck that miraculously had a full tank of gas and working batteries. The mood was so subdued, no one bothered to question it, and no one bothered to argue when Shin'en leapt into the bed, and looked at them from over the collar of his cloak.

"Get moving."

Zoё took the driver's seat, Bianca shotgun, and Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia occupied the back in that order, which placed the daughter of Athena at the sliding door to the bed. She slid it open.

"Is she going to be okay?" Shin'en slid the door shut.

That was the most interaction had during the entire trip between those in the bed and those in the cab.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en was not one for emotional turmoil and self-loathing, as seen when his orphan brothers and sisters were killed and he didn't go into a recessive depression. He buried his emotions and broke his body in extreme training sessions. This was seen again when after he was pulled away from Yugito, he didn't go into depression, he put on his game face and stuck it sideways to the Land of Water. This was seen a third time when, after Shin'en had killed Yagura, he had gone back to Yūrei's base. Granted, he did break down and went comatose for three days straight, but he hauled his ass in gear and moved on.

Bottom line: he would allow his sister her time of silence and emotional sorting, she had been mind-raped after all, but he would make sure she pulled herself together and got back on her feet, one way or another.

If he had to beat some sense into her, he would. Life was too short to be spent moping about due to a single event, no matter how damaging or extreme. Morn, take some time to figure things out, find yourself again, but be damn sure that you moved on. Life was a bitch, and the universe did not care for you; no point in trying to make it care.

Night turned into morning, and morning into afternoon.

Shin'en sensed a massive body of water a few miles away. He shook his sister awake. She was groggy, her eyes still haunted, and she didn't want to let go of him. For now, that was fine, but if she was still like this when they got to that body of water, Shin'en was going to throw her into the water and hold her down there, using his greater control over water to make it like it would be to any other person. Cold, wet, heavy, and hostile, effectively drowning Persephone…until she got desperate enough and her powers erupted, causing her to shoot out of the water like a bullet from a gun.

When that happened, her mind would be way too preoccupied with anger and adrenaline to worry about Aphrodite.

Not the most humane way to cure depression, but it was effective.

"You need to talk to someone about this," Shin'en said. Persephone barely shook her head in the negative, pressing her head harder into her brother's side. "Annabeth would be fine, or Sally, but you can't keep this bottled up…you're not as strong as I am when it comes to keeping things buried."

"Can't I just…talk to…you…?"

"No. I already know what was said and what was done. Besides, if I were to hear a verbal replay of it, I would not be able to control my anger. Many people would die, and I wouldn't care."

"Okay," Seph whispered. "I'll talk to Annabeth."

Shin'en rested his chin on top of her head. "Good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. From edge to edge it was about fifty yards, and probably a few hundred feet below was a green river. The road dead-ended, which was all the same, really. Everyone got out, and when they shut their doors, all the tires blew out in synch. Shin'en hopped out of the bed, landing on his feet without a problem.

Persephone had gained enough of herself back to where she jumped out too. Now, her knees bent on her landing, where her brother's didn't so much as twitch, but still. Beads of sweat lined her forehead due to the heat of the Arizona/Nevada desert, because of the layers she was wearing.

She promptly unbuttoned the Akatsuki cloak and then the Nemean Lion's Duster, threw the duster at Thalia, who frowned when she was hit square in the face with a furry suit, and put back on the cloak with a proud grin. The quest managed to crack small smiles at the childish display, but Aphrodite's actions still weighed heavily on many a mind. Shin'en just rolled his eyes at her sister, before spinning on his heel.

"Come, the cliffs are too steep here for all of you. We will look for more operable terrain elsewhere."

He set a brisk walking pace down the edge of the cliff, past the end of the road. Bianca, Grover, Zoё and the still-zombified Thalia followed quickly. Annabeth made to as well, but her arm was gripped by the last member of the quest. She turned around, and paled slightly at the nervous look on her girlfriend's face.

"Percy told me that I needed to talk about it, but not with him because he already knew what happened, and hearing it verbally would make him angry again, so…would you listen…please?"

Annabeth's eye twitched. "Persephone Jackson," she said sternly, "I am your girlfriend. There is absolutely zero reason for you to be nervous about talking to me about anything." She pecked the sea princess on the lips and grabbed her hands.

"Come on, let's talk while we're walking."

Persephone nodded once, and Annabeth led the way, tightly gripping her girlfriend's right hand.

"From the top," the daughter of Athena said softly, "what happened?"

Persephone took a deep breath, preparing herself to relive her personal terror. Se exhaled slowly. Okay, she thought to herself, let's go.

"I got in the car and sat down in the chair. Aphrodite was really pretty, almost as pretty as you," Annabeth blushed but kept silent for now, "and she had me hold up this really big mirror so she could do her makeup—I swear she was trying to be a clown so bad. Things went downhill from there.

"She told me she was proud of us for being the only openly gay couple that wasn't a part of the Hunters of Artemis. She said we made a great sitcom on her husband's TV station, but that there needed to be more drama. I told her that wasn't necessary, but she wasn't listening anymore.

"She started rambling off all the things that came to mind on how she could our sitcom more dramatic, like sending monsters after us, making our mortal parents flip out, causing someone else to fall in love with one of us, like a god, or half-blood, or mortal, and make them try to get between us. I kept trying to interrupt her and say there was no need for that, only with harsh language because I was getting pissed off, but she just kept rambling.

"I finally managed to get myself heard when Aphrodite said the perfect thing she could do to get more ratings was to make me fall in love with my brother." Annabeth turned green. "I told her she was a sick freak, and she could go screw herself, and that I would never love Percy like that…Aphrodite gave me this look, like when you talk back to your mom and they're about to spank you."

"That's when she…"

"Yeah, that's when she started doing things to me."

Persephone bit her lip as she recalled just what Aphrodite started doing to her. Her mind and body were suddenly assaulted with everything she never wanted to experience, a hundred phantoms that all looked like Percy, all were doing something to her at once.

Persephone remembered feeling her brother's arms around her body, holding her tight, while at the same time, she felt his hands caressing her bottom, his hands on her breasts, teasing her nipples, his hands running through her hair, his hands in other places, places that no sibling should ever touch.

In her mouth, Persephone remembered feeling her brother's tongue inside there, rolling about, exploring her every oral crevice. Beyond that, just like with the feeling of his hands, she felt, at the same time, other phantoms. She remembered his shaft being in her mouth, she remembered its taste, her tongue rolling over the head, deepthroating it, licking it; she remembered his fingers being there at the same time, commanding her to suck on them, worship them; she remembered swallowing his testicles as well. She remembered all these things, all happening at once, all happening together.

Down south, Persephone vividly recalled everything there too, and just like with her mouth and Percy's hands, she remembered it all happening in tandem. She remembered her brother's fingers teasing her, his tongue teasing her, his penis teasing her; she remembered all of them being inside her at once, all of them doing different things, like hitting her G-spot, entering her womb, stretching her out, rubbing against her inner walls in a sinful torture of pleasure.

Her backend as not spared from these phantoms. Persephone remembered it well, her brother's fingers and tongue giving her a rim job with his tongue and fingers, being penetrated by those things, and by his shaft as well, all at the same time. She remembered the feeling of invasion, the wetness of his tongue, the girth of his member.

She remembered _positions_ as well. On her back, on her sides, on all fours, face down ass up, pressed to a wall, sitting on a chair, sitting on top of him—facing him and not facing him. She remembered his hands being on her to hold her still while she was done from behind.

Oh yes, Persephone remembered these things. A hundred phantoms, all plaguing her at the same time.

A normal mortal's brain would've short circuited from sensory overload. A demigoddess' mind would've held up to Aphrodite's magic for a time, before eventually, she too would've mentally crumbled. Persephone would have too, but she had two things going for her: one, she was the daughter of Poseidon, which gave her a stronger magical resistance than other half-bloods, and two…Aphrodite didn't _want_ her to turn into a vegetable.

The Love Goddess had been supplying Persephone with just enough power to keep her mind from breaking.

After her detailed recollection, Persephone was being held by Annabeth, who had shamefully become slightly turned on after hearing of such things, but it was horror over what had happened that won out over anything else. Her shirt was getting a bit wet, due to the few tears from Persephone's eyes.

Of course, no one but Shin'en knew the real horror that was going to befall Persephone had he not intervened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The previous night_

Aphrodite was a cruel, cruel goddess. She was vain and horrible. She believed true love was only true if it ended in tragedy. She had gone out of her way multiple times, and not just in the myths, to punish men and women for whatever they did that brought offense to her, no matter how trivial the supposed insult.

She was a wrathful goddess as well.

This little insect thought she knew what was and wasn't going to happen with her love life? The only reason she and Athena's little sex-changed whore were together was because Aphrodite allowed it. The little insect needed to be reminded that she was the fuck-mothering _Love Goddess_ , and should be treated as such.

Hence, the phantoms.

Aphrodite's eyes glowed bright pink and her hair had frizzed up like the mane of a she-demon as she exercised her power over this naïve thing. It was always amusing for Aphrodite to watch as 'chaste' and 'virtuous' women were reduced to moaning sluts under the influence of her power, especially Artemis' little bitches. Aphrodite got no greater pleasure than by watching one of those tree-huggers go out and do it doggy-style with a pig, or a horse, or a cow, or a deer, or any animal really.

Still, there was something greatly erotic to be found in this particular little game of Aphrodite's. The insect did a good job of keeping her grunts quiet as she was fucked on all sides by visions of her brother. Her mind might have been screaming 'no,' but her body betrayed her. She squirmed, sweating, breathing heavy, red-faced, her nails digging into the upholstery, but the biggest evidence here, the one Aphrodite found the most appealing, was to be found at the insect's crotch.

The insect's arousal was seeping through her underwear and into her jeans, creating an obvious wet spot.

Aphrodite was a cruel, cruel goddess, and she had a cruel, cruel idea. The Grecian world seemed to have forgotten about the power of her wrath, and the insect would serve as an excellent example, Poseidon be damned.

"Uh oh," gently cooed the goddess, "someone's having an accident. Looks like we need to get you into your diaper before you make a mess of my car, huh?"

And she was going to do it too. A snap of her fingers, and those jeans and panties would've instantly become the padded training pants of children. Aphrodite would've watched with glee as those little designs quickly faded away due to a flood of female ejaculate. From there, it would've been a few spells and divine abilities to have Persephone locked in a crib, sucking stupidly on a pacifier as she watched Annabeth and Perseus—ahem, as she watched _Mommy_ and _Daddy_ fuck just outside the bars.

Aphrodite never got the chance to enact this twisted episode, for Shin'en's hand came crashing through the window.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Back in the present_

Persephone looked tons better after having a heart to heart, which was good because now her brother didn't have to almost drown her.

After finding a way safely down, they found a canoe stand, closed of course, but Shin'en didn't give a flying fish about that. Really, he didn't care about the canoes period, but not everyone could walk on water and he didn't feel like parting a river. Oh, he could, very easily in fact, but he didn't want to.

After a couple of flirtatious naiads (to which Shin'en simply ignored their advances) pushed them up the river, but not before one of them spat in Zoё's face, the quest had to get off because any further would take them into a dam. A big one. Shin'en knew for a fact that id Deidara was here, the Mad Bomber would already be chewing his clay to blow this thing apart.

Hell, Shin'en wanted to blow this place apart, just to see what would happen.

Eh, he'd come back later.

Right now, they had to find a way up there so they could get those angels to fly to San Francisco, and he had to find a redheaded future Oracle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wait, where are you going?" Persephone asked when her brother started off across the dam, leaving the rest of the quest to stand by the dormant angels.

"To the dam restroom."

"Oh, so _now_ you have to go?"

"Yes."

"Well, hurry up."

"I'll do my best…why don't you pass the time by letting Annabeth inform you all about everything she knows about this place?"

Grey eyes lit up with sparkles.

Persephone looked back to her brother, and deadpanned when he was already gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en weaved his way through the crowds, making sure to avoid contact. He was bending the light around him to make it look like he was wearing a pair of those jean things, a simple white shirt, and even simpler shoes. Just because light was bent around him, didn't mean that his cloak had suddenly disappeared.

A teen boy wearing a mysterious black cloak with a red cloud pattern and open-toed sandals would raise questions, and Shin'en didn't have the time to look _everyone_ here in the eye with his Sharingan, especially when all he needed was to find one person. If memory served, she should be either headed to the bathroom or in the bathroom.

There was indeed a female of the appropriate age on her way to that area, and while Shin'en, if he focused enough, could DNA sequences, he did not know what codons made red hair. Besides, combing through DNA was a really long process that Shin'en did not have time for.

The demigod thought there was a staircase he could take so that he could avoid a crowded lift, but there was not one. So, mid walk, he liquefied himself and his clothes, changing his form to where he was actually wearing the ensemble he had illusioned himself with. Shin'en didn't get how his liquefied shape-shifting truly worked, beyond it being related to his divine hydrokinetic powers.

When he got into the elevator, someone, just a random man, bumped into him due to close proximity.

"Sorry, miss."

Shin'en just nodded over his shoulder, taking the incorrect pronoun in stride. It wasn't the first time, and since that was kind of the point, to be mistaken for someone else, the demigod just rolled with it. Of course, the man could've been a pickpocket, but in this form, there was nothing for him to steal.

The elevator dinged, and the people were let out. Shin'en added just a little more softness to his features, and just a little more mass to his chest, and just a little width to his hips, and just a little less to his waist. There, if there were any qualms over what gender he was then, there certainly weren't any now.

Shin'en found the bathrooms easily enough, and casually entered the women's restroom like it was an everyday occurrence. He was in luck, because while he had felt the water of an adolescent female inside, he did not know if it was the titular redheaded wonder. It was.

Even better, she had just finished washing her hands, and was currently stepping towards the door. Shin'en looked her right in the eye as she did so, Sharingan spinning. The genjutsu took hold, the girl none the wiser to the shinobi's machinations, but that did not prevent her from going:

"Wow! Cool contacts! Where'd you get them?"

"From this place in upper Manhattan." His voice was a perfect rendition of his sister's.

"No way! I live in Manhattan!"

"Really? That's cool."

"Yeah, maybe we'll end up going to the same school or something."

"Yeah, that would be something. I'm Persephone by the way."

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"Red? How fitting."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah, I blame my mom for the hair and my dad for the name."

Shin'en shrugged. "My mom named me after a Greek goddess that was kidnapped by her uncle and forced to marry him, so there's that."

Rachel busted a short laugh. "That's just asking for trouble!" she giggled. "Anyway, I've held you up long enough. See ya round, Persephone."

"Yeah, you too, Red."

The future Oracle exited the bathroom, and by way of his hydro sensing, Shin'en knew that she paused outside the door, and, judging by the way her facial muscles arranged themselves, gave the door a suspicious look. Understandable, honestly. You have dreams and visions of Greek gods and monsters, and all of a sudden a random 'girl' walks in, one that not only lives in your area, but is also named after one of the Greek deities.

Yes, that is a little suspicious.

Rachel eventually walked off, and Shin'en hung back until she was far enough away that if they ran into each other, it was within a plausible timeframe for a female's trip to the bathroom. When over thirty seconds had passed, and Rachel had walked half way down the hall to the other elevator, Shin'en exited the women's room, went up the closest elevator, melted back into his regular clothing and form, and seemingly materialized next to the rest of the mission.

"…and they did it by—"

"Fascinating stuff," everyone flinched at the sudden speaking of Shin'en, "but I am done, and it is time to leave. Zeus, animate these damn things so we can go rescue your daughter."

For a moment, nothing happened, and Shin'en was about to put a blade to Bianca's throat to give Hades the proper motivation to motivate Zeus, when the angels creaked and squeaked and started talking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _San Francisco_

 _December 20, 2007_

The automatons dropped the quest off at a pier.

"Zoё, why are we here and not at Mount Othrys?"

The Hunter knew that the calm tone used by the son of Poseidon was merely a good mask to hide his irritation.

"The Oracle said to look for the Ophiotaurus…we have yet to see it at all."

"Ah, yes, the serpent bull…why are we _here_?"

"Nereus," Zoё answered shortly. "The Old Man of the Se-"

"Oh, that's why we're here. Fine then."

Shin'en glided past Zoё, down to the end of the pier, where an old man sat on a bench, lounging in the evening sun. Persephone looked at Zoё.

"Who's Nereus?"

"The father of Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite. Technically, that makes him your step-grandfather. He's a son of Gaea and Pontus, making him a Titan. He ruled the seas before Oceanus and after Pontus, and is a prophet, able to see things that Apollo's Oracle cannot see. He will know the location of the Ophiotaurus," Zoё answered.

Persephone blinked. "The Ophio-what?"

Zoё looked at Annabeth. Annabeth shrugged. "She has the attention span of a guppy. Never did pay attention to my lessons."

"You butt!"

 _Meanwhile, at the end of the pier_

Shin'en calmly sat down next to Nereus. "Calm evening, isn't it?"

Nereus glanced at the half-blood next to him, then he looked back at the sun set. "Indeed, it is."

Shin'en pulled a cigarette from the inside of his cloak, and offered it to the old god. Nereus accepted it, pulled a lighter from within his own fuzzy, smelly bathrobe, and lit the cigarette. Shin'en pulled out another cancer stick, and Nereus offered the small flame.

"Thank you." Shin'en put it to his mouth and took a drag. He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I know you know who I am."

Nereus put away his lighter and took his own drag. "Yes, my daughter isn't quite happy with you and your sister existing."

"That's unfortunate, but I can't control my being born."

"Agreed. I've talked to by daughter about this, but you know how women can be."

"Oh, tell me about it. Can't live with them, can't with without them."

Nereus nodded sagely. "Truer words have never been spoken, my boy."

"Amphitrite and I will cross paths one day, and if she decides to be bitchy, I will be bitchy right back."

Nereus exhaled smoke. "I do not doubt that. Tell me, which of those voices you have locked up in that head of yours is the worst?"

"Sachiko. She has a penchant for tearing people apart and making snow angels out of their guts."

Nereus blinked. "Oh."

"She's only been out twice. First time was her birth, second time was when she pried herself out…I'm not entirely sure she didn't get out during the Chunin Exam."

"I heard about that…crazy shit."

"Yes it was. Killed a lot of people that day."

The two fell into silence for a moment, both men content to smoke in the face of the sun set. Then, Nereus said, "I trust this isn't a social visit, since the animal is about ten feet from us."

"How much of the future are you aware of?"

"Titans, Giants, Apophis, Ragnarӧk, so-called 'god-emperors,' things after all of that…I'd say I'm aware of a lot of things about the future."

Shin'en took a drag. "Fair enough," he exhaled, "you know that she'll come by here on her way to free Thanatos."

"Let me guess…you want me to help her along the way?"

"Not necessarily _help_ so much as _give very clear instructions on what she needs to do_."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we'll find out if it's possible to live without women."

"Are you threatening my daughter, boy?"

"I killed Ares and Aphrodite…you think Amphitrite means anything to me?"

Nereus gave Shin'en a hard look. Shin'en returned it, cold emerald eyes matching cobalt blue. They stared long and hard at each other, not so much a contest of will, but a measure of sincerity. Nereus broke away, looking at the sun set. He finished his cigarette and swallowed it.

"I swear on the River Styx that I will tell Persephone Jackson where to find and defeat the giant Alcyoneus and how to free Thanatos."

Thunder sealed this oath, and the old god transformed into a goldfish before flopping into the ocean. Shin'en finished his own cigarette, and put the butt out on his cheek without even flinching. He rose from the bench and returned to the mission.

"What was that thunder just now?" Persephone asked.

"Me getting Nereus to swear an oath on the Styx."

"An oath to do what?"

"To be more helpful from now on. Anyway, I know where the Ophiotaurus is."

Zoё stepped forward. "Where is it?"

" _Mooo!"_

Shin'en flicked a kunai into the water, which erupted in a spray of white when the explosive tag went off. In the spray and in the churning water, there was a strange amount of golden dust.

"Reforming in Tartarus I'd imagine. Now, we are down here, and where we need to be is way over there. Granted we have time, 24 hours at least, but I have things to do that don't involve being down here. Anyone have any ideas on transportation beyond stealing another vehicle?"

Annabeth fidgeted in place.

Shin'en looked at her. "I take it you have something in mind?"

"Uh…no. No I don't."

"So you weren't thinking about your father and stepmother and stepbrothers that live in this area, who no doubt have transportation we can use?"

"We can find another way," she said stiffly.

Bianca and Grover raised brows, Thalia stared dumbly ahead as she had ever since Kansas, Zoё narrowed her eyes, Shin'en just stared at the blonde, and Persephone put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Everything okay between you and them?"

"Well…"

"You haven't told them about your sex change, have you?" Shin'en said.

Annabeth paled, looking a deer in headlights, before she deflated and said, "No, not yet. I…I'm nervous about what they'll say."

"Oh, what they'll say is wholly irrelevant. I am here, and Freddy is going to have more to worry about than his child's new set of genitals. Now, lead the way before I put under genjutsu like Thalia."

"Duhhhh…"

"That's his nice way of saying he'll take care of any bad mouthing. Besides, I'm here too. We've got your back, no worries."

Annabeth smiled at the support, and her smile grew more confident at the supportive looks of Bianca, Grover, and Zoё. Thalia was still a zombie.

"Alright, follow me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Chase Household_

 _Early Nighttime_

After Annabeth pointed at the right house, Shin'en wasted no time in knocking on the door. The rest of the mission joined him on the porch. Shuffling was heard from inside, then the sound of lock being undone, before the door opened, but not all the way due to that little chain thingy.

Most of the face of a man in his thirties became visible. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Frederick Chase, father of Andrew Chase?"

Eyes narrowed. "Yes?"

"Excellent. He has something he needs to tell you."

To Frederick's point of view, Shin'en stepped off to the side, and was suddenly replaced with a very familiar looking young lady that was very nervous about something. Frederick gasped. "A-Andrew?"

"It's Annabeth now, Dad."

"Oh, gods…"

Annabeth was suddenly pulled aside, and Shin'en was back. "Now will you open the damn door? Your daughter is freezing out here, and there's business to be discussed."

The door shut, the sound of sliding metal was heard, and the door was opened wide this time, revealing the shocked Frederick, and the fearful woman and the confused twin boys. Shin'en was not feeling cordial at the moment, and glided right on in like he owned this place.

"Fred, who are these people?"

Shin'en made a noise, causing all three latter people to look at him. Shin'en looked them each in the eye in rapid succession, and they all fell under his genjutsu. "Leave us."

They all shuffled off into another room. Frederick was still occupied with staring dumbly at his daughter. Annabeth shifted.

"How's it been?" she tried.

"H-How's it been?" Frederick echoed quietly, still not wholly here at the moment. Shin'en had enough of this. He got up from the couch he had chosen to sit on, and roughly grabbed Frederick's shoulder, jolting the man back to reality. He looked at Shin'en's emerald eyes in wild bewilderment.

"Get your hand off me young man-"

"Listen to me, you slack jawed idiot. Your son is now your daughter, you can figure that out later. The seven of us are on a quest to save a captured goddess at the top of what you call Mt. Tamalpais. Now, we need a car to get there in a timely manner, and you happened to be in the area. Can you figure out why we bothered to come here, or do I need to spell that out too?"

"You want me to take you to the mountain."

Shin'en let go of his nearly-bone crushing grip on the man's shoulder, and patted his face. "Very good. I can see why Athena wanted to have your child. Now, keys, Freddy…go get them."

The man grimaced, but he did as he was told. Shin'en turned around and was met with the disapproving face of his sister.

"What?"

"That was rude and uncalled for, mister!"

"Arguable. However, what cannot be argued are the results. Frederick's on board, his head's in the game, and now we have a way up to the mountain that doesn't involve walking. You're welcome."

"You're still a butt, though."

"Indeed. And you are wearing my cloak."

"So?"

"I'm sorry, I thought we were just stating obvious things."

The garage door opened, and a chrome Chrysler Pacifica was in there, along with Fred and a set of keys.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Freddy drove, Annabeth in shotgun, Persephone, Shin'en, and Zoё were in the middle, and Grover, Bianca and Thalia were in the backseats.

"So…you're a girl now."

"Yeah."

"When…when did that happen?"

"In June. Ran into a sorceress named Circe."

"I remember that name, and she did _this_ to you. Was there not a way to change back?"

"Probably…but I…I don't…I don't want to change back."

Frederick audibly swallowed, and kept his focus on the road.

"Are you mad at me for wanting to stay like this?"

"Not _mad_ …just _confused_."

"Well, I got my first date like this."

Frederick squeaked. "D-Date?"

"Yeah…with my girlfriend."

Luckily the street they were on was mostly empty, so Frederick's wild swerving didn't cause any accidents, but he did run a red light almost got everyone killed by a late-night tractor, complete with trailer.

"Girlfriend!? You…so you're…you're-"

"Lesbian? Gay? Yeah, I am. That's not a problem is it… _Dad_?" You could taste the heat in those words.

Frederick swallowed hard again. "N-No—No! Not at all, just…with who?"

"Hello sir. My name's Persephone Jackson. Annabeth and I have been dating for six months now."

Frederick came to a red light, and turned around to the back seat. "So you're the one dating my daughter, eh?"

Persephone was in the middle, Zoё was on the right, which left Shin'en on the left. The demigod leaned into view, blocking out Persephone's face with his head, and he stared subzero daggers at Mr. Chase.

"She is, and I'm her brother. Don't even _think_ about pulling the intimidation card. We don't actually need you to drive anymore. We have Zoё."

"Do not bring me into this."

The light turned green, and Frederick rolled forward.

Seph lightly elbowed her little brother.

"You butt. I handled Ares, I can handle my girlfriend's dad," she muttered softly.

"It's not about what you can and cannot handle. It's about us being on a mission, and not having time to deal with bullshit. You, Annabeth, and her father can have your meet and greet later, _after_ we save Artemis."

Persephone huffed. "You're still a butt."

"Is that your catch phrase? 'You're a butt'? Do you have an anal fixation?"

"What? No!"

"Okay then…you're a butt."

"No, you're a butt."

"You are."

"You are."

"No, you are."

"No, you are."

"Stop copying me."

"You stop copying me."

"You stop copying me first."

" _You_ stop copying me first."

"No, you."

"You."

"You."

"You!"

"You!

" _You!_ "

" _You!_ "

Zoё threw her hands into the air. "Both of you _shut up_."

Persephone snickered, while Shin'en just smirked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _As high as a vehicle can possibly get on the trails of Mt. Tam_

 _Nighttime_

"This as far as I can take you."

"Thanks, Dad."

The quest disembarked from the Chrysler Pacifica.

"Annabeth!"

The daughter of Athena blinked at the sudden usage of her new name at the hands of her father.

"Yes?"

"Be careful…sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

"Touching," Shin'en drawled. "Let's move."

The full moon of the night was hidden behind thick clouds.

The Champion of Susano'o set a brisk pace up the mountain, the others following him. Frederick drove back down, realizing that there was nothing her could from here. Zoё didn't have to lead the way from here; Shin'en knew where to go from the dreams he had in the past.

Soon enough, the quest came across the fabled Garden of the Hesperides. The tree with the Apples was over there, Ladon wrapped around the trunk, sleeping. Other than that, the garden was rather plain. There was a path through it, a path that led to beyond the garden. Shin'en could sense Artemis, Luke, the boat and monster army down below, and Atlas, only Atlas' fist was clenched tightly around a small object.

Shin'en didn't like that.

He walked forward, and there was a violent breeze. From this breeze, four women materialized, and they all looked like Zoё, only with their hair down. Shin'en wasn't dealing with this, not when him getting back to the Land of Grass was less than ten hours away.

"Move, or I will move you."

"Perseus Jackson-"

"Move you it is then."

His sword was out, but the Hesperides were already dissolving back into wind, looks of fear on their faces. Shin'en sheathed his sword and began walking through the Garden, a stunned quest right behind him.

"Those were your sisters, yes?"

"Y-Yes."

"I am not apologizing."

"Don't. They need a kick in the ass."

Shin'en hummed.

Soon enough, meadow turned to marble. All around the quest, the ruins of something ancient seemed to be reforming. There were pillars, arches, statues of naked men armed with weapons, and half-formed walls. Oh, and there was this oppressive, evil feel in the air.

"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Zoё muttered. "This should not be here."

"Yet it is. Let's keep moving."

They found Artemis, trapped under the sky, and Zoё was the first at her lover's side. "My lady!"

"Z-Zoё," Artemis breathed. "You should have come. _He's_ here."

Loud laughing cut off any more conversation.

"Ah, my little traitor returns," Atlas smiled. "Tell me daughter, how many years has it been since you've seen my face?"

"Not enough."

Shin'en looked at Zoё. "You are either brave or dumb for coming here, I cannot tell which. Anyway, there's no need for banter and conversation here. All of you take Luke, I shall take Atlas. Got it? Good."

"Wha-!? Percy!" He was already gone. "That little—YOU ARE SUCH A BUTT!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atlas was decked in the jaw and sent skidding away, his feet dredging up clouds of dust. He wiped a trail of golden blood away from his jaw with a smile. He was hardly fazed.

"Ah, Perseus. Nice to finally meet you face to face."

"Uh-huh. Just hurry up and use whatever power-up Jashin gave you. I have places to go, things to destroy, and stuff to steal, so let's get a move on."

Atlas stared at the boy. "Well aren't you the impatient little shit. Okay, if you want your ass kicked so badly, then I shall accommodate you."

The Titan held up a red stone the size of a flip phone, and he promptly jammed it into his chest. What followed was a roar of power, a shockwave, some high winds, cracks in the ground, a sudden burst of light, a sky beam of red energy, and a sense of small sense of dread that settled in Shin'en's gut.

 _And you're going to experience crushing defeat before kicking major ass_

Well, thank you Oracle for your wise words of wisdom.

The red energy around Atlas faded, revealing your typical power-up form for villains. The Titan was probably eight feet tall and packed tighter with more muscle than what should have been allowed. His skin was bleached white, and from the glowing red rock in his chest, a smattering of red veins shot out and covered his entire body, making him pulsate with energy.

A piece of ragged cloth was tied to the Titan's waste by a thick chord of rope.

Atlas opened his eyes, revealing that his irises were now red and his sclera black.

Shin'en lit a cigarette. "So when Jashin gave you a bit of assistance, what he did was make you more cliché? You do how these things play out, right? You get a power up, you overwhelm me, then I get a power—"

Atlas moved with such incredible speed that Shin'en's Sharingan and demigod reflexes failed him, and he took a right cross that sent him bouncing across the mountain before slamming into a pillar that toppled on top of him. Shin'en lifted the rubble off of him, cigarette still burning in his mouth. There was a bruise on his left cheek.

"Then I get a power up, and lay waste to your very being," Shin'en finished. "Experience crushing defeat, huh? Okay, I'll buy that. I'm not as strong as I once was. I just want you to know that I'll still end up winning."

Black tomoe spun rapidly around an equally black pupil, spinning into a new shape, one of three overlapping red triangles, one of a nine-pointed star.

"Let's see how much you can take, Titan of Endurance."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Well, that was a lot longer than I expected.**_

 _ **So Shin'en knows how to manipulate demigods, Aphrodite is a twisted bitch, Zeus has something wrong with him, Persephone successfully shook off Aphrodite's magic, Shin'en has set up Rachel Elizabeth Dare to have a really interesting conversation in the future, and has ensured that Nereus is going to help Seph during the**_ **Son of Neptune** _ **…or would it be**_ **Daughter of Neptune** _ **?**_

 _ **Of course, that's if those events actually happen. Shin'en's making waves, remember?**_

 _ **Next chapter is Atlas kicking ass, the revelation of what's under the bandages on Shin'en's arm, and then Shin'en proceeding to demolish Atlas, followed by some stuff with the sky, a council meeting, something of a party, a tearful goodbye between siblings, and the kick start of the**_ **Reclamation of Power** _ **arc.**_

 _ **The poll closes in the morning, so vote now! It's on my profile page, and**_ **SoJ** _ **is winning, followed very closely by**_ **AC:T** _ **and**_ **Ghoul.**

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	53. Backup Plan: Phase 1: Final

_Backup Plan: Phase 1: Final_

 _ **And it's only at the end, after more than 25 chapters, do people start asking about the arm. For those who said something along the lines of 'Danzo,' congratulations.**_

 _ **Anyway, this is probably going to be another monstrous chapter of many thousands of words, I don't know yet. I only know these things after I'm done writing the chapter.**_

 _ **In other news, the poll is closed, and it is**_ **Assassin's Creed: Transcendence** _ **that is the winner! After this, I'll begin work immediately, so the next**_ **AC:T** _ **chapter should be out sometime tomorrow.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atlas was in front of Shin'en with a speed that would've had any Raikage impressed, but now the demigod was ready. He knew what to expect, knew what was coming for him, and he was already moving, diving to the side. Atlas' fists came crashing down on toppled pillar, crushing it and kicking up dust.

Shin'en was back in the fray, leaping over the bent form of Atlas, twisting in midair, and brining both hands down on the Titan's head with a thunderous crack. Barely phased, Atlas grabbed Shin'en, only for him to burst into lightning, shocking the Titan, making him scream.

Lightning Style Clone.

It took more chakra than what Shin'en would ever admit, but it got the job done. His sword was out, and the blade was shooting out at several hundred miles an hour, aiming right for the spot on Atlas' spine that correlated to where the red stone was. Just when the blade was a foot away, the Lightning Chakra assaulting Atlas lost its charge, and the Titan of Endurance, in this enhanced form had enough reflex and speed to _dodge_ the sword that was moving faster than the average bullet…when it was less than a foot away.

Now that was some speed.

Shin'en had to drop his sword to bring his arms up in time to block Atlas' punch, and the force behind the blow definitely cracked his bones, and sent him smashing through a statue. Instead of pressing his attack, Atlas decided to inspect the blade that almost killed him.

With his massive hand, he picked up the sword, a veritable toothpick compared to his size. The blade hadn't shortened, so it was still over a hundred feet long.

"Hm, interesting. I don't recognize this make."

The sword suddenly glowed blue, and Atlas dropped it on reflex. Instead of falling, the blade hovered and then instantly spun, aiming to decapitate. Atlas dodged easily enough, but the blade still continued its arc, carving through the solid granite of Mount Tamalpais like it was butter. The blade wasn't long enough to go all the way through, but it did leave a thin, deep trench.

The blade shortened to its normal length, blade still glowing, and it shot off into the distance, straight into a dust cloud and beyond. But Atlas was there, appearing in a burst of extreme speed, and Shin'en was there, crouching in the rubble of a collapsed statue with his hand outstretched, summoning his sword to him.

Atlas' fist came down hard, splintering the black marble and tossing dirt and dust everywhere. Shin'en had dived to the side to avoid taking any damage, but he hadn't managed to catch his sword in time, and now it was being held in Atlas' other hand.

"I think I'll keep this as a trophy."

"Like hell."

Shin'en sprinted forward, and when he was feet away from Atlas, he vanished in a burst of speed and reappeared behind the Titan. He latched onto his back in a position that Atlas couldn't reach, no matter how much he thrashed. He never let go of the sword though, which is why Shin'en was able to make a half Ram sign, causing the sword to go up in smoke. Atlas paused, and brought what was in his hand up to his face.

"What the hell are these?"

"Exploding Clone Jutsu."

The string of paper bombs and the explosive clone detonated together, engulfing Atlas in an explosion of heat and force that would've put the average Jonin in the hospital for third degree burns, which was saying something because, due to the amount of chakra a Jonin had, they could take a lot kinetic punishment without feeling anything.

Shin'en had never been in the rubble, and the sword that came flying out of the dust cloud was a fake.

Where he was now was anyone's guess.

Atlas emerged from the from the smoke cloud, looking no worse than before he was attacked. He brushed some imaginary dirt off his shoulders, and looked around with a smile. "Where are you, demigod?" he sing-songed melodiously. He didn't expect an answer of course, but instead opted for a different approach.

He closed his eyes and focused, feeling the area around for the essences of those otherwise beyond human. He felt the waning essence of Artemis, he felt the essence of Luke, valiantly dueling all three daughters of the eldest gods, his former younger brother figure—now younger sister figure, Atlas would imagine—all while putting up the satyr's pathetic nature magic _and_ his traitorous daughter's arrows. Now that was some serious skill, and Atlas didn't mind giving the boy some praise for it. The Titan also felt the essences of the army slowly making their way up the mountain side from the _Princess Andromeda_. Now…where was Perseus—oh!

There he was.

Atlas was instantly next to the boy, and it was the real one, too. Shin'en grunted when he blocked the punch using both of his hands, the force behind the blow racking his body. The same went for the next consecutive series of punches, each one bringing with it bone-chattering force. Shin'en hadn't felt blows like this since his battles with the Raikage.

Atlas raised both hands over his head for what would've been a rather devastating blow, but Shin'en's reflexes saved him this time. His sword was in his hand and drawn then sheathed faster than the blinking of an eye. Atlas stumbled back, his severed arms going bye-bye. Shin'en rushed forward, his intentions being to rip that stone out of Atlas' chest and depower him.

What he did not expect was for the Titan's arms to effortlessly regenerate like something out of science fiction when his hand was less than an inch away from the stone. Shin'en actually screamed in pain when he was subject to the double grip of Atlas, the Titan's monstrous strength threatening to crush his bones. His sword clattered to the ground.

Atlas chuckled. "Such wonderful screams you make, boy. I wonder of your sister will make the same when I impregnate her with my new children."

The Mangekyou blazed brightly.

Atlas balked when his tight grip was suddenly split apart by a dark emerald ribcage. Then there was a skeletal arm that nailed him right in the head, sending him straight to the ground.

The rest of the Susano'o formed, the rest of skeleton, that is, and it began to furiously whale on the downed Atlas, its arms blurring into afterimages from the amount of speed. That what to say nothing of the impact waves. The entire mountain shook and rumbled from the force, and this rumbling gave Thalia the opening to knock Luke off the edge of the cliff, sending him tumbling several hundred feet below.

A steadily growing crater appeared under the Susano'o's furious assault, with cracks and fissures spreading out at a rapid pace. The statues and pillars trembled, threatening to topple, and many of the weaker walls already had.

Atlas, under the intense assault of the chakra skeleton, found his body beginning to ache, and it wasn't from overuse of the stone, but from the forces being put on his body. Whatever that bloody thing was, it packed some power, and Atlas was now annoyed.

The red stone glowed, and the Titan vanished just as the next punch came down, splintering marble all the way down to the underlying granite of the mountain in an explosion of dirt and small rocks. The Susano'o swiped its hand, clearing away the dust cloud. Atlas was _right there_ , his fist cocked back and glowing with red energy.

With a roar, the Titan punched the Susano'o's ribcage, and he _broke through_. Shin'en's eyes widened in shock at seeing _his_ avatar shattered like that. Itachi's and Sasuke's and Madara's, sure, but _his_? And he wasn't even being arrogant about that. Fundamentally, due to the chakra that it was made of and his status as the Storm God's champion, his personal  Susano'o was stronger, bigger, and harder than the average Uchiha's, even more so than Indra's. So, to see it shattered like this was shocking.

And it also displayed just how strong Atlas was using the power of Jashin's gift.

The Titan grabbed Shin'en's head, the skeleton dissipating, and he began to relentlessly _beat_ the demigod, rupturing organs, tearing muscles, splintering bone, breaking skin, and reducing the son of Poseidon to a bloody, unrecognizable pulp. Such was the punishment doled out by Atlas to those who annoyed him.

With a final blow, the Titan buried Shin'en into the mountain top in an eruption of dirt and earthshaking force. The shockwaves were felt all the way out in San Francisco.

Atlas stood over the broken body of the demigod. "Any last words, boy?"

Shin'en, barely unconscious after the beating he just took, weakly raised his hand, two fingers struggling to remain erect as they reached for Atlas' face…then Shin'en twisted his wrist and pointed to his left. Atlas followed the fingers' direction, and he _froze_.

There, sitting on the reforming Black Throne, was none other than Shin'en. He was just calmly lounging there, slouched, with his right arm held in the crook of his parted cloak, the wrist held by his left hand, his sheathed sword laying across his knees, a cigarette in his mouth.

There wasn't a sign of any kind of battle damage on him.

Atlas looked down at the Shin'en beneath him, and was startled to see his eyes were hollow sockets. Then, a frigate bird tore its way out of his mouth, and the rest of his body was torn apart by the frigate birds. Atlas stumbled back when he was assaulted by flapping and feathers and the cawing of frigate birds.

He stumbled back until he hit a wall. Wait, this wall, here, had been destroyed…hadn't it? Atlas whirled, and saw that, to his shock, the wall he had made crumble was fully erect. The Titan whipped about, wildly inspecting the battlefield. There wasn't a scratch. Not a single pebble out of place.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Atlas looked back at Shin'en, and he shuddered under that gaze. In the dark of the night, those twin stars shined brightly, staring apathetically at Atlas, staring at him with twin pools of neon blood.

"What…is…this?" Atlas asked, transfixed by the crimson glow. "Our fight…the mountain…destroyed…"

"Look at yourself," Shin'en said calmly.

Atlas looked down at himself, and he made a panicked noise. His skin was coppery again, and he was back in his mortal clothes. "W-What!? How is this possible!?"

"My eyes see everything, Atlas. They see what you cannot see. They see a being that has been flailing around for the past five minutes, punching and beating at the scenery, making a mess of his uncle's mountain palace."

Atlas took unconscious steps backwards. "What—I don't-"

"-understand? Clearly. Do you remember when you possessed Dr. Thorn several days ago, in Maine? Yes, of course you do. You did that by projecting your essence across time and space, overriding Thorn's consciousness and filling him with your very being? That is when I did it. _That_ is when I foresaw your defeat at this very moment."

"You tricked me!" Atlas accused. "Your genjutsu-!" the Titan paused, his eyes widening. "Your genjutsu…"

Atlas adopted the look of one lost in thought…then he smiled cruelly. "I've figured it out," he declared calmly. "I know how you can use those eyes to induce genjutsu on someone in this world, someone that does not have chakra. You're a few thousand years too early to be using Mist against me, _boy_."

Atlas roared, a wave of red energy surging from his body. In that flash of red, the world became as it once was, damaged and ridden with craters. Shin'en had disappeared from the Black Throne, and he was no longer in the crater Atlas had left him in, but the Titan knew where he was—he could sense the divine essence of the boy.

He also knew exactly what happened.

Yes, Shin'en had used genjutsu on him all the way back in Maine, but he had only chosen to activate its effects _after_ Atlas had given him a royal beating. So all the damage done to the demigod was real…or had been. During this whole stint, when Atlas fell prey to the genjutsu' effects, Shin'en had hobbled off, and used the ambient water vapor of the area, salt-laden vapor at that, to heal himself.

Atlas gave the son of Poseidon points for divine prowess. There hadn't been a child of Poseidon in all of recorded history that could use mere water vapor to perfectly heal damage _that_ severe.

As it was, Atlas was now pissed. Pissed at having been duped, pissed at having been tricked, pissed at being made to look like a fool, pissed at his moment of weakness when he felt fear under the gaze of those orbs, and pissed at Shin'en.

That boy was going to die up here, and nothing short of the Fates was going to stop Atlas from taking his life…especially when he was still at full power.

In that burst of red energy, the Titan reentered—well, he had never _left_ that form, but still—his power-up form, his skin going blech white with veins of red sprouting from the stone.

For Atlas, it was time to exercise patience and kill some half-bloods…and he was all out of patience.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The battle was short from there. Atlas, in all his rage, bore down on Shin'en with literal divine fury, and since he could sense divine essence and had broken free of Shin'en's genjutsu, there was nothing the boy could do in terms of illusion, something that cost him dearly.

Atlas was relentless in his assault, never tiring and never faltering, the gift of Jashin granting him power beyond anything any Titan, even Kronos, once held. Shin'en, for all his power, found himself overwhelmed by the sheer physical prowess of Atlas, and he found that for all he had healed himself for, he received all most double that damage.

Just like a few minutes earlier, Shin'en found himself in a deep crater, battered and beaten, his cloak in so many tatters it was about to fall off him, only this time, the crater was probably fifty feet away from the rest of the quest was. Not exactly the best thing for your sister to see, your bloody body.

Atlas smirked at the shocked faces of the half-bloods. "Like this form? I do. I'll have to thank Jashin one day for helping us in this war. Speaking of war…"

He reached down, picked Shin'en up by the neck, and casually tossed him at the feet of his sister. Persephone turned whiter than chalk, her brain and body going numb. No one else fared much better.

"Yes," Atlas said, "the first blood in a new war. Granted, this may very well bring the sky crashing down around us, but I'm sure this body of mine will hold up."

Atlas extended his hand, palm facing the Greeks, and a glowing red orb of energy appeared in his palm, aimed directly at Zoё.

Shin'en was not as broken as he seemed, for he had enough left in him to mutter a single word, "Izanagi…"

Atlas grinned cruelly, and he discharged the beam. The red laser streaked across the thirty-foot distance between him and those around the sky, melting the ground and creating an adjacent jet stream around it that blew away structures. The beam was about as wide as the average basketball goal, but it packed enough power behind it to level the average city.

However, in the scant few microseconds between the beam discharge and when it hit the quest, many things happened.

One, the blood on Shin'en's body disappeared. Two, his cloak was completely atomized. Three, all of the internal damage was healed. Four, the reality-warping power of the Izanagi also healed Shin'en's chakra coils and cardiovascular system, temporarily bringing him back to full strength—no, beyond full strength. Five, the bandaged around his right arm evaporated. Six, Shin'en stood, wreathed in emerald chakra. Seven, he extended his chakra-coated left hand, and took the beam head on. The eighth and final thing that happened, was that the attack of Atlas splintered around Shin'en's palm, breaking into several ramrod straight lasers that shot up and out into the night.

Atlas saw none of this however. He only saw his red laser fire, and then detonate in a halo of fire and light…which was why, when the dust cleared, he was equal parts outraged and terrified to see Shin'en standing there, arm outstretched, looking severely pissed off.

"How in the blood-soaked Grecian hell did you do that?"

"Fuck you, that's how."

Previously, it was Atlas that could faster than Shin'en could react, but now, in classic anime fashion, it was Shin'en that now moved faster than Atlas could react. The main difference was that where Shin'en was accustomed to high speed/strength opponents, Atlas had no idea how to handle something moving faster than he could.

What happened was that Shin'en punched Atlas in the nose with such terrifying force, the powered-up Titan went sailing clean off the mountain and straight to the ocean itself, somewhere between Mach 3 and 4.

Seph stared at her brother's right arm, as did everyone else. For Seph, it wasn't the face on his shoulder, nor the strange texture, it was all the _eyes_ that lined his forearm. All of them red, all of them rolling around, all of them with those commas around the pupil.

"P-Percy…what-?"

"Compensation from one Danzo Shimura for supplying the masked ninja that helped kill my orphaned sibling years ago. Using its power, I can cast an illusion on myself, one that does whatever I want it to do. Danzo used this power to erase his injuries and cheat death, Madara did the same. I'm doing something similar, only I'm not dead. However, this technique is only temporary, and after a certain time, I'll revert back to normal."

Yes, that certain time being a full _twelve minutes_.

Izanagi, all techniques, is affected by the user's chakra, namely, its potency. Danzo, in order to max out this technique to its fullest, had used not only ten Sharingan, but DNA from Hashirama Senju as well, however even with both pieces of the Sage of the Six Path's descendants on his arm, the old man could only use the powers of Izanagi for a full sixty seconds, and after each use, his chakra took a major hit.

Shin'en had that exact arm, with Uchiha and Senju chakra in it, only his chakra was beyond those two bloodlines, and so much further beyond Danzo's old ass it was unreal. Shin'en's chakra had been given to him directly by Susano'o himself, and the infant Shin'en had managed to unconsciously draw out bits of Susano'o's _own_ divine chakra. His new chakra mixed perfectly with the benefits of the demigod body, giving his chakra a potency and quantity beyond anything seen since the time of Hagoromo and Hamura.

As such, his techniques were naturally superior to just about anyone's, especially when they were boosted by the chakra of the Sage's descendants, like the Izanagi was.

However, there was something vastly different with Shin'en, and he knew exactly what it was too. When he almost destroyed himself that day, over a year ago, his body had taken major damage, which affected how much chakra he could output. In simpler terms, he had gone from 100%, down to probably 23%.

Over the past year, he had travelled across the Shinobi World, accumulating things to get himself back on track. He had the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra, the Power of the White Snake from Orochimaru, and the power of the Three-Heads from the Village Hidden in Dreams. All of that came together, and Shin'en would give himself an honest estimate at being about…eh, call it 64% of his full power.

Now though, with Izanagi active, with his body completely healed, he was back at 100%...only with all his extra power still added on, making him not so much at 100%, but at _141%_. In laymen's terms, Shin'en was stronger now than he ever had been, baring Awakening.

Speaking of Awakening, well, more of the power it brought, the Izanagi did have a time limit, granted it was a whole twelve minutes, but it was still a time limit. He couldn't afford to waste any time, which meant he needed to go all out against Atlas. Now, Awakening would be nothing short of overkill—and it would mostly split a tectonic plate clean in half at this point—but Shin'en did have something else in mind, something just as good as Awakening…almost as good as Awakening.

It was a technique that, in theory, could give a genin all the power necessary to lay waste to a Kage. In theory, it could give the likes of Sakura Haruno the power to shit all over the Third Raikage. The only drawback to this technique was certain death. However, Shin'en learned, from a dream of course, that he could use his Dark Chakra for a body-modification technique powerful enough to handle the awesome power of the formerly described jutsu.

This was the perfect opportunity to test this body-mod technique out.

"Body Activation Jutsu."

Dark Chakra erupted through Shin'en's chakra coils, making his eyes widen at the feeling of raw power that coursed about him. On the outside, a violent wave of black, mist-like energy exploded from him, threatening to knock everything that wasn't forced on the mountain to go flying away. In fact, most of Mount Othrys _did_ get sent toppling into oblivion from the shockwave.

The quest would have gone flying away, had they all not conveniently get pushed under the sky. Now Artemis had help in the form of five relatively fresh half-bloods, all of them very powerful half-bloods with strong essences, and a satyr…who was destined to find Pan and become the new Lord of the Wild, so he needed to be kept alive at all costs.

Anyway, back to the good stuff.

The Dark Chakra receded back into Shin'en's body, it purpose served well. In another timeline, an old man by the name of Shinno used the power of Dark Chakra to perform his own Body Activation Jutsu. He went from a white-haired old twig, to a hulking, muscular beast with a huge black mane in his prime.

No, Shin'en did not put on 300 pounds of muscle, and no, his hair did not lengthen or get spikey. His hair remained just fine, but his muscles were a tad bit bigger, a tad bit more defined, like he had spent a whole month in the gym. But the demigod did not pause to admire this form or marvel at this new feeling of power.

Fifty-two seconds had passed already since Izanagi's activation.

"Eight Gate of Death: Open."

Personally, through training with Ay, Ei, and Bee, Shin'en only managed to get through three gates before heading for war, and being an assassin hadn't really afforded much time to use the Inner Gates Formation. Still, with a roar and an explosion of chakra not unlike that of a rampant Jinchuuriki, Shin'en Gates were opened nearly all at the same time, and that created a shockwave so great that the mountain splintered.

It wasn't completely erased, but most of it was sheared off in an instant.

When Might Guy used the Eight Inner Gates Formation, he was enveloped in a red aura of his own blood, which also caused his hair and eyebrows to erupt in bloody flame. Of course, he was limited only to normal civilian-type chakra, and he would've died if not for the timely intervention of one Naruto Uzumaki.

What we had here was a simple difference in chakra resulting in a difference of technique. Dark Chakra and the properties of Shin'en's own chakra were fundamentally different than anyone else's chakra, and, just like with Izanagi, Shin'en's Eight Inner Gates Formation was vastly different.

His eyes turned pure red, with no sclera visible, his body steamed as every last molecule of fat was burned away, leaving only pure muscle on his body. Like with an Awakening, his black hair stood straight up, _now_ becoming a spikey mess. His heart beat did increase beyond human levels, which would have killed him regardless of the Body Activation Jutsu and Dark Chakra, without  Izanagi healing his body.

Atlas arrived just in time to witness his opponent become engulfed in green flames so thick he could no longer see the boy…but he could sense the power. Power more than twenty-fold that which was used to punch him to the ocean. The emerald inferno faded, revealing the red-skinned, unnaturally toned, red eyed, spikey-haired form of Perseus Jackson.

It was at this moment that Atlas knew…he was fucked.

In his base form, this time yesterday, Shin'en could generate enough force in his backhand to make Ares move faster than sound. Then, just moments ago, after Izanagi healed his body, causing the chakra in his body to change and match this new level of physical capability, Shin'en punched the powered-up Atlas with enough force to make go flying to the ocean at over Mach 3.

Now, though, not only was Shin'en using the Body Modification Jutsu, which only further increased his physical prowess, he was using it in conjunction with the _fucking_ Eight Inner Gates Formation, the same technique Might Guy used to almost kill Six-Paths Madara…and Shin'en, in this form, was way beyond the Hidden Leaf's Noble Gentleman, and this form of Atlas wasn't anywhere close to Six-Paths Madara.

At least, that's what the author's interpretation of the situation is.

An aura of black, smoke-like energy shrouded the boy, and Atlas turned around to run, only to come face to face with that same boy, and a pair of displeased red eyes.

"I think this is the right angle," Shin'en muttered.

Atlas didn't get what that meant, because he was suddenly shooting across the state of California, sights and sounds blurring, the g-force on his body threatening to snap off his Titanly-enhanced limbs and the less said about the heat from air friction the better. Atlas felt something break when he slammed into something unbelievably hard, something that yielded to his kinetic energy and buckled underneath him, and he went slamming down into another hard surface, and went digging through that as well before he lost enough momentum to come grinding to a halt.

It was with great struggle, but Atlas managed to crawl out of trench he had just dug with his body, and he blinked at the scenery.

"Rome…?" He panned his head a little, and saw some kind barracks. Then he realized where he was. "Oh…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reyna still wouldn't call this place home. Hell, she barely talked to anyone. After Circe's was trashed by those pirates, and she and her sister were captured by them, she and Hylla quickly learned how to fight. Reyna thought they were going to make it together…until Hylla left for the Amazons after telling Reyna to go to some place in Sonoma Valley called the Wolf House.

Then Reyna ended up finding New Rome and Camp Jupiter.

She wasn't going to say she had friends here, but Jason Grace was a nice boy, kinda cute too-

A sound like an exploding mountain boomed over the entire valley, as well as what could only be described as an earthquake. Reyna, like everyone else, scrambled to put on armor and find a weapon—she was pretty sure someone grabbed their pillow—and bolted outside to see what on Gaia was going on, and if it was a threat that needed to be dealt with.

What she found, along with everyone else, was a white and red giant of a bald man with what looked like a rock in his chest, a smashed up face, and seemed to be completely disoriented. Reyna didn't doubt that someone would've asked the guy if he was alright, if not for the unsettling aura he radiated.

All of that paled in comparison to the black comet that came shooting out of the night sky, and landed with such force that the ground cratered beneath it, sending massive chunks of solid earth flying, causing a dust cloud half the size of Camp Jupiter to rise into the heavens.

Reyna almost fell when she saw who walked out of the dust cloud.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke groaned quietly as he stirred awake. He knew the Achilles Curse was good, but he did not know that it was _that_ good. Seriously, it gave him the stamina and reflex necessary to handle four demigoddesses at once, three of them daughters of the Big Three, and the other the daughter of Athena, along with Grover's dumbass nature magic, and an expert Hunter's arrows.

That was a _lot_ for one man to handle, and it only that sudden tremor that distracted Luke long enough for Thalia to literally push him over the edge. The impact had hurt, which proved that even though the Achilles Curse made you invulnerable, it did not make you impervious to pain.

He got up, and whirled around at the voice, "You are a fool, Castellan." It was Perseus, in pristine condition, smoking. "Kronos ate his own children alive to save his skin. Do you really think he's going to care for his great grandson, or any of his great grandchildren? Once he's done with you people, he'll either wipe you out and enslave you."

"Then what would you do, huh? The Olympians have gone and screwed everything up. They've had their chance, and now it's clear they're all too lazy to keep doing their jobs correctly. They can't even be bothered to keep up with all the flings they have anymore. They need to be dethroned."

Perseus took a drag. "Unfortunately for you, that's your decision to make, it's mine. You also never answered my question: do you think Kronos actually cares for you?"

Luke glanced off to the side, grimacing.

"Ah, so you are not completely delusional after all, and are smart enough to realize the true nature of Kronos. Tell me then, why remain loyal knowing that he cares not for you and yours?"

"Because he's the only one willing to do something about the Olympians and their negligence."

"Even if that means the end of humanity, the enslavement of half-bloods, and the potential eradication of all gods?"

"…"

Perseus looked at Luke out of the corner of his eye. "You're not a villain, Luke. You didn't have the right upbringing to be evil, nor do you have the stones big enough to kill someone close to your heart. Face it, you don't want the Olympians gone, you just want them to be held accountable for their actions, to take responsibility for their children. You just assist Kronos because he's the only that has the power to do something similar to what you want."

"What choice do I have!?" Luke roared. "No else will stand up to the gods, and no else has the power to!"

"Dumbass, I'm right here. Technically, I'm also killing Atlas too, but that's not important. What is important, is that I have a plan, a better plan than Kronos, a plan that fits your ideals and mine. Better yet, it's a plan that'll result in almost no casualties."

Luke weighed his options. No, he didn't want all of humanity to perish; no, he didn't want the demigods to be slaves; no, he didn't want the Olympians killed or worse; and he for damn sure did not actually want Kronos to rise. Kronos was _evil_ , and cared for nothing and no one but himself and his power. It's just like he said though: there was no one else willing to do something about the Olympians and their errant ways, nor was there anyone with enough power to get anything done, _but_ Kronos.

Then there was Perseus. He was powerful, that was proven, he was frightfully intelligent, that was also proven. He also apparently had a better plan than Kronos that fit more to what Luke wanted. The problem here was two things: one, could Perseus be trusted, and two, what would Kronos do if he found out about this?

Luke weighed his options…and he took a leap of faith.

"What do you have in mind?"

Three black commas spun. "Listen…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en wasn't as mad as he had been in the past. He had been madder than this, but he had also been a lot calmer than this as well. The point trying to be made here was that Shin'en was not so blinded by anger that he couldn't strategize. Currently, his strategy was simple: show off a little muscle to the Romans so that Hera/Juno would have to come up with something different than an exchange program.

His stint with Nereus a few hours ago was the backup plan in case Persephone did end up having to face Alcyoneus.

Of course, a few eye contacts would ensure the Persephone had more than just Reyna as a friend here in the future. The augur was the most operable choice, but genjutsu and puppet control would have to be put aside for now. Showing some muscle, remember?

The gap in power between Shin'en and Atlas was so large right now that the boy didn't give a care in the world when he walked right up to the Titan. Atlas had enough presence of mind to scream and throw a punch. His fist met Shin'en's head, and his entire arm more or less exploded, with his forearm bones ripping clear through his arm.

Shin'en barely felt that punch.

As Atlas whimpered and literally began _crying_ at his mangled limb, Shin'en's own arm snapped out, and his fingers dug deep into the Titan's chest. With a loud squelch, he tore out a massive chunk of flesh and bone, ripping out the stone that gave Atlas his power. The Titan was engulfed in red energy, energy that was sucked into Shin'en's hand. The demigod clenched his fist, and everything in it was crushed into nonexistence.

The fading of the energy revealed the depowered Atlas, still whimpering, still with a fucked up arm, but now he was wearing that mortal suit from before.

Three minutes of the Izanagi were up.

Shin'en reared his fist back, and the black mist around it increased in its fluctuations and thickness, obscuring his entire limb. The fist came forward, a cone of compressed air surrounding his wrist. With a thunderous sound, Atlas took a fist right to the jaw, and he went _flying_.

He went flying through Terminus' border, he went flying straight through Temple Hill, and he went flying all the way through the opposite side of the Pomerian Line, all in less than a full second, and he kept going after that.

Shin'en took the time to cast a quick glance at the crowd, his eyes darting from person to person. Then he was gone, and he took off from the ground with such force that he further caused the earth to buckle underneath him. The top half of Temple Hill came crashing down.

The Romans were so beyond shocked they didn't even know where to go from there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke gaped in shock. "And you can _ensure_ all of that happens?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been _planning_ that?"

"Since I stepped foot on the snow of Maine."

"Gods…to be able to plan like that…what happened to you in that world?"

"War."

The Shadow Clone dispelled into smoke, and then Luke seized up, the genjutsu taking hold and locking away the memories of this talk so that Kronos wouldn't find out. If you're asking what was the point in making a conversation that just ends with genjutsu, and just using genjutsu in the first place, the answer is simple:

The answer will be revealed in time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en instantly appeared directly in front of Atlas, and backflipped midair, sending Atlas shooting into the exosphere of Planet Earth in three seconds flat, up where the oxygen was barely existent and the satellites orbited the planet, and Shin'en was already up there, _waiting_ on Atlas.

His fist came down, blowing a hole right through the Titan's gut, impaling him up to the shoulder. Then raw force took over, and Atlas went shooting down to the planet, a cone of fire encircling his body as he descended, the pull of gravity and the cylinder of pure transcendental force bearing down on him assisting in his downward acceleration.

He came down upon Mt. Diablo at over Mach 40, completely destroying the rock and causing tremors across the state. It was only due to Atlas' power as the Titan of Endurance that he survived…if only barely. That problem was fixed however, when Shin'en appeared, body still wreathed in Dark Chakra, skin still red, eyes still blazing, hair still standing, defying the laws of gravity by merely stepping on the air, his body generating enough force to where the air molecules pushed back with enough force to keep him aloft.

Shin'en held his hand out in front of him, palm facing the ground. He hadn't performed this jutsu in a long, long time.

"Gale Style: Focus Laser."

His hand glowed with chakra, before a laser the width of a basketball was discharged. It shot down to the gigantic pile of rubble that was Mt. Diablo, and then night became day. Then almost everyone within earshot went deaf.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the quest could honestly be doing better right now. Granted, it was either huddle under the godsdamned sky, or get blown clean off the mountain. It could've been worse, though. All of them could've been dead tired, or Artemis could not have been there. This probably would've been dreadful if the goddess wasn't here.

Instead of feeling mild discomfort at sharing the weight of the sky, they could all be crushed right now. Everyone was panting and sweating, but nothing major, not yet. They would all be sore in the morning though. At least they had some entertainment, with Perseus kicking Atlas' ass. It was also a bit scary, watching a fourteen year old boy blow apart mountains and demolish a millennia old divine being, but still.

The rumbling and exploding stopped, and then Percy was suddenly there. He was cloak less and his pants had seen better days, but at least both of his sandals were intact. He was also skinnier than what he once was, because he had burned off all his fat. Speaking of, he was no longer red and ripped. His muscles had deswollen and his hair was back down.

Seriously, he almost looked like a muscular anorexic.

Which was kind of disturbing.

"You need to eat a sandwich," Persephone said tightly.

Shin'en's stomach audibly rumbled. "Agreed. I am famished. For now, let's figure this out."

"Can't you just put Atlas back under here?"

"I don't think atoms are going to hold up the sky."

"Oh, Percy," Persephone groaned. "Did you kill Atlas?"

"No. You cannot kill an immortal."

"Percy. Did you send him to Tartarus?"

"Technically speaking, no. I did not _send_ him to Tartarus."

"Did you cause him enough harm to where his essence went to Tartarus to reform?"

"Yes."

Persephone gave her brother a deadpan look. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, let's test a theory. Is Ouranos trying to get back to earth because he wants to reconcile with Gaea…or is he trying to cause her harm?"

Shin'en reached out and put his hand on the sky, connecting with it. He heard a voice.

' _I am trying to beat this woman's ass like a drum for what she got our own children to do to me.'_

' _Excellent. In a few years, I'll beat her ass for you, but only if you get back up there where you belong and stop trying to crush my sister and her friends.'_

' _Fair enough.'_

And just like that, the Greeks all gasped and fell over when the oppressive weight of the sky was suddenly not there anymore. Shin'en watched with a raised brow as the tube-like thing that was the 'sky' was pulled back into the heavens. Soon enough, there was no more Titan's Curse…and all it took was a promise to Ouranos to kick his wife's ass when she got cute and tried to resurrect.

Shin'en looked at Artemis. "Solstice meeting. Olympus. Transportation. _Now_."

"Percy, we are a _day_ early."

"Don't care. I am hungry. Let's _move_."

"I will buy you some McDonald's! Can't we just rest a little?"

"No rest for the weary. Artemis. Moon Chariot."

"Artemis. No Moon Chariot. Rest time."

"Moon Chariot. Now."

"Rest time. Now."

Artemis slapped her face. "Children, please. We can all rest on the Moon Chariot on our way to Olympus."

"Will there be food?"

"As much as you can eat."

"Excellent. Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Olympus_

 _Day before the solstice, but who cares?_

Artemis summoned her Chariot, transformed it into a small bus, and everyone loaded up. Shin'en had unsealed yet another cloak from his palm, and was wearing that. On the way to Olympus, he had indeed been fed all that he could, and Persephone was pretty sure he just gained twenty pounds in one sitting.

Of course, what no one knew was that the Izanagi was still active. Shin'en had taken less than five whole minutes to deal with Atlas and the sky, and entering the Moon Chariot had been a pocket in space and time. In laymen's, the clock had stopped during the ride, and resumed at the throne room doors. Shin'en pushed them open with more ease than when he had first been here.

Perks of having his body back at full strength.

Artemis grew to her godly height and took a seat on her throne, and the quest all gathered in the middle of the room.

"For the love of all that is sacred, please tell me you're all going to start preparing for war."

Athena nodded. "We have voted to act. Apollo and Artemis shall hunt the more powerful monsters. Poseidon will visit his full wrath on the _Princess Andromeda_ , and the rest of us will make sure the prisons are still holding, on the other gods remain loyal."

"Terrific, but I have another question that will make you all feel dumb: did you sense them?"

The Olympians looked around, confused, as did the quest members.

"My son, what 'them' do you speak of?"

"Perfect, so you didn't sense them," Shin'en sighed. He straightened and looked around. When he next spoke, he was clear, loud, and heard by all.

"There is another threat in this war. During the mission, there were unwanted eyes on us at every civilized area. Kanopolis, Cloudcroft, Hoover Dam, and San Francisco. These eyes did not belong to anything monstrous, mythical, or magical, but something even worse: mortal. Keep a closer eye on your children, because the last thing I need on my plate is to plan a rescue mission to some secret facility in the desert to rescue kidnapped half-bloods."

Athena snorted. "Surely, no mortal government would know of our existence. The Mist protects our half-bloods."

"Fine then, do not heed my words at the peril of your children's lives. Just know that of the mortal government decides to get cute, I will blame you…and you saw what I did to Aphrodite and Ares. You really want to ignore my warning?"

Athena coughed. "We'll consider what you say."

"Uh-huh. Well, my warning's delivered, Olympus is gearing up for war, and Artemis is rescued. I take my leave, then. There are things have to do elsewhere."

"What!? You're just leaving!? Just like that!?" Suffice to say, Persephone was not happy with her little brother just up and leaving her.

Shin'en looked at her. "Let's take this outside."

He turned around and started heading for the door, and Persephone was right there with him, but a certain sky god wasn't having it.

"Stop there, now!"

Shin'en wasn't having any of this either. He turned around and let his Killer Intent loose. Immediately, fear swallowed the entire throne room whole. The ceiling faded away, and a massive, black dragon was there, bigger than the sky. It had thirteen necks and heads, and a wingspan bigger than a planet. The dragon roared viciously, shaking Olympus to it foundations, the shockwaves threatening to throw the mountain from the sky.

The roar faded out, and then everything was normal again. The cold disappeared, the impending feeling of death vanished, the impossibly tight grip of fear relinquished, and the constellation-covered ceiling was back.

Shin'en continued on his way to the door, his sister behind him, everyone else was too petrified to move.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're just going to leave me!?" Persephone yelled, almost on the verge of tears. "After everything's that's happened, you're just going to go back to that place!? Why can't you just stay here, with me, and Mom!? You-You're the one who said that the government's after us, you need to be there if they try, so you can beat them up!"

"You can beat up the government just fine without me. You're the daughter of Poseidon; mortals are beneath you."

"What if they get lucky and knock me out and take me somewhere?"

"Then I'll have a dream about it, know exactly where you are, and I'll be there to save you."

"Not if you're in that other world you're not!"

"If a situation like the one you described occurs, the Fates will bring me back to save you."

"You don't know that."

"You are the only person that ensures I do what they say. If anything happens to you, the Fates know I won't do a thing they say, so they'll make doubly sure you remain unharmed at the hands of mortals."

"What, so I'm an insurance policy now?"

"More or less."

"You butt!"

Of course, that was exactly what Persephone was. Shin'en discovered it when he was six, the sole purpose for her existence. She was insurance, the Fates insurance that Shin'en would have someone to get attached to, someone to be grounded to, and go to great lengths to ensure she remained safe. He had tried to resist that, but the damned girl chipped her way into his heart, and refused to leave.

"If we're done here, I'll be going now."

"Oh, we are so _not_ done here, mister!"

Persephone glomped her brother, and refused to let go.

"Let go of me."

"No. I just got you back, I am _not_ losing you again."

"I'll be back for our sixteenth birthday, you know that right?"

"I don't care. You're not leaving me."

"I _have_ to."

"Why? So you can kill more people to change the world or whatever? Not happening."

"Because me staying in this world would be so much better. What, you expecting me to go to school with you? Sorry, I'm a few years behind on this place's curriculum."

"Don't care. Summer school."

"You don't have the money, and neither does Sally."

" _Mom_ , Percy. We call her _mom_."

"You call her mom because you have lived with her your whole life. I have not, therefore I will not call her 'mom.' I will call her Sally."

"She'll be hurt to hear you say that."

"I do not care."

"That's mean, Percy."

"It is, and you are stalling. Let go _now_."

"No, going back to kill people isn't a reason I'll allow you to go back."

Shin'en grit his teeth, frustration overcoming him. "Sephy," he said through grit teeth—Persephone froze at the nickname— "you don't get it. You almost _died_ tonight. If I didn't have this arm, you would be in the Underworld right now."

"Yep, but you would've been there with me."

Shin'en couldn't take this anymore. He snapped.

"You don't get it!" he roared. He broke free of his sister's hug, and swept her off her feet. He straddled her, pinning her arms down.

"You don't get it," he said softly, tears in his eyes. "I almost lost you tonight. I've…I've lost too many people already. I can't lose you too. I need to be stronger, to get my full power back. I can't rely on my arm. That's…that's why I need to return to that world. Please, Sephy…let me go back…"

Persephone gasped, gasped at the tears hitting her face, gasped at the distraught look on her little brother's face, gasped as the full weight of her brother's psyche came crashing down on her. She realized now what his drive was, what motivated him: the pain of loss.

He had lost the orphans he grew up with, he had lost the blonde woman, Yugito, whom he had grown to see as a mother, and he had lost more than that. Whatever happened in those missing two and a half years incorporated more loss and pain than what she could imagine. But now here she was, the last person Percy had.

And he had almost lost her tonight.

She realized now that that thought terrified him, drove him to extremes to make sure he _didn't_ lose her, motivated him to do whatever it took to ensure her safety. She realized that if she was captured by mortals or something like that, that her baby brother would rip the planet apart in searching for her.

She realized that he believed he wasn't strong enough to protect her from everything, and that he needed his full strength to make sure she was always safe, to make sure he never lost the one last person he cared for in life.

Persephone also realized now just what she meant to her brother, how important she was to him, and how devastated he would be is she died. He would lose his last shred of humanity, and become something monstrous. As his big sister, she could not let that happen.

"Okay, Percy, okay. You can go back to that world…on one condition."

"Hm?" he wiped his eyes and rolled off her, lying down on her right.

"You have to promise me, that after we're done with the Titans…you'll spend a year here, with me, and Mom, in this world, doing this world stuff. Promise me, then you can go."

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" The twins shook pinkies. "Cross your heart and hope to die?"

He crossed his heart.

A tear escaped Persephone's eye, even though she was smiling. "Okay. I love you, Percy."

He craned his neck and pecked her forehead. "Love you too, Sephy."

Persephone must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again, she was on her bunk in her cabin, and Percy was gone. She was still wearing his Akatsuki cloak. She sat up with a smile.

She had so much to tell her mom!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Shinobi World_

 _Land of Grass_

 _December 21, 1014 A.S._

"—to do after we're done with the Blood Prison?"

Shin'en stopped dead where he was. His arm was bandaged up again, and he could feel the damaged flow of chakra through his body. The Izanagi was inactive now.

Kisame looked back at him, eyebrow raised. "Hey, you okay? Your eyes are wet."

Shin'en reached up and wiped away the tears. "I'm fine. What were you saying?"

"I was asking what are we going to do after we're done with the Blood Prison?"

The answer was immediate.

"We're going to the Uzumaki Mask Shrine in the Land of Fire…I need to have a chat with a goddess."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Wow, that was a lot of words.**_

 _ **So, yeah. Shin'en has Danzo's arm, has a better**_ _ **Izanagi**_ _ **, can us the**_ _ **Eight Inner Gates Formation**_ _ **without dying, given special circumstances. Atlas is dead, the sky is no longer something heavy, the Romans lost most of their temples, and Persephone has friends in case Hera decides to play exchanger. And Shin'en's back in the Shinobi World, ready to get his power back.**_

 _ **Now, there will be two parts to the**_ **Reclamation of Power** _ **arc, and they will be interchanged based on my whims. The first part is my inner fanboy, in which Shin'en will be popping in on whatever anime dimension needs fixing for whatever reason I think of. Like Eren was killed by a Titan, or Acnologia wiped out Fairy Tail, or Priscilla killed young Clair. You get the idea—feel free to leave suggestions.**_

 _ **The second part is grueling seriousness regarding various**_ **PJO** _ **dimensions, such as rapist Gabe, abusive Sally, evil Poseidon, evil Zeus, cheating Annabeth, etc. There's also one particular idea, involving an alternate**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **, that select people know the significance of…if they remember.**_

 _ **But before any of that can take place,**_ **Assassin's Creed: Transcendence** _ **gets an update tomorrow! Yay!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	54. YLC Lexington

_YLC Lexington_

 _ **I'm back from my conference guys! Woke up at 3:30 on Sunday morning and got home at 10:21 Thursday night. Spent over seven hours on the bus. In the event that this fic is up for years and years to come, I want it to be known that the Conference lasted from June 11-15 of the year 2017.**_

 _ **I know that after a week of no updates, a long Author's Note is not what anyone wants, but this conference…I feel that it needs to be talked about.**_

 _ **During the conference, we got to listen to a POW who spent six years of his life in the 'Hanoi Hilton,' an economist with a PhD, a judge, another judge, this one having escaped communist Russia and is Jewish, a retired Marine Captain, several members of the Coast Guard, and a retired general from the United States Army.**_

 _ **Now, bear with me as I fail to get my thoughts in any semblance of an order.**_

 _ **The POW told us about how he was tortured for information, kept in a cell with no light or air circulation, and about how he and his fellow prisoners developed a communication system of tapping, but wasn't Morse code. Obviously, he made it out alive, and after his presentation, we got the opportunity to ask questions. I asked him two: what do you think is wrong with the government, and what do you think of President Trump.**_

 _ **The first one got a laugh because the XO of the conference, the second in command, said we only have a few minutes not a few hours, bit anyway. The POW didn't give a straight answer on the government question, but this is what he said about Trump:**_

"I like him. He's doing what he can to change this country for the better, and no one likes him because he's trying to change things. That's why the media does nothing but criticize him and paint him in a bad light. Even though this is a country of free speech and opinion, everyone seems to have forgotten about respect. You may not like Trump, but he's still our president. If Hillary had won, I wouldn't have liked her one fucking bit, but I still would have given her the respect the president deserves."

 _ **I interviewed him in private for that and took notes.**_

 _ **The economist was a great guy, I liked him. He had us do an activity regarding a reservation wage and entrepreneurs looking to hire people. The majority of the class was looking to be hired, with a few people doing the hiring. Now, the problem was that the entrepreneurs were only looking to hire for a certain amount, and those with reservation wages that were too high didn't get hired. I had a reservation wage of $12.50, and couldn't hired for shit, no matter what sob story I came up with.**_

 _ **Starving family, war veteran, sick parents, anything. These bastards just wouldn't hire me on for at least $13 bucks an hour.**_

 _ **This exercise was meant to teach us about negotiation and the power of profit. See, the more the entrepreneur had to pay us, the less money was in their own bank account after payday, so of course they would only hire the cheapest of labor. This was also an exercise used to reflect the real world.**_

 _ **I asked myself: are these entrepreneurs just greedy bastards then, looking to line their pockets, or were they simply men and women like the rest of us trying to do the best they could for their families and themselves in a world of cruel competition?**_

 _ **Moving on, I asked the economist a single question: do monopolies exist today.**_

 _ **He said yes.**_

 _ **Now, when one thinks monopoly, the game is the first thing to come up, but for those that know of the Gilded Age of America, you guys know that monopolies are like Standard Oil, Trusts, and the Northern Security Rail Company. Those kinds of monopolies are the kinds that drained competition, and made themselves the only ones to buy from.**_

 _ **It would be like Walmart if they put Target, Brookshire's, and Kroger out of business and left only themselves as America's grocery store.**_

 _ **The economist told us that monopolies exist today in that the monopolies are controlled by the government. He said that corporation would go and lobby the government to pass certain regulations. These regulations wouldn't destroy competition, but it would limit what other competition could do. In this instance, the corporation in question now has less competition to fight, and more opportunity to make money.**_

 _ **Since it's the government that passed these regulations, it's the government that controls the monopolies.**_

 _ **The first judge that came presided over a mock trial regarding the sinking of the Titanic and a suing, grieving wife. I think it was a real trial at one point, but I don't recall; the trial was handled in a way that left half the class asleep and bored.**_

 _ **While I forget the trial itself, I do not forget what I thought of this trial. The people that made the Titanic claimed it was unsinkable, yet it sank, many people fucking died, and they were sued for it. My cynical nature revealed to me what I found to be a dark truth: these companies know they fucked up, they know that they went wrong and cost people their lives, destroying families, and instead of owning up to this, they do everything they can to keep every single penny they have in their pockets.**_

 _ **I like to think of those people as greedy scum, but I suppose the counter argument to that would be that the companies need their money too, so they can pay their workers and provide for their own families. To quote Cutler Beckett:**_

"It's nothing personal, Jack. It's just good business."

 _ **The cruel world of corporation.**_

 _ **The second judge to come in didn't preside over any trials, but she gave us a bountiful wealth of information. She came from communist Russia when she was thirteen, travelling across Europe before finally making it to the USA. I forget what she said about her childhood, because it was what she had seen as a judge that caught my attention.**_

 _ **When she ran for her current position, of which I forget, she had a single opponent. She didn't give his name, but she said that this man used intimidation to keep other potential judges out of the game. This man intimidated her as well, saying that if she ran for judge, he would ensure she would practice law ever again. That convinced the second judge to run even harder, campaign stronger.**_

 _ **She won, of course, but the message I got from this was corruption. This man, this intimidating judge, used his reputation and reach to make sure he was always at the top. I wondered that if he did this, how many others did the same in our country?**_

 _ **The second story the judge told us was of her time as a juvenile court judge. She told us of her most 'interesting' case. There was a boy, thirteen, who was in court for curfew violation. The judge asked him why, and he said because it was rude to smoke around his momma. The judge felt a little relief in that, seeing a bit of light in the situation, and she told him that it wasn't good to smoke tobacco.**_

 _ **The kid freaked out and said:**_

"I wasn't smoking tobacco, I would never smoke that around my momma!"

 _ **We all got a little confused, but most of us quickly picked up what he was really smoking. The judge asked him this, and the kid said that he was smoking pot. As it turned out, his mother was a drug dealer…so yeah. The judge moved on from there and gave him his curfew time, and the kid asked if this applied to the weekends. The judge got confused and asked why that was relevant.**_

"My girlfriend's pregnant and I need to make sure she's okay."

 _ **Keep in mind that this kid is thirteen, smokes pot, his mother's a drug dealer, and said girlfriend is**_ _ **fourteen**_ _ **. Not a word was said anywhere in there about a father, and it went without saying that the everyone thought this kid was black.**_

 _ **I was able to pull aside a buddy I had made, and we talked about some stuff. I brought this up, and we both agreed that it was just fucked up in general, and it was fucked up how, just based on what was said about this kid, that everyone just knew he was black. It was a stereotype, my buddy said, an unfortunate one, but still. We talked about more things, and then we got to the System.**_

 _ **What is wrong with America to where a mother has to sell drugs to get by? What is wrong with America to where a thirteen year old smokes pot and is an expecting father? What is wrong with America to where seventy young men and women, upon hearing this story, all assumed the kid was black?**_

 _ **I told my buddy that when a System becomes so fucked up, so broken and corrupted like it is today, like a checker board in which neither party could see a move to make because of how muddled the board is, the only way to fix the System, to fix the board, is to wipe the board clean and start again.**_

 _ **Granted, we can't exactly just wipe out the American government and establish something new overnight, but still. Something needs to change.**_

 _ **Anyway, the judge said she kept up with the kid, and she told us that the birthing went off fine, he stayed in school, graduating high school with an education, stayed with his girlfriend, and now has a job to support all three of them. I'll think of that as the proof that not all hope for America is lost.**_

 _ **The Marine Captain that spoke to us was an older gentleman. Regrettably, I forget what he said, for at this point in the day, it being 4:30 in the afternoon and me waking up at 6:00 in the morning after hours of previous lessons and lectures, was irritated and fatigued. However, at the end of the conference, I spoke to him one on one and thanked him for his service after shaking his hand.**_

 _ **He looked me in the eye and said:**_

"I've been watching you. Out of everyone here, I think you're the only one that can make it in the Marines. If you ever think about joining, give me a call and I'll get everything in line."

 _ **I said thank you, sir, and I sat down at my table, pondering that. I personally have no intention of joining the military, much less the Marines (sorry to that one guy that reviewed thinking I was in the military; your salute is flattering, but sadly misplaced), but damn. This retired captain thought that I could do it, and offered his services to help make it happen…so yeah.**_

 _ **The Coast Guard members came in and talked about the stuff they did, their area of jurisdiction, the things they'd seen. I got to talking with one man, and he said that slavery today was higher than it was back when slavery was legal. Granted, the modern slave is a woman crammed into a shipping crate and not someone from Africa, but still.**_

 _ **I asked how he felt about that, and I saw his eyes dim. He said that in the beginning, it was horrible, terrible, disgusting, and it made him angry to know that it happened. But that was in the beginning, and he told me how it was in the present. He said it was nothing to him now, he said he was jaded to it.**_

 _ **He said it used to be like 'Oh my God! This is horrendous! This needs to stop now!' to 'Oh look, another human trafficking crate. Let's get this over with.'**_

 _ **I asked how he felt about Trump and America today, and he said that he stood with Trump, saying that the President was trying to push America back in the direction of God, trying to clean up the government. The Coast Guardsman said that, with the mess that Obama left to clean up, Trump was doing a good job. That's what he said, so please, for the love of God, do not start a political debate in the Reviews. Thank you.**_

 _ **Now, we get to the general, and this where things need a little more prior information.**_

 _ **When we got to the conference, we were all separated into different groups, and each group had their own jobs that needed to be attended to. My group was saddled with the responsibility of greeting and introducing all of the guest speakers and then saying a few words when their time was up. Well, after giving my groupmates their respective speakers, I ended up with introducing the general.**_

 _ **I got up to the podium and realized that my notes were not at all with me or within arm's reach. So there went Plan A. Plan B was to recite what I had from memory, and it would have gone great, if not for all the adrenaline suddenly coursing through me, which rendered me a stuttering mess. However, I persevered, and said aloud that I wasn't about to give up, because I'm an American.**_

 _ **I got applause for that one.**_

 _ **This is what I said:**_

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we welcome a true American hero. This man was drafted in the February of 67, and was deployed to Vietnam in the July of that same year. In the February of 69, he left the military and continued to serve our country from the National Guard. Duty would call again, and he would be directly commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, where he would go on to serve valiantly for over 30 years. It was in 2005 that he retired with the rank of Brigadier General. During his career, he was awarded with the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and numerous others. However, it is not only brawn that this man brings to our country, but brain as well. He is a graduate of the Army War College, and has an MBA from St. Edward's University. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and join me in the welcoming of our guest of honor, Brigadier General Jim Bisson!"

 _ **Only add more stuttering and broken speech.**_

 _ **What the general spoke about is lost to me, as I was far more preoccupied with how much I just bombed that introduction. However, I remember vividly that the general handed us all a lemon, or at least the people around us a lemon, and he told us to get to know that lemon before putting it in a box. Then a member of our group had to go find our lemon. It wasn't hard, there were several landmarks on the lemon, and the message was simple as it was cliché.**_

 _ **That was all the events of the conference, now on to the slightly more personal stuff.**_

 _ **I said that we were split into groups, and those groups were named after the planets. There was Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, and my group, Jupiter. Each group had about somewhere between nine and thirteen members in their group. At the end of the conference, we all exchanged numbers and we have a group chat going. It's an endeavor of ours to meet back up one day, although how that'll happen is beyond me. One of our members lives in fucking Oklahoma for God's sake.**_

 _ **Anyway.**_

 _ **This conference was a conference of leaders, meaning that all of us were privately interviewed during the school year, and were chosen to attend. On Wednesday, the groups had to pick amongst themselves who the group leaders were, and Jupiter Group chose me.**_

 _ **With six groups, there were six 'Leaders of Leaders,' as I liked to call ourselves. The XO, the general, and three of the councilors took the six of us to a private room elsewhere on the Lexington, and interviewed us all as a group. The question they asked and our answers are unimportant, because the point was that night, during the banquet, they did not pick me as Top Leader.**_

 _ **I got with the XO at a later time and asked what set the winner apart from the rest of us, and he said he wasn't at liberty to discuss the deliberation between himself and the others…most disappointing answer of all time, but anyway. I didn't let it bog me down, and I shook hands with the Top Leader, smiled, and wished him the best in life.**_

 _ **Wednesday night, they let us all stay up late, giving us till 12:30 to get in bed…not the best when you have to get up at 6:30 to pack your stuff. Anyway, with all this time given to us, we all got in little groups and toured the ship. And when I say 'toured the ship,' I mean we went past the little yellow chains that said Authorized Personnel Only.**_

 _ **Of course we didn't find government secrets or private meetings or anything out in left field such as that. All we really found was dust, dirt, darkness, and enough rust to give you Tetanus just by looking at it. In the first area we explored, we found an old ladder that led down into a void. Me, being the adventurous idiot I am, went down that ladder…and found nothing but emptiness, dirty water, and dead cockroaches.**_

 _ **Most places were like that actually, just old, untouched, and waiting to be attended to. Although, in one room, an old berthing area left to time, I opened a cabinet and found a set of keys. Nothing major, just two little padlock keys on a string. I took them for myself, my own little treasure from the bowels of the**_ **U.S.S. Lexington** _ **. I wonder if those keys were truly just forgotten trinkets, or if someone is desperately looking for them…oh well.**_

 _ **With two of my bunkmates, we explored the fine details of atheism and religion.**_

 _ **My first bunkmate said he was an atheist, but not the kind that profusely believed in science and hated God, the idea of God, and people that worshipped God. No, he was the kind of atheist that used to believe, but something happened in his life to where his faith died.**_

 _ **He told me that when he was younger, he watched as his parents argued and yelled with one another, before eventually splitting up in a hateful divorce. He told me that he lost his faith because he couldn't believe that God would just stand there and let that happen…he also told me that since he once believed in God, he also believed in Satan.**_

 _ **I told him that it wasn't God that let his parents fight and divorce, I told him it was the work of the Devil. He just shrugged, and we moved on with our evening, content with our beliefs.**_

 _ **My second bunkmate overheard our conversation, and he jumped in himself. He said that he wanted to believe, but he had doubts. The question he asked me was that if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and that he knows what we are going to do no matter what, do we truly have free will?**_

 _ **I did my damned hardest to answer to him, but for his expectations and standards, I came up short. Our debate ended up attracting half of our side of the berthing area, and they all went into their attempts at convincing my bunkmate that we had free will, but I could tell that he wasn't convinced with anyone's argument.**_

 _ **What I have to say about that, for anyone here asking that same question, is that it all comes down to what you will believe, and what you won't believe. I believe that, even in the face of an omniscient and omnipresent being, we have free will to do as we want, when we want, and how we want to do it. Of course, there are limits to what we can do. I'm not about to fly to the moon, and you probably aren't going to jump fifty feet in the air.**_

 _ **Also, just because we have free will, does not mean it's okay to kill a man. That's why we have laws to govern free will, so that we don't live in a society of anarchy and violence…all evidence to the contrary.**_

 _ **Now, you're probably asking is there a point to all this beyond telling us all how my vacation went, and the answer is yes.**_

 _ **Each fold of the American flag has a meaning to it. For those that already know this, you can skip it. For those that don't, please keep reading.**_

 _ **The first fold is symbolic of life, the second is symbolic of the belief in eternal life. The third is honor the veterans retiring from the military, and the fourth represents the weaker nature of humanity, and that it is in God that look to for guidance in times of peace and war. The fifth fold is made in tribute to our country, and the sixth is for our heart, the heart which we place our hand over during the Pledge of Allegiance to this country. The seventh fold is done in honor of our armed forces, and the eighth is made in the name of our mothers. The ninth fold is performed for womanhood, in the name of their faith and love and loyalty, and that it was in these things that the men and women of this country were molded by. As the eighth fold is made in the name of our mothers, the tenth is made in the name of our fathers. The eleventh and twelfth folds of the flag are done in the name of religion, with the eleventh representing the Hebrew God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelfth representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.**_

 _ **When the flag is completely folded, the white stars of purity stand proudly against the blue hope of the night sky, representing our country's motto:**_

In God We Trust

 _ **I find that to be a source of irony, honestly. In a country that allows for freedom of religion, no matter what, be it Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Muslim, Wicca, Satanism, atheism, scientology, etc., that the motto of this country revolves around trusting a single being.**_

 _ **I ask myself what it means to be an American, and I debate that if this country trusts in God, then part of being an American is believing and trusting in God, and those that do not, whether they are atheist or otherwise not a believer in God, cannot truly call themselves Americans.**_

 _ **However, the counter to that is that there's more to being an American than religious faith, or lack thereof.**_

 _ **During the conference, they had us fold a piece of paper a certain way, and cut it. When we unfolded it, we had made a perfect five-point star…assuming you folded everything correctly. On this star, they had us write down what we thought it meant to be a patriot. This is what I wrote:**_

Patriotism is adhering to the principles of the American Creed, believing that that government is created by the people, for the people, of the people, and all of us are a united people, be they gay, atheist, Christian, Muslim, Catholic, or Jewish, under God.

 _ **I believe that part of being an American is recognizing that this nation was founded on the principles of the Bible, and that our Founding Fathers put their faith in God. Before anyone grabs their torches and pitchforks, I want you to know that I am not condemning atheists and other pagan religions. I am merely stating my beliefs.**_

 _ **When I say the American Creed, this is what I mean:**_

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop my whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refused to barter incentive for a dole.

I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand, erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say—'This, with God's help, I have done.'

All this is what it means to be an American.

 _ **My favorite part of this is the very beginning, where it says that it is my right to be uncommon. I like to think that applies to every community of America, from religion to Furies, ABDL to LGBT, and beyond. If it's what you like, go ahead and do it.**_

 _ **One of our unalienable rights is the pursuit of happiness, so if it's reading a Bible, or Quran, or Torah that makes you happy, go for it. If it's dressing in a cartoon animal suit, more power to ya. If wearing a diaper brings just a bit more light to your life, wear a diaper. If being lesbian, gay, bi, or trans puts a smile on your face, then keep smiling.**_

 _ **Only, do everyone a favor, and pursue your happiness in private. There is no need to make people uncomfortable in public, no need to draw attention to yourself, and no need to end up on the news with a headline like**_ 'Gay couple murdered after kissing in public.' _**Although, if you feel the dire need to engage in exhibitionism, please, for the love of all that is sacred, have some tough skin.**_

 _ **No one wants to read on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or on the news about how insulted you got when you were dissed in public for wearing a Furry suit.**_

 _ **Now, far above these lines of texts that may or may not have been read, I told you there was a point to all this and then proceeded to launch into the Flag Folding Procedure. At the very end of the conference, just before we got our bags and loaded up the bus, we were given the Final Challenge, and that Challenge was to continue to lead off the ship, and lead in life.**_

 _ **On the way down to the bus, I felt a void inside me, this huge pit of emptiness. This pit was created by the ending of the conference. We just spent the past four days undergoing sleep deprivation followed by more learning and interaction than four weeks of school, learning about America, the government, patriotism, economics, and what the American flag truly meant…and now what are we supposed to do?**_

 _ **Start a blog about government corruption, lies, and secrets? Start a hometown organization about patriotism? Join the military and fight for the country? Become a politician, or lawyer? Just…what the fuck are we supposed to do, man? Sleeping in and blearily waking up in the morning just to spend the rest of the day on the couch or with a controller in hand definitely isn't the answer. So what is the answer?**_

 _ **My answer was over four thousand words.**_

 _ **I can see how many people look at my fics per update, and there's generally a few thousand people that read said update. I know that a few thousand is just a few drops in a country of several hundred million, but that's still a few thousand people that I've reached out to.**_

 _ **That's still a few thousand people who have read this, and have asked themselves their own questions, formed their own opinions, created their own ideals and beliefs. That's a few thousand people I've lead down a path that's made them think.**_

 _ **And that's good enough for me.**_

 _ **During the conference, I gave a few people my pen name so they could look me up. Whether they will or won't is in the hands of not me, but if they stop by, and they do read all of this and have gotten down to here, then I want to say to those people:**_

It was a blast, guys.

 _ **To close what it is probably the longest author's note ever written, this goes to everyone that has read this, no matter what walk of life they come from, no matter what they believe, no matter what they've done in life/plan to do in life, no matter about anything that makes them who they are:**_

Find for yourself what it means to be an American, and may God be with you always.


	55. Dimensional Problem Solving

_Dimensional Problem Solving_

 _ **About as mixed a reception as I figured I would get for posting something that wasn't a chapter, but anyway. It's not coming down, and if you want to be a pussy and report it just because it isn't another chapter of blood and guts, go ahead.**_

 _ **You act like I write for the soul purpose of pleasing you. I don't.**_

 _ **Besides, there are other places in which I can post my work, so in the event that all my stories and my page cannot be found, go to Wattpad, because that's where I'll be.**_

 _ **Anyway, enough of that shit. We are here to officially kick off the Reclamation of Power arc, in which Shin'en will be going to various anime dimensions to fix one problem or another. However, it will not solely be anime dimensions, as there will be a few PJO dimensions that need a little tweaking…as in poking a little fun at all the Guardian of the Hunt and Assassin of Chaos tropes that were once original ideas, but have now become cliché.**_

 _ **Now on to the fun!**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO or Fairy Tail

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Land of Grass_

 _December 22, 1014 A.S._

"So, this is the infamous Blood Prison, eh? Not bad, not bad, but the Mist had a better one."

"I remember."

"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting that Yūrei infiltrated the Hole, killed everyone inside, and then blew the entire place the kingdom come."

"Mm."

"You okay, kid? Ever since you spaced out, you've been closed off and more moody than usual."

"I'm _fine_ Kisame."

The Akatsuki Swordsmen approached the main gates of Hozuki Castle.

"We're for the Box of Paradise. Anything else is a nonfactor. Just make sure you don't kill the warden…we'll need him to open the Box."

Kisame just cackled as he gripped the hilt of Samehada. "So I get to cut loose and not have to worry about collateral damage? Sounds great to me."

"Yes," Shin'en mused. "I suppose if there is one parameter this mission has...it's to leave no survivors."

Kisame's grin was just as bloodthirsty as a Swordsmen of the Bloody Mist could make.

" _Now we're talking!_ "

With a roar, the shark man busted down the gates of the Blood Prison, right in the middle of exercise time apparently, and began to have a field day with the hapless men and women who had been forsaken by their villages for whatever reason. The commotion Kisame created was the perfect smokescreen for Shin'en's personal mission here.

Locating the warden was child's play, especially when the regal-looking man jumped down into the fray in an attempt to subdue the rampaging Monster of the Hidden Mist. He knocked upside the head so hard he went flying into the stone wall and into a completely different section of the prison. It was comical really.

The warden, Mui, was jonin-level, however, his measuring stick was powerless shinobi. He was used to fighting those that hardly fought back, and when they did, it was with civilian-level strength. So of course taking on Kisame, an S-ranked shinobi, one that had been in constant battle against one foe or another for the better part of a decade now, making sure his skills remained sharp, was practical suicide.

It was just as well, really.

Mui groaned from within his impact crater in the wall. Okay, that had hurt. A lot. Hell, he couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt such pain from a single blow. And the man that had struck him…Mui didn't know why a man such as Kisame Hoshigaki, the famed Monster of the Hidden Mist and the Tailless Tailed-Beast, would be attacking his prison, but it didn't matter.

In all honesty, this present a most wonderful opportunity. If Mui could subdue Kisame, and bring the monstrous man down below, to where the Box was, then Mui could use Kisame's chakra to open the Box and wish for his son back! This whole situation caused a massive tree of hope to erupt in Mui's chest, and it was a hope so bright and warm that the man almost cried tears of joy.

No time for that, however. First, Mui needed to get his hand on Hoshigaki, and apply the Fire Style: Celestial Prison jutsu. From there, it would all be downhill and smooth sailing. Determination and drive flooded Mui, thoughts of having his beloved son back fueling his ambition.

He hauled himself from the wall, landed in a crouch, and opened his eyes, ready for brutal combat…only to get an eyeful of glowing vermillion, before everything became hazy and it was hard to think of anything at all.

"Take me to the Box, and open it up."

Mui's only thought on the given commands were to obey them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en followed Mui into the bowels of the Blood Prison, followed him into the warden's office, where Mui pressed on a blue book which caused a bookcase to move, revealing a hidden passageway, and followed Mui down further into the darkness. Soon enough, Mui lead Shin'en into a laboratory.

From above, four figures in robes and porcelain animal masks leapt down, but Shin'en had been aware of their presence since he got within three miles of the Prison. He jumped into the middle of the offending party, and there was a flash of light that originated from where his hand rested on his sword hilt. Shin'en landed silently, and the decapitated bodies of the four people hit the ground with wet thuds.

At the furthest end of the laboratory, was what appeared to be some kind of gate, a huge gate with a grinning face on it. In response to Shin'en's proximity, the slanted eyes on the gate glowed bright red, while a dark blue aura began to pulsate across the face.

"The Box needs a large amount of chakra in order to open," Mui said trance-like.

Shin'en gave the man a sideways glance, before extending his palm to the grinning gate. His face contorted in effort and strain, before a steady stream of dark emerald chakra began to flow from his outstretched hand and to the Box of Paradise. When the gates around the face shattered and broke, and the whole area began to shudder, did Shin'en cancel the flow of chakra.

Well, there went about a fifth of his reserves, and it was only due to the shoddy chakra control that came with having these damaged coils.

The shaking increased, and Shin'en saw why: the face on the gate was actually a face on the Box, and the Box itself was spinning around, burrowing up to the surface. Good, it was stuffy down here anyway. Shin'en grabbed Mui, left the corpses, and bounded his way back to the central stairwell, where he proceeded to bust through the wall and into daylight, just in time to see the prison yard split open, the Box of Paradise ripping through the stone to rest in the middle of the yard's red design.

Speaking of the yard, there was an absurd amount of dead bodies everywhere, prisoner and guard alike. Kisame was nowhere to be found, but that was because he was inside the prison, carving up the last of the personnel.

Shin'en leapt down from his perch, and threw Mui to the foot of the Box. "Open it, now."

Mui rose to his feet, and spread his hands. His white gloves glowed blue. "Here me Box of Paradise! I command you to open!"

The effects were immediate. The Box was shrouded in its dark glow, the eyes and mouths of the Box's side glowed red, and a lighter red outline spread across the edges of each faces' upper half. The upper faces fell away, and the mouths came soon after, revealing a secondary set of faces. These ones were less expressive and all one piece, as opposed to their 'masks.'

The face directly opposite of Mui opened impossibly wide, revealing a slowly swirling void within. From this void, a figure walked out. While it didn't matter at all to this story, the figure that exited the box was Muku, Mui's beloved son whom he tragically sealed into the Box years ago, and has tried desperately to get back since that time. However, Mui looked at his son with blank, unseeing eyes.

This was the power of the demigod's Sharingan.

"Thank you for your cooperation, warden. The reward for your services is your son."

Shin'en kicked Mui so hard in the back that the man went flying forward, slamming into Muku, and the momentum carried father and son back into the Box. One could argue that was cruel of Shin'en, and where you would be right, he would not care. He had a mission, a drive, and a goal to be reached. Currently, the first step to that goal was getting to the Uzumaki Mask Shrine and finding the mask that was linked to Amaterasu.

This shtick here at the Blood Prison was merely an exercise in not wasting time and effort. It had been a bit of a walk to get to this place.

After Mui and Muku entered the Box of Paradise, the eyes and gaping mouths glowed bright red, and began to start sucking everything around them into their swirling depths, however it was only organic things that were sucked in, so only the corpses found themselves inside the Box. Shin'en raised a brow, but nonetheless cancelled the chakra in his feet.

The Abyss went sailing into the Box of Paradise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame felt the shaking and the rumbling, and he felt the shaking and the rumbling stop. While curious, he chalked it up to something Shin'en was doing with this magical box thingy, and continued on his merry way…shaving apart anything that shat and walked on two legs. Samehada was going to need a bath after this.

After Kisame grew board with killing people, he made his way back out to the court yard…the suspiciously-devoid-of-corpses court yard. There was also this really huge cube thing with these weird faces on it. Kisame also didn't see Shin'en…or sense the kid's chakra. Which was concerning.

The kid a lot of chakra.

Kisame approached the thing with the faces. "Uh, Shin'en…? You in there?"

He even knocked on the side. Sounded hollow.

The mouth opened wide and Kisame leapt back an easy fifty feet, Samehada in hand and brandished in front of him. From out of the gaping mouth, none other than Shin'en came out, looking as calm and cool as ever. But something seemed off about him.

"Shin'en…are you okay?"

The boy hummed in the negative. "The Box has a will of its own, it seems, and exchange for the power of Satori, it wishes for me to do its bidding, and feed it souls. Its voice in my head is disconcerting."

"…I see. Any plans on how to fix that problem?"

"Yes."

Shin'en turned around and extended both palms to the Box of Paradise. His arms began to glow so brightly that Kisame had to avert his beady eyes.

"Gale Style: Reflex Cannon."

A tendril of chakra extended from the boy's palms, and it was the catalystic spark required to trigger a massive laser of pure Gale chakra that washed over the Box of Paradise, completely _destroying_ it, and continued for miles beyond, before detonating in the far distance in a mushroom of fire and smoke.

Kisame whistled. "God damn…is the voice gone."

"Yes, and so is the Box."

"And how much chakra did that take?"

"Half."

Kisame whistled again.

"Did you kill everyone inside?"

"You bet your ass I did. The guards and their guns were the most entertaining. Civilians get it in their heads that some gunpowder and few bits of metal give them an edge over shinobi, when in reality, genin throw kunai faster than any gun fires a bullet."

"Yes, it is quite amusing watching civilians with firearms panic when they're weapons prove useless. Anyway, we have somewhere to be, and here is not it."

"You're still wanting to go all the way back to the Land of Fire for a mask?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Shin'en began heading for the broken gate that once stood proudly, not once giving Kisame a backwards glace to see if the shark man was following. When the two were over a football field's distance away from the prison, Shin'en stopped. Kisame stopped beside him.

"What is it?"

"I borrowed some of Deidara's C3."

Kisame was almost knocked off his feet when an explosion obliterated the majority of the Blood Prison, wiping out structure and corpses like nothing.

"There, now we have a cover story in case Pain wants an explanation."

"And that cover story would be…?"

"We arrived at the Blood Prison and saw that the warden and several of his followers were tampering with a large box-like thing. We sensed a build-up of chakra, and we both quickly fled just in time to escape the explosion."

"Ah-huh, and what about the mushroom cloud about fifteen miles that way?"

"I don't know. I wasn't fifteen miles that way; were you fifteen miles that way?"

"No, but-"

"Well if we weren't fifteen miles that way, how are we supposed to know what happened fifteen miles that way?"

Kisame just nodded his head. "Fair points. To the Mask Shrine?"

"To the Mask Shrine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Land of Fire_

 _December 25, 1014 A.S._

At the pace Shin'en and Kisame set, it took them over three days to get from Hozuki Castle in the Land of Grass down to the Uzumaki Mask Shrine in the Land of Fire.

"So, this is the temple in which the Uzumaki has stored the masks capable of summoning and controlling the gods themselves? Look like rundown crap."

Shin'en snorted. "Summoning and controlling the gods? You give the Uzumaki too much credit, Kisame. Seals are indeed a powerful branch of jutsu, with very few limits. The subjugation of divine entities is one of them. Although, I will give the Uzumaki credit for being able to design Sealing formulas that invoke the presence of a god. It does take more than prayer and rituals to bring forth the presence of a god."

Kisame stared at Shin'en. "I think that's the most you've ever spoken to me at once."

"Keep your collar buttoned and your hat pulled low. Our cloaks are already conspicuous enough, the last thing we need are rumors of a bipedal shark roaming about this area…stay out here and guard the area, but remain out of sight. Use the Hidden Mist Jutsu if need be, but please try to stay anonymous."

"You never told me which deity you were going to summon."

"Amaterasu."

"Oooooooh, trying to get it on with the sun goddess, eh? Heh, try not to get burned."

Kisame disappeared from the visible spectrum, and reappeared elsewhere, hidden from sight among the ruins. Shin'en entered the shrine, and found it to be as decrepit and worn down as the outside. How curious was it that the Uzumaki didn't put any Seals on this place to make it resistant to time, or at least put some security Seals in place to take care of thieves and bandits looking for a place to hide.

Then again, perhaps time-altering Seals were never a thing, and the Uzumaki never expected this place to be abandoned so they never installed a security system. Ah, the glories of arrogance…well, this was all speculation, and Shin'en doubted whether Kushina would know anything more about this place, or if she even _knew_ about this place. The Hidden Leaf's Red Death was just a bit scatterbrained.

Shin'en found what he was looking for easy enough. Seriously, it was a wall in perfect condition with a whole battalion's worth of oni masks on it, arranged in a 3x9 pattern.

…

A 3x9 pattern? What was it with Shin'en's life and repeating instances of 3's and 9's?

Anyway, the demigod approached the wall and examined all the masks before him. Under the gaze of the Sharingan, no mask was unlike the other, as they all radiated the same quality and quantity of chakra, and while Shin'en could see the Sealing Formulas, that did not mean he knew which mask invoked which god, and none of the masks were entirely specific on which god they invoked…trial and error, then?

With a displeased-sounding hum rumbling out from the very back of his throat, Shin'en reached for the first mask he could get to, and he put it on. Nothing happened.

"My brother's champion…does that make you my nephew-in-law?"

Shin'en calmly took off the mask and turned around. "Like I told the witch who made my sword: it doesn't matter what you call me."

Amaterasu wore a simple white kimono with a flame design that moved across the fabric, and her black hair neatly cascaded down to her waist. Red horns sprouted from her forehead, and her nails were painted red as well. Her irises and pupils were like that of the Sun, and her sclera was black like space, giving the appearance that as you looked into the goddess' eyes, it was if looking at twin images of the Sun in space from a distance away.

It was beautiful, in a sense.

"So I can call you sissy girl and you wouldn't care?"

"I trust you know why I came here and invoked your presence."

Amaterasu's calm countenance never shifted, nor did her tone. "Of course," she said evenly, "you have finally grown tired of my brother hampering your recovery, and you seek my aid by offering me something…the question is: what do you offer?"

"My purpose here is what I offer. Susano'o told me long ago that there were many errors in the Shinto Multiverse, and that part of my being here, besides stopping this princess from destroying the Earth, is fixing those errors."

"I see. In exchange for your body returned to you, you would correct the many problems of our Multiverse. Why come to me?"

"Susano'o isn't helping me for whatever reason, and I know of the rivalry between you and him. I'm betting that you will help me, if only to one up Susano'o."

Amaterasu rose and lowered her shoulders. "Well, you're not wrong. Very well then, let us iron the final details of this arrangement."

"My body back now, and we can discuss from there."

"Hmm…how about this: twelve missions, no questions asked, and I swear on my status as a goddess to heal your body to your level of satisfaction."

"Same deal, only I can ask as many questions as I want to about whatever mission I'm about to go on."

"Same deal, only with fifteen missions."

" _Twelve_."

Amaterasu chuckled. "Okay then…twelve missions, unlimited questions, and after these twelve missions I will heal your body to your satisfaction. I swear this on my status as a goddess. Do we have an accord?"

"After these twelve missions and I have my body back, will you hold this over me as blackmail to ensure I do further interdimensional missions?"

"Aren't you the clever one…to make sure you keep your power…you'll have to do three more missions."

"Fine then. Twelve missions, unlimited questions, then you'll heal my body to my satisfaction, and I'll do three more missions to ensure you do not reverse your healing of my body. You swear this on your status as a goddess?"

"I swear this on my status as a goddess."

"Swear that if any demon, spirit, god or otherwise supernatural being attempts to stymie me, that you will come to my aid and stop them."

"I swear that on my status as a goddess."

Yes, Amaterasu knew very much that Izanagi was most likely going to be mad at her, as was Susano'o, but who cares? Things were getting a little boring, and watching one of the most powerful incarnations of Percy Jackson _ever_ kick interdimensional rectum was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially with the additive of getting under Susano'o's skin.

"Then we have an accord," Shin'en intoned.

Amaterasu smiled. "Excellent. We can begin immediately."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demigod couldn't exactly say he was thrilled to be the Dimensional Hall after a flash of light, but he couldn't exactly say he was displeased to already be on the road to get his power back, either. Just like four years ago, everything was white with the exception of all the doors that lead to the various dimensions of the Shinto Multiverse. Amaterasu stood next to him, and suddenly everything was zooming past them as they ascended.

They came to a stop in front of a black door that had a plaque on it that read: _Fairy Tail_.

The door opened, and the goddess and the demigod entered. The colors inverted, with white turning black, and black turning white. Once more did the two zoom upwards past an ungodly number of doors that lead to so many different realities, before stopping at a white door that was marred by so many cracks and splinters.

"And what would be the problem with this particular dimension?"

"Acnologia," Amaterasu answered.

"Who?"

"The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. The denizens of this world made a plan to destroy the dragon, the 400 Year Plan, which involved several dying dragons to be sealed into their respective adopted human children, making them Jinchuuriki of a sort, and then all of them were sent 400 hundred years into the future, where there was enough Ethernano around to empower the sealed dragons."

"Ethernano?"

"It's this world's version of chakra."

"Ah."

"Yes. During an event on the location of Tenrou Island, Acnologia came and fought the main characters of this world. Originally, there was an outside force that saved the characters from death vis Acnologia's attack, but in this dimension, this outside force was a little too slow in doing her thing, and the main characters all died."

"Tragic."

"Indeed. Beyond even that, however, the 400 Year Plan would have failed regardless, and Acnologia would go on to destroy everything…just because he felt like it."

"So my mission is to save these people?"

"And kill the dragon."

"And kill the dragon…how much power are we looking at?"

"It has been a long-standing debate among us gods that Acnologia could fight on par with Kurama."

"All of Kurama or just one half of Kurama?"

"Do you truly want to know?"

"I guess it wouldn't matter anyway. You said Tenrou Island, yes? Islands are surrounded by water, and water means home field advantage." Shin'en then grinned, a savage grin, a grin of one eager for battle. "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse? What an excellent opportunity for me to test out the power of Satori."

The Abyss grabbed the door handle and opened the splintered gateway, then he disappeared into the light. The door shut behind him.

Amaterasu conjured a tub of popcorn for herself, before teleporting herself through space and time to the Multiverse, where she proceeded to zoom past the rows of planets until she found the one she was looking for. She descended upon this Earth, invisible to all but other gods, and took a seat on some rocks.

She threw a handful of popcorn into her mouth, and watched as Acnologia drew in a massive amount of air for his Dragon's Roar. She swallowed and said to herself:

"This will be most entertaining."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **For those of you that have no idea what instance I'm talking about, go to YouTube, search 'Fairy Tail vs Acnologia,' and it will be the first video. Watch it and report back to this story. Thank you.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The leading members of the Fairy Tail guild all clasped hands in a circle. Above them, the mighty Acnologia's mouth glowed with disastrous blue energy. They knew they were about to die, but they were all going to die together, and that was the important thing. As the Dragon prepared to wipe them out, they gave one last shout of unison.

"Back home to Fairy Tail!"

Acnologia reared back, the magic in his maw ready to be unleashed upon the world in a dazzling display of power of and destruction…and it would have, if not for several thin beams of light to come shooting out of nowhere, each one nailing Acnologia in the mouth.

The gathered magic prematurely detonated, and the sky lit up with azure light as Acnologia's technique literally blew up in his face. The entire sky disappeared in the light of a new sun, and the Knights on the inbound ships averted their eyes and clung to the railing as the incoming shockwaves tossed their ships about like ragdolls. On Tenrou Island, the gathered Fairies hunkered down, some screaming, all struggling not to get blown away in the sudden high-velocity winds. Zeref, who stood elsewhere to watch the end of the battle, had to bring a hand up to his face to shield himself from the power of the explosion.

The forces acting on the earth faded, everything coming back to a deceptive calm. Everyone looked up at the Black Dragon, and although he wasn't exactly an expressive creature, he seemed just as confused as everyone else…although his body was no worse for wear than when Fairy Tail launched their massive collaborative attack on him just minutes ago.

Talk about durability.

Natsu was the first to speak. "W-What the hell…just happened?"

"Because nothing says 'screw you' to a dragon better than holding hands in a circle."

Fairy Tail whipped around and saw a boy just a year or two older than Wendy, dressed in a black cloak with a red cloud motif, sitting on the rocks behind them, a cigarette in his mouth, and a black, metal staff held in his left hand, his right covered in bandages. His eyes were a strange red, with three black comma-like markings around the pupil.

He wasn't looking at them, he was looking up at Acnologia.

"Who the hell are you!?" Natsu raged.

"The guy that was pulled away from his picnic to save you."

The boy hopped down from the rock he was sitting on, landing with nary a bend in his knee. Then he began walking for the beach, skirting around the edge of the circle.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erza asked.

"To slay the dragon, duh."

Needless to say, Fairy Tail laid an egg after hearing that. They all exploded into protest, and the nearby Laxus' hand shot out to clamp down on the boy's shoulder before he could go any further…only for his hand to pass through the boy like he wasn't even there.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "What the…?"

"It's adorable that you can't tell the difference between an illusion and the real thing."

Heads once more whipped around to where the voice came from, and they all saw the boy sitting on the rocks like he hadn't ever left. A few heads looked back around, and they didn't see the boy, even though he had just been standing there. Hell, they didn't see any footprints in the sand, either.

The boy was still eyeing Acnologia like a hawk.

"Who the hell are you!? Answer me dammit!" Natsu raged again.

"Fine, my name is Natsu Dragneel, and I have no respect for people that just saved my life."

"Hey!"

"Oh look, he's trying it attack."

That's when the members of Fairy Tail felt the humongous build-up of magic again, and they all whipped their gazes up to see Acnologia prepping another Dragon's Roar.

"By all means, hold hands again. Worked like a charm last time."

Fairy Tail didn't get to react, before so many things happened at once. One, the boy drew a sword from out of his staff faster than what most people saw. Two, he sliced upward. Three, the blade glowed brightly with something—presumably magic—and instantaneously elongated to several hundred feet. Four, Acnologia finished prepping his attack. Five, he barely twisted out of the way fast enough to avoid the sword. Six, he prematurely unleashed his Dragon's Roar. Seven, the destructive beam sailed far into the distance, and detonated in an explosion of blue energy.

It took all of three seconds for the shockwaves to wash over Tenrou Island, and it took another five seconds after that before the raging winds settled back down. Now Acnologia looked decidedly irritated, and the boy was standing on the beach, deep enough to where the incoming waves washed over his knees. His sword/staff was nowhere to be seen.

Acnologia looked down at the boy, his beady white eyes now showing an emotion: annoyance.

The shocks of the day weren't yet over, however, as the boy suddenly began convulsing, and his arms were torn from the inside, morphing into something demonic, while a mass of black feathers ripped themselves free of his back. His entire body underwent a hideous transformation, and when it was over, something that was not human stood tall on the beach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en did not have eyes in this form, but for a reason that could not be explained, he could see just fine, and what he saw in the water made him deadpan.

' _I look retarded.'_

He was huge, easily standing at a gargantuan fifty feet, with bulky, baboon-like legs, a spindly torso barely a yard in diameter, something that could be called a tail, trunk like arms that were long enough to reach to his feet, and his head…he didn't have a head, per se, so much as a mouth built into a bulb. He had a few molars in his wide mouth, but the main attraction here was the four tusks, two on each side of his mouth, sprouting from his upper jaw, that curved all the way down and around to the back of his head-bulb. From his head-bulb, two massive wings shot out, creating a wingspan bigger than this body was tall. His hands and feet were a light brown, tipped with savage claws, and the phalanges were long and spindly. To finish off the horrendous image, Shin'en's body was covered completely in black feathers.

' _Still, despite this silly image, I can feel the power, the power of the Satori. I can even feel my other powers as well. I'm still seeing in the Sharingan's spectrum of light, I can still feel the power of the ocean I'm standing in, and I can still call upon my Dark Chakra. Beyond all of that, I can sense_ _those_ _things as well…the fear and the blood lust of the people around me, especially Acnologia's blood lust._

' _I'll keep this simple: test out the powers of Satori, and after I feel satisfied with my findings, I'll end this. There's a_ _Shadow Clone_ _in the tree, ready to use_ _Kura Okami_ _, there's a_ _Shadow Clone_ _beneath the waves, ready to use the sword, and there's a final_ _Shadow Clone_ _, deeper in the ocean, ready to pull out the big guns if need be. And if all else fails, there's still_ _Izanagi_ _…okay dragon. Let's go.'_

Satori roared, a terrible sound that cracked the earth and scared away the ocean. With a single flap of his mighty wings, Satori barreled straight into Acnologia's face, starting the battle with an uppercut that sent the Black Dragon soaring higher into the air.

When Acnologia flapped his wings and came to a stop, he almost seemed to be grinning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And we end with the dreaded cliffhanger. So, this is what most of this arc will look like. Amaterasu bringing Shin'en to various damaged dimensions, and the demigod fixing them. In this instance,**_ **Fairy Tail** _ **has some issues in the form of Acnologia.**_

 _ **Tell me, fans…does the Dragon King stand a chance against Shin'en, or does the Abyss have this in the bag?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	56. Cancelling the Apocalypse

_Cancelling the Apocalypse_

 _ **Wow, almost to 800 reviews, guys. Awesome.**_

 _ **The general opinion is that Shin'en is going to defeat Acnologia hands down. Personally, I see that too. Acnologia has nothing he can use against Shin'en, and he's not exactly a humble dragon, nor has he put in place several contingency plans in the case of certain events. Besides, Shin'en is here to test what the power of Satori can do. Beyond that end, he's not pulling punches, and he's not wasting time.**_

 _ **That being said, I couldn't really justify making this chapter solely a battle between Satori and Acnologia, so after the Dragon King is dead—oops, spoiler—the rest of the chapter will be dedicated to what many fans have been asking/wanting: some insight on the rest of the world.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Fairy Tail

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en could sense Acnologia's hatred and bloodlust, and it wasn't just through the power of Satori, either. He was the pseudo Jinchuuriki of the Zero-Tails, a creature made of Dark Chakra—a creature that drew power from negative emotions—and had the ability to sense those emotions, and seek out the person that was feeling those emotions so as to latch onto them, and use them as a vessel to bring an era of darkness to the world.

It raised the question of just how the Zero-Tails was created, and why it was hellbent on destruction.

Didn't matter now, since the damn thing would be braindead for the rest of Shin'en's life. But anyway.

Satori's sensory prowess was different. Its senses didn't just act as senses, they acted as an early warning system, which led to something simply amazing: instinctual evasion. Shin'en could sense the hatred in Acnologia's attacks before he made them, and his body effortlessly glided out of the way. The best part about this auto-evasion was that it went smashingly well with his Sharingan's precognition and his demigod reflexes.

Basically, if Shin'en got hit by anything, there was either something very wrong with the universe, or he was fighting someone with ungodly amounts of physical speed…or teleportation.

Acnologia fired another blast of that annoying energy-magic-Ethernano-whatever stuff, and Shin'en casually flapped his huge wings, soaring up a decent 300 feet before returning fire. With a swipe of his massive arm, a deadly hail of man-sized feathers went shooting for the Black Dragon. They all shattered harmlessly against the creature's scales.

Still, it wasn't the point to kill Acnologia in this form; the point was to see what this form could and couldn't do. So far, Shin'en knew that his 'Satori Mode' could detect and react to emotions like hatred, fear, and bloodlust, could fly, was highly agile and extremely maneuverable, could fire feathers from its body most likely capable of reducing the average man into a fine red mist, and there was another thing.

Shin'en opened his gaping mouth wide, and a volatile sphere of condensed, star-like chakra gathered—it looked like a small sun, really—and was promptly shot at Acnologia. The sphere detonated in his face, lighting up the sky in a sphere on energy easily half the size of Tenrou Island, but when the smoke cleared, the Black Dragon was revealed to be completely unharmed.

That was the status quo of this battle: Acnologia couldn't land a hit to save his life, and Shin'en couldn't do any damage for shit…but like he kept saying, he wasn't aiming to kill Acnologia in this form, he was just testing what this form could do.

On top of all the things previously mentioned, Shin'en discovered that Satori had the ability to create something of a Tailed-Beast Bomb, which also led to another discovery. In Satori Mode, Shin'en's body was warped and twisted into a new shape, which meant that the physical energy his body generated was different, which meant that his ninjutsu chakra ratio had different effects. Basically, Satori Mode healed his body, technically, but the draw back was that Shin'en didn't have as much chakra as he should have, and he couldn't use it with as much versatility as he would have liked.

In other words…no jutsu beyond using those spheres.

Those spheres needed a name.

Acnologia roared, and flew at Shin'en. He angled himself out of the way, and a game began. The Dragon King would attack Shin'en, and Shin'en would simply just move out of the way, allowing his unconscious mind to dictate his movements while he thought of a name for the spheres.

Let's see…Satori Bomb? No, too simple. Needed something better.

Box Bomb? No, that was just dumb…hmmm.

How about-

" **Paradise Bomb** **!"**

The blazing chakra swirled to life in Shin'en's massive palm, and he fired it pointblank into Acnologia's face from probably twenty feet away. The sky lit up in a dazzling display of fire and light, shockwaves washing over the area, causing everyone to cover their faces.

Something else Shin'en could do was generate the newly named Paradise Bombs anywhere on his body. It was just instinctual knowledge that came with the chakra of the Box of Paradise.

The smoke cleared away, revealing Acnologia, only this time, his face was singed. He looked at the demonic entity that Shin'en had become.

" **I acknowledge you as my enemy, creature. I will destroy you."**

And that was Shin'en's cue that it was time to end this. Mostly because he was comfortable and satisfied with all that he had learned, and partly because he impatient to get to the next mission. Fuck this oversized lizard; he should consider himself lucky Shin'en just didn't use Izanagi and curb stomp his scaly ass.

Still, now was not the time to forgo strategy.

Shin'en dove straight downwards, right at Acnologia. The plan was to grapple the dragon and drag them both down to the ocean, and it was easy to figure out what would happen from there. Instead of that happening, however, the Black Dragon twisted to the side and soared higher into the sky, spreading his wings wide.

What could only be described as tiny stars began to be cast away from Acnologia's body.

" **Vanish from the face of this earth!** **Eternal Flare** **!"**

The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse snapped his wings down with tremendous force, and all the stars he had made fell from the heavens at terminal velocity. Even for all that came for him, Shin'en still managed to weave his way through the onslaught with irritating ease.

The stars' impact upon the ocean was great, sending massive spews of white towering into the sky. The spews came down in waves so great that defensive magics employed by any party were nearly overwhelmed, and in the case of one unfortunate ship, was smashed to pieces after the shield was shattered.

Now Acnologia was certifiably pissed off. _How_ was this damn thing able to dodge _all_ of the stars created by his Eternal Flare!? It was one thing to fight a strong opponent, it was another thing to fight a large, annoying insect that kept buzzing about.

Then something slammed so hard into Acnologia's back he thought something might've actually broke. Or perhaps it was just one of his scales cracking. Regardless of any damage, the bottom line was that Acnologia was shooting down to the ocean a few thousand feet below at something approaching the speed of sound, and whatever was on his back was making difficult to fly.

The Dragon King managed to crane his neck around, and he was more than a little surprised to see the creature he had been fighting this entire time pushing him to the water. Hadn't this thing just been in front of him, dodging through his Eternal Flare? There was no possible way it could've gotten past him, and come flying down with enough speed and stealth to take him by surprise.

Well, no matter. There was no point in trying to fight the creature off now—there was too much momentum. Acnologia would concede defeat here. However, after they submerged—which might hurt just a bit, even with all his durability—round two would begin, and the Dragon King would stop pulling punches, and go all out.

 _Nothing_ survived when Acnologia went all out.

The two smacked into the ocean, and the Black Dragon was correct in that it would hurt. Granted, it felt more like being hit by a straw dummy that had been thrown at you by a child than a several thousand-foot plunge at several hundred miles an hour right into water, but still. It was enough to where even a creature with as much durability and pain tolerance as Acnologia felt a little jarred.

No matter; time for round two.

…

The Dragon King couldn't move. Why could he not move!?

The answer was actually quite simple: Shin'en didn't want him to move. The demigod was powerful, even in this weakened state he was powerful, and that was a fact that couldn't be denied. However, in water, in the _ocean_ , no matter what dimension…Shin'en might as well have been omnipotent.

Hell, add all-knowing to that because the Champion of Susano'o was aware of _everything_ in the planet's oceans. Every ship, every wreck, every microbe, every species of fish, every continental shelf, every volcano, every coral reef and waving piece of seaweed. Persephone couldn't have handled this; in fact, her mind would've limited how much it registered in order to save itself from information overload.

Hell, Asteria, for all her mental strength, probably wouldn't have been able to handle this power with as much ease as Shin'en. Perhaps come close, very close, yet not at the same level.

However, none of that was relevant.

What was relevant was that there was a Shadow Clone about thirty feet away from Acnologia's back, armed with a sword forged from two other swords with the reputation of being able to cut anything, and down here, in the ocean, that fact was more true than anything. The ocean empowered the Shadow Clone, empowered the sword, and when the duplicate drew the blade, made a series of slashes through the water, and sheathed it, the massive pressure and resistance that one could expect wasn't there.

Several white lines flashed across Acnologia's body, before the Black Dragon split apart into no less than a hundred pieces. Not even remotely willing to chance anything, the other Shadow Clone Shin'en had hidden in the ocean used a quick burst of Kura Okami to freeze the scattered pieces and surrounding ocean water into a giant block of ice, one that Satori grabbed and launched upward.

The guild members of Fairy Tail nearly all fell down when a veritable iceberg went screaming up into the lower atmosphere, followed very closely by what could be mistaken for a small star, only this one was about three times as large as the others that the creature had been firing. The sphere of fiery energy met the climbing iceberg, and the biggest explosion yet rocked the Kingdom of Fiore.

A new sun temporarily took hold of the Earth, bathing it in heat and light, bashing the planet with shockwaves and torrents of wind. The beating came to an eventual end, but the fireball in the atmosphere remained.

Fairy Tail's attention snapped to the surf when the mysterious and apparently uber-powerful boy in the black cloak came walking out of the ocean like he just went for a relaxing swim. He looked at the sky and frowned.

"You people have strange weather."

Natsu went ballistic.

"Weather my ass, you little creep! You just threw an iceberg into the sky and blew it up!"

"Did I? I don't recall."

Natsu's eyes lit on fire, but an armor-clad hand from Erza stopped him in his tracks. The S-class Mage looked at the boy, who had produced a cigarette and was smoking…again.

"What happened to Acnologia?" she asked.

"I froze him in an iceberg that I threw into the sky and blew up."

Natsu dramatically pointed a finger at the boy. "See! I told you!"

The boy shrugged. "I don't recall."

"AHHHHHH!" Natsu raged, but Erza kept him still, and the Dragon Slayer dug a deep hole in the sand with his rapidly moving feet. "Let me at him! This kid's got me all fired up, and he needs an ass-kicking!"

"Yes, because fighting the guy who killed the dragon all of you together couldn't beat is such a great idea."

Natsu stopped digging his own hole, and a serious atmosphere settled over the present guild members.

"Yeah, speaking of," Gildarts said, "I fought Acnologia and lost half my body, and he wasn't even using half his full power, and then you show up, transform into some bird thing, and literally dance circles around him…and you're not even half my age."

"Jealous?"

"No, concerned. That kind of power doesn't come from training. Power like that come from forbidden rituals and dark magic, typically the kind that involves human sacrifices."

Now the serious mood was turning hostile, as Gildarts' words were working on the minds of everyone that heard them, unintentionally filling them with visions and scenes of the boy murdering people, chanting over bound and gagged bodies, bodies held in the middle of ritualistic circles drawn from blood, cutting up people and mixing the organs and blood into potions, and stealing arcane books and other kinds of texts detailing evil practices.

In the skies above, the heat from Acnologia's numerous Dragon's Roars and the boy's Paradise Bombs, as well as the final explosion, created that crucial ascending air current needed for a specific jutsu, one capable of mass amounts of destruction.

It wasn't a coincidence that Shin'en had done battle in the air, or performed his final attack in the air, either. It was up in the air whether Fairy Tail would engage him in combat, and it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, Amaterasu only said to save these people from and kill Acnologia. Mission accomplished, and there was nothing said about what to do with Fairy Tail after the mission was completed.

If they wanted a fight, Shin'en would give them a fight…didn't mean he couldn't play around a bit, but he was getting impatient with Amaterasu. Mission done, Acnologia dead, time to leave. Why are we still here?

"Well, I don't know about rituals and human sacrifices, but I did kill a lot of people to get where I am today."

Tension reached a new high as Fairy Tail tensed, their magic beginning to flow in preparation for confrontation.

Gildarts' eyes narrowed. "How many people?"

Shin'en made a show of lazily pulling up his sleeve and inspecting his left forearm. "Oh, let's see…ah, 84,263 people. Give or take a few hundred, this kill-counter is a bit fickle sometimes."

Gildarts was the first to attack, slamming down where Shin'en once stood. Laxus came second, then Natsu, then Erza, Gray, Wendy, and so on. All of Fairy Tail attacked, and all of Fairy Tail missed as Shin'en weaved and stepped his way in and out of attacks with as much as ease as he had with Acnologia. How interesting was it that after transforming into Satori and reverting, Shin'en retained the ability to evade attacks based on emotion?

Anyway, Shin'en was putting on this little show with an active amount of breath control exercises, and a dollop of patience as he waited for the atmosphere to get nice and stormy—oh, fuck it. With a certain sequence of chakra pulses, the Shadow Clone in the broken tree molded its chakra and dispelled itself after using the Gale Style: Gale Dragon to send a beam of chakra into the sky, where the jutsu infinitely sped up the storm-cloud process.

Lightning flashed so brightly across the sky that it blinded Natsu, and his flaming punch went askew hitting nothing but dirt. Shin'en disappeared in the practical flashbang, or rather, the Shadow Clone dispelled. The real demigod hadn't ever left the ocean. He stood on the waves, calmly observing Tenrou Island from a mile away. The rain began to fall as he raised his hand, a hand that soon sparked with Lightning chakra.

Fairy Tail was confused on the shores of their island, even more so when lightning began to freely flash amongst the clouds in such rapid succession that the day never seemed to fade. In all the commotion, they never saw the straw bolt of lightning that went up from the ocean, but they did see the gigantic dragon-esque creature come down from the clouds, and glare at them all with wrathful eyes of glowing vermillion.

Fairy Tail was struck by a myriad of emotions, chief among them fear and apprehension. Elsewhere, Zeref watched these proceedings with neutral eyes.

"So…this is how it will end for you, Natsu…"

The lightning dragon gave a final growl, before it slinked back into the clouds. Laxus prepared himself, prepared his Lightning Dragon Slayer ability to eat lightning, so that he could devour the incoming attack. Still, for all the confidence he should've had, he still couldn't shake the supreme feeling that something was very off.

Meanwhile, Mavis Vermillion clasped her hands together as she cast her spell, Fairy Sphere. Whatever that technique was, it was one that did not use magic, but something else, something that Laxus wouldn't be able to handle. Whatever that technique was, Mavis could feel its power, taste its energy. What was coming would be big.

Shin'en brought his hand down, his Sharingan glowing in the darkness of the storm, and Kirin descended.

Tenrou Island vanished in the roar of thunder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Dimensional Hall_

"Any reason you waited to pull me out of there?"

"Yes. Certain events must be allowed to happen, and Tenrou Island being subject to Mavis' Fairy Sphere and the seven year time skip is important."

"I see. Any other dimensions in here that need fixing?"

"Billions, but most of those can and will right themselves eventually."

"And the ones that don't have that ability?"

"We'll get to those eventually."

Suddenly, Amaterasu and Shin'en were out of the _Fairy Tail_ verse, and back in the main Dimensional Hall.

"You can either take a break and return to the Shinobi World, or we can move on to another dimension."

"One down, eleven to go. Where's our next stop?"

Amaterasu nodded, and the world became a blur of black and white before suddenly stopping. Now the duo stood in front of a black door bearing a plaque that read: _Death Note._

The entered, there was a blur of black and white, before they came to a stop in front of a white door marred with cracks and fissures.

"And what's the story with this place?"

Amaterasu put her hand on Shin'en, and downloaded the greater aspects of _Death Note_ into the demigod's brain. When she was done, the son of Poseidon stood stock still, his eyes blank. Then he produced a cigarette from inside his cloak and put it to his mouth, lighting it with a small burst of Lightning chakra that had him growling at the brief touch of pain.

"Light Yagami and L Lawliet, huh? How many dimensions are there where those two are fucking?"

Amaterasu and Shin'en both ignored the ungodly number of doors that suddenly glowed with cracks, before all the cracks faded away.

"Right then. What's wrong with this one?"

"Soichiro Yagami died early in the line of duty, before he could impregnate his wife, who never remarried, which means that neither Sayu nor Light were born. However, Ryuk still gets bored and drops his Death Note in the human world, where a…less intellectually inclined young man picks it up, and nothing happens in this world the way it should."

"…you're asking me to play Kira."

"Just think of all the criminals in the world as shinobi, and make sure crime rates drop and the world becomes an arguably better place."

Shin'en blew smoke out of his mouth. "Getting handed a notebook that kills people by writing their names in it, all the while avoiding law enforcement and L…sounds boring. Let's get this over with."

The Abyss disappeared into the epic world of _Death Note_ , and Amaterasu couldn't help but think that L, Near, and Mellow were about to have their collective assess handed to them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile, in the rest of the Shinobi World_

Choji Akimichi's eyes held no joy as he trained alongside Shikamaru and Ino. Well, perhaps 'trained' wasn't the right word for what the next generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio was doing. They were on a mission with Asuma, all of them now chunin, acting as the Elite Jonin's aids. A group of small-time rogue nin from a backwater village was terrorizing a small town in the Southern Land of Fire.

Team Ten had been called to handle it.

So no, 'trained' was not the right word here. _Slaughter_ was more apt. Choji's massive fists ground the rogue nin to paste, Shikamaru's shadow whipped about slicing through people like butter, Ino used the skills she cleaned from training under Tsunade and Shizune to enhance her muscle and create Chakra Scalpels…it wasn't a pretty sight. Of course, there was Asuma as well, using his Wind chakra-enhanced trench knives to carve people up like fine barbeque.

There was an even darker side to all this, however. None of Team Ten saw rogue nin and bandits. No, all they saw was the grinning white mask of Shin'en, and with each person Team Ten killed, they felt a little closer to having the strength to kill him.

None of them believed Shin'en was dead, and they would all one day have their vengeance.

For Choza.

For Yoshino.

For Inoichi.

For Hiruzen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm trying, Ma!"

"Try harder, Kiba!"

The Inuzuka heir, his loyal companion, Akamaru, and a Transformed Shadow Clone joined up. Focusing their chakra, all three proclaimed at once:

"Man-Beast Transformation Combo: Three-Headed Wolf!"

Chakra and smoke erupted from the trio, and when it cleared, a deformed mess was revealed. In another puff of smoke, Kiba, his Clone, and Akamaru—back in dog form—were revealed to be laying on the ground, all three out of breath.

Tsume Inuzuka was furious. "You little bastard! I put all this time and effort into training you in our top jutsu, and you can barely pull off a Transformation!? You are a disgrace to our clan!"

"Ma, please…"

"DON'T YOU 'MA' ME!" Tsume roared. She turned her body, literally giving her last child the cold shoulder, and she glared at him from the corner of her eye. In a calmer, yet still icy tone, she said, "Hana would've done better. You can't pull off a Transformation, then I guess she died for nothing…"

Kiba saw red.

"Three-Headed Wolf!"

Tsume was knocked to her ass due to the eruption of chakra from her son. When the smoke cleared, a perfect beast with three heads towered over the Inuzuka matriarch, all six of its eyes rolled back into its head, thin veins of red emerging from the edges of the sclera. Tsume grinned.

"That's my boy—huh!?"

Kiba swiped at her, and the clan head barely avoided the blow. She twisted in midair to avoid the fanged jaws that snapped at her, and she had to us Substitution to avoid being flattened by her son's paw. A blow that cratered the ground.

"Well, at least you've got the clan's primal rage in you."

Tsume vanished in a burst of Jonin-level speed, and came down so hard on Kiba's central head, she dispelled the Transformation and the Shadow Clone, leaving only her weakened boy and his dog to emerge from the smoke cloud, both looking exhausted.

"I miss her, Ma…I miss her so much," Kiba mumbled.

Tsume broke his fall with her body. "I know, son. I miss her too."

"I'll kill him," Kiba declared, fire returning to him. "I'll kill that bastard if it's the last fucking thing I do in this life."

Tsume grinned savagely. "I'll be right there next you…Shin'en won't ever live to see a middle age."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"If this is the extent of your hatred, you'll never be able to defeat me, let alone Shin'en!"

Sasuke responded to his brother's challenge with a roar and a massive molding of chakra. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

The reincarnation of Indra spewed forth a wall of flame the size of your average distribution complex, and Itachi responded in kind, only his jutsu was wordless, seal-less, and bigger. The two walls of super-heated chakra met and battled fiercely against the other, neither willing to back down. Meanwhile, both brothers were burning through their respective chakras like there was no tomorrow.

Itachi suddenly appeared behind Sasuke, and he struck his younger brother down, viciously decapitating him with nothing but the side of his hand. The walls of flame sputtered against each other, now running on oxygen instead of chakra.

Itachi picked up Sasuke's severed head, and reached for the eyes. He would need the upgraded Mangekyou if he wanted to crush Shin'en under heel. However, the head and the body both disappeared in a puff of smoke, and that only mildly irritated Itachi.

The sound of chirping birds erupted from behind the newest head of the Uchiha, and he was a little late in dodging, and took the Chidori right in the middle of the chest…then he devolved into a murder of crows.

Undeterred by this, Sasuke simply molded and kneaded more chakra, draining that in his hand and dispersing it across his body. He kneeled and spread his arms wide, ignoring the cawing around him.

"Chidori Stream."

Lightning erupted from Sasuke's body, striking each crow without fail. The birds shrieked as their skeletons lit up, before, in flashes of light, their muscles and feathers were disintegrated, leaving behind only charred skeletons. Sasuke cancelled the jutsu, and immediately Substituted with a log to avoid his brother's axe kick which had enough strength behind to send debris and dust flying.

Even with the smokescreen, any attempts at subterfuge or duplication techniques was pointless, for Sasuke's Sharingan saw everything…which was why he able to put up his fists fast enough to defend against Itachi's furious assault. However, even with the Sharingan, Sasuke found himself overwhelmed by Itachi's onslaught, and he met the ground with shattering force.

He tried to get up, but Itachi's hand was there, pinning him to the ground.

"Now your eyes are mine, _little brother_."

And he meant it too. That was their new rivalry, their new drive. See who could take the other's eyes first. That would decide who could go after Shin'en, who could claim the true title of clan head, and who would be the one to repopulate the Uchiha.

In the wake of Shin'en, the wake that left every single member of the Uchiha dead except for Sasuke and Itachi, the brothers' love had evaporated, burned up in the Flames of Hatred.

"Not if I get yours first, Itachi!"

The Shadow Clone beneath the Weasel dispelled, and the battle between the brothers continued until the sun set, and they both were too tired to continue.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me what you know about Shin'en," Shino said stoically.

"That he fucked your mom," the captured Cloud-nin said with a grin.

Officially, the dark-skinned chunin from the Land of Lightning was missing-in-action, and that's as far as the Cloud wanted to look into the matter. With all that had happened, they had too many wounds of their own to go lick, even after a year.

The light reflected off Shino's glasses in an eerie way.

"My hive was destroyed during the Chunin Exams last year. Why, you ask? Because one of your genin used an incendiary tag. From that time till now, I've had the opportunity to redevelop my hive, and test it out against some of your comrades. You may have heard their screams."

Shino calmly extended his palm towards the now-apprehensive Cloud ninja. "It's okay that you don't know anything about Shin'en—I actually think it's a good thing that you won't give up any information. Why, you ask? That's because it gives me an excuse…to use _these_."

A black swarm peeled its way out of Shino's skin, and the Cloud-nin screamed until he died.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hanabi slammed into the mat, a hundred percent sure some of her ribs were broken due to her big sister's open palm thrust.

"Get. Up. I'm not through with you yet," Hinata commanded coldly.

Hanabi cast a desperate glance to her father, begging with her eyes for help, only to receive nothing. Father wasn't even looking at her, he was staring stoically at Hinata. Sadness gripped the young Hyuuga's heart in a vice. They had found Mother's body, what was left of it, anyway, and nothing had been the same since.

"I said get up!"

Hinata jerked Hanabi to her feet by her hair, and unleashed a devastating barrage of strikes that lifted the young Hyuuga clean off the ground and kept her suspended, until Hinata ended her combo with a round-house kick straight to Hanabi's jaw, breaking it. The girl sailed across the dojo, and slammed…right into Hinata waiting hand.

The heiress had gotten faster.

"That's enough, Hinata," Hiashi calmly intoned.

Hinata dropped her sister with a look of such disgust on her face, that it reminded Hanabi of the time she had seen her big sister change a diaper for the first time. Another blow was dealt to the child's emotional and mental state.

Hiashi rose, graceful and collected as ever. If one didn't know him, you could've been forgiven for saying that he didn't care at all that his wife was dead.

"Hinata, go shower and report to your tutor for your studies. Hanabi, go to the healer's. I expect the both of you to be prepared this time tomorrow for more training."

Hinata bowed and left, while Hanabi struggled to her feet. Her head hurt, her chest hurt, it hurt to breathe, and her forehead still stung from when they had put _it_ on her. The bandages Hanabi wore around her forehead were the only thing keeping her shame from being known to the world.

Hanabi missed her Mother so bad it was a struggle not to join her in the afterlife at her every waking moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why should I teach you this technique?" Tsunade asked the orphaned Haruno girl.

"Because I want to kill Shin'en."

"And why do you want to kill him?"

"He killed my parents."

"He's killed a lot of those recently."

Sakura slammed her hands down on Tsunade's desk, cracking the wood. Her green eyes blazed with fury. "Goddammit, don't fucking mess with me! He killed my parents, your sensei, and so many other people, they're still finding bodies in the rubble! Don't ask me why I want to kill him, you know already know why! WE BOTH WANT TO KILL THAT BASTARD FOR THE SAME FUCKING REASON!"

Sakura was heaving at the end of her rant, but her eyes never lost their fire, and Tsunade recognized this.

"Fine, be here at six in the morning every day for the next two years. Learning how to save life is one thing…learning how to take life is another. Dismissed, Chunin Haruno."

Sakura bowed, her flak jacket rustling. "Yes, Master."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _In the Hidden Sand_

Gaara was Kazekage now, Temari was the Sand's Jonin Commander/Ambassador, and Kankuro was the Commander of the reinstated Puppet Brigade. In the absence of Chiyo, Baki, and Pakura, training regimens had to be stepped up so as to keep the village in top shape, and Gaara had to do this by working out a deal with Minato to provide adequate Jonin instructors.

The body of Rasa had never been found, and it was the collective belief of the entire Village that Shin'en had taken the Fourth's body to a collection office. This belief spurned a Village wide loathing for the most wanted ninja in history, but no one could compare their hatred to that of the Sand Siblings.

Whenever those three trained, they did so against puppets designed to look like Shin'en, and all three teens brutally assaulted the puppets, smashing, cutting, and breaking them almost to the point of unsalvageabilty. One child happened upon the Kazekage training against a battalion of Shin'en puppets…that child's parents had to buy them night diapers due to bedwetting from the nightmares.

The Hidden Sand had put up their own bounty of Shin'en of the Cloud, one that Gaara got the Wind Daimyo to fully support:

Ten billion ryō.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Somewhere in the Shinobi World_

Naruko was dreaming. This was the tenth time in her memory that she had _this_ dream. The dream in which Percy was there, holding her tightly to him. The dream, like it always did, evolved from there, going from a tender moment of embracement to an act of pure bliss.

Naruko shot wide awake just as she felt _it_ spill out into her underwear, her body clenching as a wave of euphoria washed over her.

That was always the same. She and Percy would be doing things in the dream, and just when she was teetering on the edge of the blissful explosion, she would wake up just in time to soak herself. She never freaked out over it, she knew what was happening to her—a 'nocturnal emission' as it was called. She learned about it in class, during the sex ed seminar, and she had had a more detailed conversation with her mother about what to expect, and what it meant.

It was puberty, plain and simple, but that wasn't what had Naruko so confused. It was one thing to have a wet dream, it was another to have a wet dream of _Percy_. She didn't… _like_ him…like _that_ …did she…?

"Another one?" Jiraiya asked from the opposite side of their temporary camp.

It was surprising to Naruko how mature her godfather could truly be in these situations, given his reputation. The first time she woke up after a dream, she expected him to have a pen and paper out, ready to take notes on her recollections for one of his books, or at the very least be asking her who her dream was about so he could relentlessly tease her, but no.

He had so serious it had borderline scared Naruko. He had asked if she wanted to talk about, if she needed any help, or if she had any questions, now which she said no to all. Jiraiya just nodded and told her to clean up, because they still had training to do.

"Yeah," Naruko answered.

Jiraiya cracked a half-hearted grin of lechery, trying and failing to make a little humor out of the situation. "Was it about Sasuke~?"

"Yes."

She answered it with the same tone as one would've used to say 'no.' The barely-there smile dropped from the Sannin's face, and the false humor in his eyes faded immediately, "Go get dressed. We've got long walk ahead of us and since you're already awake, might as well get started now."

Naruko nodded, and exited her bedroll. She noted how the sun was about to begin its climb for the day. Finding a secluded area, the Jinchuuriki calmly began what had begun a ritual. She took off her orange short-shorts, and then her orange briefs. Then she took out the used pad in the crotch and burned it to ashes with an application of Fire chakra, something she had picked up in her training with Jiraiya.

Naruko started using pads when she slept after her third wet dream, like the two before it, soaked clean through her underwear and shorts straight into her bedroll. Really, it was an impromptu diaper for all the purpose that it served, but still. A wet pad beat having to wash cum stains out of her clothes and bedroll.

Another thing Naruko had learned under Jiraiya was storage Seals, ones that kept everything a girl could need on her body at all times. Everything from spare outfits to hygiene equipment. The Jinchuuriki used a few wipes to clean and moisturize herself down there, put on a pair of clean underwear, took off her shirt, unsealed her clothes for the day, put them on, and then sealed up her nightwear for washing at the next possible availability.

She returned to the camp to find Jiraiya packed and waiting on her. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

Naruko nodded and picked up the corpse—one of hers—placing it on her back in a fireman's carry. This was why Jiraiya couldn't make a joke earlier: hard to be comical when you're transporting a dead body for money. This was but one of money exercises Naruko had engaged in over the past year in her crusade to discover the intricacies of the dark world she lived in, so that she could fix it.

She was drawing a blank for an answer, and she was beginning to fear that she was becoming like Percy.

Jaded.

Cynical.

Vengeful.

And hateful of this world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _In the Hidden Cloud_

Yugito refused to speak to Ei, and was barely vocal with Bee. Cee had separated from the group. He hadn't ever been the same since Percy killed Darui…Yugito still had trouble wrapping her head around that one.

It was nighttime, yet a storm raged outside, pounding her veranda window like a hundred beggars desperately begging for food. It had been over a year now, since there had been any sighting of Percy. No, Yugito knew the boy was just fine, as in still alive. It was just…where was he? What was he doing? What had he been doing? What did he plan on doing?

It was these things that Yugito worried about…it was these things that a mother worried about.

The Jinchuuriki had accepted that years ago, that she had become Percy's mother-figure, and it was all due to fucking _Ay's_ great idea to turn Percy into a living weapon by emotionally conditioning him to constantly be on a teetering state of caring and uncaring. A mental state like that wasn't good for anyone, especially a child—a traumatized child.

Percy hadn't need training, he had needed therapy, a psychiatrist, a loving environment, a hug—hell, a goddamn teddy bear would've been better than what Ay did.

But none of that mattered now. Perhaps, in another world, Yugito had her son with her right now, holding him while they watched TV, holding him as he slipped off into the realm of sleep, holding him as the nightmares of that night came back to try and terrorize him…but alas, this was not another world. This was _this_ world.

And the closest thing Yugito would ever get to having her son back was this picture of them.

It probably could've sold for billions of ryō for the simple fact that this was probably the only picture left in existence of Percy _smiling._

Yugito cradled the picture of her and her baby close to her bosom, tears falling from her eyes.

"Percy, wherever you are, please be safe…"

Lightning illuminated Yugito's living room, and the thunder clap that came not a full second later nearly broke the glass of the veranda doors.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's what's happening in the rest of the world. Naruko finds herself falling for Shin'en, Yugito is worried sick for Shin'en, and everyone else wants to kill Shin'en. This story was not supposed to be about drama, but damn if it ain't looking dramatic.**_

 _ **Now, you may have noticed that while I covered a lot of people and places, I did not show anything for Minato, Kushina, Menma, Team Guy or the Hidden Mist. That is because I did not want to. Not for this chapter.**_

 _ **So how about the Rookie Nine, eh? Getting a little taste of the dark side, ain't we? The sad part is that all of them together couldn't hold a candle to Shin'en. And how 'bout them Uchiha brothers? With Fugaku and Mikoto and the rest of the clan dead and gone, they are the last ones left, and they are both trying to kill each other and take the eyes. Brotherly love, amiright?**_

 _ **In other news, we have Shin'en taking the place of Kira in but one of many dimensions of**_ **Death Note** _ **. That's going to be a blast, especially because no one there stands a chance against the Abyss.**_

 _ **In other, other news…I finally got a job, and I start on Monday. No idea how that will affect updates, but you can expect less frequency. A lot less frequency.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	57. A Different Kind of Kira

_A Different kind of Kira_

 _ **Holy shit, we just blew the 800 review mark out of the water! You guys rock!**_

 _ **Okay, so we have Shin'en as Kira in this broken**_ **Death Note** _ **dimension. One person pleaded that he would be intellectual instead of simply curb stomping everyone with raw power. All I can say is that I've got a plan. Shin'en will have a plan.**_

 _ **Now, without further ado, let's see what Shin'en can do as the legendary Kira!**_

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Kanto Region of Japan_

 _2007_

Shin'en was standing on top of one of the many dozens of skyscrapers of this metropolitan area. The polluted air made him nauseas, and he couldn't help but marvel at the atmospheric differences between the Shinobi World and this dump. There was a direct correlation between the dirty air and the insane number of factories and automobiles. The Shinobi World would never become like this; there weren't any schools or institutes that taught this level of engineering, and if there ever was a civilian that magically awoke the brains necessary to build an engine, he or she would most likely be assassinated very shortly.

Mostly because anyone around them would view them as creepy, strange, and not right in the head, and would hire a shinobi to get rid of the nonconforming outlier. Or the civilians would save some money and band together, and burn the budding engineer at the stake. Shin'en had seen it happen before.

Anyway, none of that mattered right now. What mattered was making a plan for tackling this place, and when making a plan, it was best to review what you already knew.

Right, the Death Note granted its user the power to kill in an infinite number of ways, so long as the methods of death were actually possible, and the user had a good imagination. Light Yagami, who didn't exist here, would find the Death Note, and would be warped and twisted by the Note's allure, going from a righteous crusader ridding the world of crime and punishing the guilty, to a megalomaniac with a god and messiah complex.

Light's greatest enemies would be L Lawliet, Nate Rivers, and Mihael Keehl, all of them coming from Wammy's House. In this current year, L would be in his twenties, with Near and Mello being in their early teens, just like Shin'en. He knew that Wammy's House was somewhere in England, but that was the extent of his knowledge, just like he didn't know _what_ the three enemies of Kira looked like, or where L was.

Now, none of those three were even remotely threats to Shin'en, for he did not exist in this world. Oh sure, there might be a Percy Jackson living in New York, and there might be other gods besides the Shinigami, but that was nothing L could use to track Shin'en down. The only reason L was able to get on Light's trail was because Light existed in the _Death Note_ dimension.

Light had a birth certificate, public records, standing, credentials; Light had things that could be tracked, looked into, and followed.

Shin'en had none of that. He was a ghost to this world, and that automatically gave him an advantage that couldn't be easily trumped.

Now, Kira's role in this world was to be a judging entity that killed criminals first and foremost, and anyone that got in his way was also fair game to be eliminated. However, Shin'en would be Kira in this world, and while Amaterasu told him to think of criminals as shinobi to give him motivation to actually _try_ in this world, it was the wrong motivation.

Shin'en's motivation was getting his power back, and if memory served, the odyssey of Light Yagami lasted for five-ish years…Shin'en was not about to spend five years of his life playing cat and mouse with L and his successors. Which brought the question of: should he even bother with those three?

…

Yes, they would have to be dealt with. While Kira was an effective killer and brilliant strategist, his plan took many weeks and months to come to fruition, and it took time to kill that many people, and since Shin'en didn't have any plans to be here longer than necessary, he would need to find someone with a sharp mind and a strong sense of justice to take over the Note, and if L, Near, and Mello were still alive, they would eventually expose this second Kira, and all the work Shin'en had done for this world would be _un_ done.

So, yes. Those three had to be killed, and a successor to the Death Note would have to be found…Shin'en was going to have to find Mikami sometime soon. Ah, shit.

He was going to have to deal with Ryuk and Misa Amane too.

Shin'en lit a cigarette. Okay…he needed to get to the high school and get the Death Note…then he needed to find access to the internet, so that he could have a baseline on the criminals that needed killing…then he was going to have come up with a plan to kill L, Mello, and Near—whose faces and locations he did not know…and somehow keep Amane from being a thorn in his side…and Rem, too. Couldn't forget about Rem.

Perhaps the biggest downside to all this was that Shin'en did not know how the future was supposed to play out. He knew that Kira would eventually beat L, and that Near and Mello would eventually beat Kira, and Misa and Mikami and Takuda would all come into play at some point, but the dates of all these events were unknown, as were the details.

So many unknowns, and so many variables…still, it wasn't like Shin'en was here to test himself in any way, form, or fashion. The only reason he engaged Acnologia in the form of Satori was to test Satori's powers. If Shin'en hadn't had Satori, or just didn't want to use Satori, he never would have made his presence known and would've just used Kura Okami to freeze Acnologia and watch him shatter into pieces.

Shin'en wasn't here to test his mind against L's, or Near's, or Mello's. He was here to kill people, change the world, and make sure that the world would never go back to being what it was without Kira…and he had complete and utter freedom in how to do that. If he wanted to use the Death Note, he would use the Death Note. If he wanted to freeze the atmospheric water droplets into a city-sized glacier ten thousand feet in the air and drop it on a continent, he would freeze the atmospheric water droplets into a city-sized glacier and drop it on a continent.

Make no mistake: Shin'en was not here to play games.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Daikoku Private Academy_

The sun was bleeding against the sky when Shin'en arrived at the place where Light Yagami would've attended school had he been born. The demigod stood on top of one of the buildings, overlooking the yard. Now, where was the Death Note…ah! There it was.

Shin'en leapt from the roof, and sailed all the way down to where the Note was, and he picked it up.

Just like that.

The school's bell rang loudly, and Shin'en dispersed into a cloud of water vapor before anyone could see him, and cause annoying questions to sprout from all corners of the woodwork. The demigod rematerialized in an alley in the city, scaring a drunken hobo.

"Hey, wuh thuh fucks!?"

Shin'en kicked the smelly man in the face, knocking him out cold. Cars continued to honk loudly and passersby continued on their way like nothing had happened. Alrighty then…what to do, what to do, what to do…

Shin'en closed his eyes, going into deep thought. The world and its noise faded away as his mind worked overtime on a level he hadn't used since he manhandled the gods. The cogs and gears mashed and grinded together in his head as ideas were born and killed left and right. Strategies and plans were built up and torn down with equal speed. Pros and cons were carefully weighed and measured.

The demigod's eyes snapped wide open.

Now _that_ was an idea.

Once again, he dispersed himself into vapor, and rematerialized far away, in an abandoned building overgrown with grass and weeds. Now miles away from any public eye, Shin'en crossed his fingers into a cross-shape, and molded his chakra…a lot of it. His face contorted into one of sheer pain, but he pulled it off nonetheless.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu."

In a gigantic cloud of smoke, exactly one thousand duplicates of the demigod appeared, all of them crammed into what was most likely the auditorium of this rundown place. Shin'en leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his nerves and chakra coils on fire. Any more than that amount, and he very well could've sent himself into shock from the sheer amount of pain his body suddenly underwent.

His breathing eventually evened out, and his eyes hardened. There was work to be done. For the next hour, Shin'en tore exactly ten thousand pages out of the Death Note, the notebook magically refilling its pages, so that each Clone had ten pages to work with. After the pages were all passed out, Shin'en said a single word.

"Disperse."

Every Shadow Clone vanished in spurts of vapor.

There was no need for an explanation, there was no need for a given set or orders and objectives, there was no need for words of encouragement or motivation. Each Clone knew what it was created to do, and they sped off to do it. Now, by himself once again, Shin'en felt the disturbance of the water vapor about ten feet to his left, just out of range of his peripheral vision. Judging by just _how_ the air was disturbed, and the fact that the shape had no water in it, Shin'en safely assumed that this was the Shinigami.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would show up…Ryuk."

"Oh-ho," came the rough and guttural voice of the Shinigami, "the human already knows my name and isn't freaking out at the sight of me. Not only that, but he can make clones of himself—really fast clones—and has an idea of how to use the Death Note without even opening it up to read it. I knew the moment you picked up the Note that you were going to be very _interesting_."

"Interesting…yes, I guess you could call me that. You dropped this here because you were hoping for some amusement, yes?"

"That's right."

"Give me a few days, then tell me how amused you are."

Ryuk chuckled, his eyes glowing pure red. "Alright, _Perseus_."

Shin'en didn't react to the Shinigami knowing his birth name, but he did ask this: "Can you tell me when I'm going to die, too?"

"Now that would be telling."

"Fine then. If you'll excuse me, I have a world to change."

Shin'en burst into a flock of frigate birds that all darted for the open windows of the abandoned building. Ryuk's eyes never lost their crimson glow.

"Oh, yeah…very interesting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Ten days later_

Three of Shin'en's Shadow Clones had dispelled, giving their fellows and their creator much needed information. With it, the original set out to perform his role as Kira. From the time that the Clones had dispelled to the present, a grand total of 147 Japanese inmates, all of them convicted felons awaiting the death penalty, were found dead in their cells from 8 P.M. to 11 P.M.

Shin'en had to give L _something_ to go on.

Honestly, after ten days of killing, the demigod was beginning to wonder if L was even going to do something.

Currently, we find Shin'en sitting atop a building in the bustling metropolitan area of Kanto. Beneath him, cars and people scurried about, all of them too busy with their daily lives to look up and see the cloaked boy above. On the side of one of the many buildings was a massive TV screen, playing the news. More dead inmates, of course.

People had already taken to calling the entity responsible for these murders 'Kira.' Good…good mindless little sheep. Anyway, Shin'en was rapidly scribbling away names in the Death Note, squeezing as many as ten names on a single line—shinobi training: write small and write fast—when the news broadcast was interrupted by a man apologizing for the interruption, saying that the ICPO had a message for everyone.

"Oooo, this should be interesting," Ryuk commented.

"Indeed." Shin'en glued his eyes to the broadcast.

The screen cut to a well-dressed man with blue eyes, sitting in front of a symbol of the world wreathed in olive branches with a scale beneath it. The placard in front of the man read Lind L. Taylor.

"I head-up an international police task force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Taylor…otherwise known as 'L.'"

Time all but came to a stop as Shin'en heard those words. He stared at the man on the screen, eyes cold and hard. So _this_ was Kira's greatest enemy? How foolish of him to show his name and face in a public setting like this—he had all but signed his death warrant.

Shin'en picked up his pen, and started writing the man's name…then he stopped. He looked back at the screen.

' _The enemy of Kira, L, is a genius with only one equal. It's already suspected that Kira has the ability to kill across distance, and is using some method to get ahold of names of criminals, so why would you be stupid enough to show yourself in public like this, broadcasting yourself across the world…unless Taylor is merely a puppet, and the real L is watching these proceedings from a safe place.'_

Shin'en smirked, and Ryuk hovered backward just a few inches.

' _Alright then, L…you want Kira? Here he is.'_

The demigod finished writing Taylor's name, but he proceeded to scribble down an entire page's worth of details that would lead up to the man's death. Shin'en finished his writings with a simple period, and he watched the screen with narrow eyes and a thin line of a mouth.

"My, that's a really detailed way to die," Ryuk commented. Then he took a closer look at the words written, and he busted out laughing. Shin'en ignored the cackling Shinigami, and instead focused on counting.

' _30…31…32…33…34…35…36…37…38…39…40.'_

Lind L. Taylor seized up as the power of the Death Note took hold.

"I am Kira," he announced loudly, and the masses gasped. "I have many powers, and I use these powers to punish the guilty and the criminals. I seek to create a world without evil and crime, a world in which people can leave their houses with their doors unlocked, a world in which a woman can walk down the street at night and not have to worry about being mugged or raped.

"L, I presume you are a smart person, and would not be so stupid as to claim to oppose me on live television like this, so it is safe to assume that the man that I am controlling is merely a double, a man acting in your stead. How smart of you, but also very foolish, for I now have a vessel in which I can reach the world with.

"I am Kira, the light of a new world in which men are safe from themselves and the evil are punished. You stand against me, L—you stand against true, divine justice, and that makes you evil as well, for a righteous man would stand not against the savior of this world, but would seek to aid them. Therefore, let this be a declaration of war. You will not defeat justice, L.

"To the people who are watching this broadcast, I ask you to take a stand. Take a stand against the evil and the guilty, the corrupt and the crime-ridden. Take a stand with justice and righteousness, and stand against the evil that would oppose the savior of a world in which there is nothing to fear.

"A fair word of warning to L before I take my leave," Taylor's eyes gained a sudden gleam to them, "beware those who bear the red clouds against the black night."

Taylor gagged and grasped at his chest, before he fell flat on his face, dead of a heart attack.

Shin'en stared silently at the screen as the man was dragged away by two others. Ryuk was hovering in the back. "You wrote that entire monologue in under 40 seconds…I'm impressed. Not many humans can write that fast and that well."

Before the gothic Shinigami could say anything else, the screen went white, with a massive, stylized 'L' taking up most of the screen. A robotic voice was then heard.

" _Greetings, Kira, I am L. You are correct in that was a double. You may also find it interesting that the man you killed, Lind L. Taylor, was an inmate scheduled for execution today. The police arrested him in total secrecy, and it was never posted on the media or on the internet, so it seems that there are things you do not know, even with your powers._

" _Another thing you'll find interesting to know is that while we said this was a world-wide broadcast, this is in fact a broadcast being aired in the Kanto region only. The first person that died of a heart attack was from the Kanto region, and from there it only spiraled out to all of Japan. We originally planned to broadcast this all over the world for however long it took to find you, but we got lucky on the first try._

" _As for your belief in that you are a savior…you are delusional. You claim that you kill people to make this world a better place, yet you stoop to the level of a common criminal by killing others. Regardless of the motive and the reason, killing is still killing, and I will find you, and I will put a stop to you. I will do this, Kira, because you are evil._

" _No matter how much you defend yourself or claim otherwise, you are evil. Already, you've killed well over a hundred people, and you will no doubt continue to kill in your delusional fantasy that you are shaping the world into a better place. A world shaped by killing is no better than a world like it is today. As for your warning…consider me warned."_

The screens across Kanto went back to their original broadcasting. Immediately, conversations, debates, and arguments exploded across the entire region over who was right and who was wrong. From his perch, Shin'en ignored all of this, content to dwell on his own thoughts.

Bullshit, all of it. What he had commanded Taylor to say in the Note had all been a mere play of theatrics and a little bit of personal fun. Shin'en wasn't here to argue morals and philosophy; he was here to play Kira and be one step closer to his full power, and playing Kira involved believing that he was a god, that he was justice, and that L was an enemy to be defeated.

The part about the red clouds and the black night was to put L on the hunt for the Akatsuki cloak.

It was important to the plan.

"What happens next, Perseus?"

"What happens next," he echoed distantly. "What happens next is that Kira broadens his reach across the world."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _L's padded room of solitude_

L sat silently in front of his computer, debating his next move. Kira's warning was ringing loudly in his head, as was the fact that Kira apparently had the power to control people before he killed them, and there was also the question of just how Kira was able to kill. Well, the last one, there was a correlation between all the victims, and that was the fact that their names and faces were all available online, and Taylor's face and name had been presented publicly, so perhaps that was how Kira killed: he needed a name and a face.

L filed that theory away for further study.

Now, that warning…beware those who bore the red clouds against the black night. A uniform? A flag? A banner? A euphemism? A code? A key phrase to a code? Articles of clothing? A cult? A distraction? Hmmm…perhaps all of these, perhaps none of these, but Kira had said 'those,' as in multiple people. Perhaps Kira was a syndicate after all.

With a bit more thinking, L pressed the button.

"Detective, have your men search all known records of things involving red clouds against a black backdrop. Do not overlook anything. Books, movies, television, religion, billboards, banners, flags, even all articles of clothing, from socks and underwear to trench coats and cloaks. Thank you."

L released the button and sat down, his wild hair hiding his upper face.

"Kira…you call yourself justice. You couldn't be any more wrong. _I_ am justice."

His computer buzzed, telling him that Watori had something already. The screen switched to the one-way view that L enjoyed for the simple fact that he could see their faces but they couldn't see his…and it made him all mysterious-like.

"You found something already?"

" _Yes, well, technically speaking. One of the men here was searching red clouds and black cloaks, going off what you told us to look for in terms of clothing, and he found something immediately. We found…a manga."_

L blinked. "Which one?"

" _Ah…_ Naruto, _sir. The antagonists, the Akatsuki, or the Red Moon, or Dawn, wear black cloaks with red clouds on them. We did a little more digging real fast and discovered that the Akatsuki's goal in_ Naruto _is to change the world by making a superweapon that will scare all the world into submission."_

"Well, that is certainly symbolic of Kira, but it can't be that easy. He's already told us his goal for the world, so telling us to look at a manga isn't what he's warning about. Hmmm, what are you trying to tell us, Kira…"

L's mind worked and worked and worked, going through dozens of theories in seconds. Finally, he had a course of action.

"Detective, have all surveillance teams and equipment be on the look-out for people wearing the Akatsuki's cloak."

" _Sir, you want us to…hunt down cosplayers?"_

L could practically feel Kira laughing at him.

"Yes," L said. "I want you to hunt down cosplayers."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Across the world, the Clones Shin'en had created, the ones that had stowed away on airplanes and cruise ships, began their work. Across the world, hundreds upon hundreds of criminals began dropping like flies. Across the world, crime rates were plummeting like objects from orbit. Across the world, governments and law enforcement agencies scrambled to find those wearing black cloaks with red clouds, only to find rumors and blurry pictures of sightings. Across the world, the hand of Shin'en stretched and encompassed everything.

Across the world, the judgement of Kira was absolute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **I was going to make this just another long chapter that would end with L, M, and N dead, but I thought, 'Hey, why not keep the readers on their toes for a bit?'**_

 _ **I hope I was able to capture L's dialogue correctly. It is actually rather difficult writing dialogue true to character when said character has an IQ somewhere in the 300s.**_

 _ **So, any ideas on what Shin'en's master plan is? Any inklings or suspicions you would like to share with me? Do you think it's possible for L and others to win? Or does Shin'en have this in the bag already? Did he ever**_ _ **not**_ _ **have victory assured? Will Ryuk have any true impact on this story? Will Misa? Or Mikami? Hell, will Near and Mello even have scream time?**_

 _ **Find out in the next thrilling chapter of the epic saga of**_ **Backup Plan!**


	58. Kira Victorious

_Kira Victorious_

 _ **Well guys, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long.**_

 _ **The thing is, my job doesn't actually take that much time out of my week. It's just that the powers at be insist on taking these online company educational courses. Now, I keep a log of which ones I do for how long I do them, and I do get paid for it, as it's technically on-the-clock stuff. The problem is that the courses are long, slow, buggy, and have a very bad tendency to become unresponsive, so I have to kill the pages and reload the courses.**_

 _ **Luckily my progress is saved, but for the love of God this crap is tedious. They told me the most important course was only supposed to be two hours long—I'm still trying to finish it three days later because it keeps freezing!**_

 _ **But anyway.**_

 _ **You guys aren't here to hear about my woes, you guys are here to read about being dying.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

L was furious, plain and simple.

It had been ten days since the broadcast in Kanto, and the amount of deaths caused by heart attack, Kira's M.O., had skyrocketed. And it wasn't even in Japan, either. All over the world, people were dropping like flies. Of course, the fucking internet wasn't helping; you could just get on Google on search up inmate lists of any prison on the planet, and boom.

Criminals out the ass.

Already, there were reports coming in from the U.S. about how 43% of their prisons were now devoid of prisoners. And the only people that cared about all the corpses were the families of the recently deceased; the majority of the civilian population was raising a glass in Kira's name. And that was just the United States.

Prisons across the world were reporting mass-deaths, giving crematoriums and cemeteries a workout not seen since the Holocaust.

Although, there was knowledge to be found here. All the prisons that were reporting dead inmates had their inmate rosters posted online. The prisons in the world that didn't do that, such as Black Dolphin and Carandiru, reported no one dead that couldn't have been found online, which meant Kira was getting his information from the net.

Of course, all prisons had to enter inmate information into their databases, at least the prisons with the technology to do that, which meant that that information could be accessed via hackers and the like, using deep web software…which hadn't happened yet, but was still a high possibility.

Basically, the third world had yet to be visited by Kira.

Speaking of, this whole situation didn't make plausible logic to L. Well, a person having the power to kill across distance didn't make sense in the first place, but that wasn't what had L so confounded. Originally, Kira killed on a time table, from 8 P.M. to 11 P.M., suggesting a student using their free time to kill people, but after the Kanto incident— _right after_ the Kanto incident—the killing exploded into a completely unreliable pattern.

No time tables, no specific locations, no discerning factors, nothing. The only constants were heart attacks and internet-available information. The speed and great number of the deaths suggested that either Kira had a lot of free time on his hands, could control the time of death and had all this planned out weeks in advance, or Kira was actually an organization with world-wide numbers…an organization that had yet to reach any of the third world prisons.

Hmm.

Speaking of organization: the Akatsuki. The Kanto incident had been caught on tape and uploaded to the internet by someone—L had it investigated, and the uploader had been a teenage girl looking for attention; nothing to go on there—and it went viral almost instantaneously. Suddenly, the parents of teenage children with interest in _Naruto_ were making sure their children never wore their Akatsuki cloaks in public, not because they all made the connection of the red clouds against the black night, but because L decided the information needed to be made public so that valuable time and resources weren't being wasted on interrogating terrified manga fans.

If Kira truly wanted people in Akatsuki cloaks to be noticed, then it would be his people, not kids…unless the kids were his people, but that was a line of thought and hypothesizing for another time; L didn't have enough cake on hand for that kind of thinking right now.

Masashi Kishimoto had, of course, been notified of Kira's warning and the connection to his work, and the man had stopped his writing and pulled his manga from the shelves so as not to endorse a killer like Kira.

If nothing else, now Kira had enemies in the form of fanboys/girls.

Speaking of Kira's support, be it negative or positive, the world was in a twist. There were people that sided with Kira, the person that was actually doing something about crime and criminals, the person that was doing more than any government or prison, and of course there were the people that were against Kira because they saw him as what he truly was:

An evil murderer that needed to be stopped.

Since the first suspected Kira killing to the present, there had been over _fifty thousand_ confirmed killings. Yes, not every heart attack victim was the result of Kira's work, because what purpose did Kira have in mind when killing the elderly, the diabetic, and the morbidly obese? Ridding his new world of the supposedly weak and unhelpful? No, that wasn't Kira's M.O.

Kira killed criminals, which might've been righteous to a lot of people—hell, even L didn't feel a thing when a criminal he himself convicted was executed—but he did it outside the law, outside the just and truly righteous constraints of true justice, and that's what made L so furious with Kira. The person saw themselves as above the law, as some kind of divine savior, and that was bullshit.

No one was above the Law, not even L, and be damn sure that L wasn't going to let Kira get away with this.

All this death…L would make sure that justice was served.

But before that could happen, L needed some fucking suspects to investigate! Seriously, there was _no one_ the Task Force had on their suspect list. The first people to be thought of were the high school and college students of the Kanto region, ones with high IQs. Yes, there were many students with incredibly high scores and grades, but none of them had the mentality to be Kira, at least outwardly, but the FBI agents and the bugs and the wiretaps confirmed that none of Kanto's brightest were Kira.

Focused was switched to younger students, because it always the young ones you had to look out for, and yes, Kanto had some bright young minds, once more it was the thorough investigations that destroyed all suspects' chances of being Kira.

So that left the Task Force and L with nothing to go on.

They had a ghost that used the internet to kill people with some ESP ability.

L's eyes narrowed as that thought crossed his mind. The internet, huh? Well, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, at least it sounded like it would be like that, but the only other idea L had was to start combing through the world's entire internet search history, looking for any IP address that had any semblance of a search for inmate rosters and prisons.

L sighed to himself, tired, stressed, and angry at this whole situation.

He was beginning to think he would need help with this case, a few extra minds almost as good as his own. He wondered if it would be detrimental to bring Near and Mello into the fold just a few years early…

Regardless, when L caught Kira and watched the person/persons be executed, it would be a good day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what were all those clones you made a few days ago for?"

"Information gathering."

"What kind of information?"

"The kind necessary for the plan."

"And the plan would be…?"

"To change the world."

"And you're going to do that how?"

"By killing criminals."

"And by killing a few thousand bad guys, you're going to fix all the world's problems?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"No how?"

"There are more problems with this world that just criminals."

"Such as?"

"Poverty, corruption, starvation, sanitation, pollution, obesity, social and political divisions."

"Divisions over what?"

"Religion, atheism, gender dysphoria, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc."

"And all that stuff is a bad thing? I thought diversity among humans was what made them such a great species compared to other animals."

"Animals are animals. The only thing that makes a human better than a monkey is that a human has the higher mental function to discern between right and wrong, and make decisions based on prior knowledge of laws and morals…in most cases. Other than that, all animals are the same. We eat, we sleep, and we shit. Humans just think they're better because we have this thing called society, and it gives us this false sense of superiority."

Ryuk's smile never left his face, and it was during Shin'en's monologue that his fanged grin got wider. "Well, that's certainly an interesting view on humanity. It was enlightening."

"Happy to make your day."

"You didn't answer my question though."

"Which would be?"

"What you said about religion and that gender-whatever…is all that a bad thing?"

Shin'en stopped his writing in the Death Note, and looked Ryuk in the eye, matching crimson with crimson.

"In the grand scheme of things? No, not at all. A person's views on whatever subject matter are, invariably, irrelevant. Whether humanity destroys itself in nuclear fire, or there's a pandemic, or if alien invaders come and take over the planet, it doesn't matter. Regardless if humanity achieves interplanetary travel or not, the sun will burn itself out and explode, destroying this planet and everything on it. Therefore, no matter what happens in humanity's history, all concepts and notions of gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and anti-religion are pointless.

"However, they say there's no time like the present, and it's in the present that these issues are relevant. Are these things bad? That depends on how you look at it. In terms of life, no, they are not bad. Human life is short and fleeting, and it is a human's job to make the most of the miniscule time they're given to live their life as they want. If believing in a deity is what you wish to do, then do so, and the same goes for atheism and the otherwise gender disoriented.

"But, on the other end of how to look at things…in terms of society, these things are the most destructive the world has ever seen. The wars and debates between the existence of a god and the power of science, combined with the heavy amounts of hate towards this gay community, have fractured society in a way that slavery and the Civil Rights Movement never even came close to approaching."

Ryuk's eyes were nothing more than red lamps in the shadows of the setting sun. "And what do you of these sides of the argument."

Shin'en never broke contact with the Shinigami. "The divisions both sides bring to the table are detriments to the New World, and, just like criminals, they will be dealt with soon."

"Oh? How so?"

"Let's just say that after I'm done with this world, the population will be lucky to reach seven thousand."

Ryuk cackled madly, and Shin'en went back to writing. When the Shinigami calmed back down, Ryuk asked, "With a plan like that, is this L guy still a factor?"

Shin'en finished his writing, and snapped the Death Note shut. "Not anymore."

"What happens now?"

With a mental command that traversed space and time, the Shadow Clones created several days ago, the ones that hadn't already dispelled to share their gathered information, started poofing out one by one in three second intervals. As their memories stacked on to Shin'en's, he reviewed everything that they did, and everything that they learned, and everything they wrote down on their pages.

When he finished assimilating their knowledge, he dispersed into a cloud of vapor, and reappeared all the way at the Japanese coast, where he waded into the cold waters of the Pacific, and eventually found himself sitting in liquid darkness, so deep that there was no light down here…and the plan commenced.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Originally, Shin'en was going to show himself briefly in public, just long enough to be seen by police. From there, he would allow himself to be chased until it was convincing that he was caught…or at least the Shadow Clone would be caught. From there, the duplicate would either by interrogated by L personally, or would start carving through bodies until it found L. When it found L, it would write down some instructions in the Death Note, instructions that would take control of L and make him tell the duplicate where Wammy's House, and then he would die of a heart attack.

Simple as that.

Then the Clone would dispel and share its gathered information.

When Shin'en made all of those Shadow Clones in the beginning and told them to disperse, they did so across the globe, boarding planes and cruise liners to all corners of the map to gather information from all information nodes. Using the information from the Clone that killed L, the Clones in the United Kingdom would finish the job.

From there, with L, M, and N gone, the final stages of the plan would enter full swing.

Across the earth, people under the influence of the Death Note would begin to commit crime after crime at a rate that Kira couldn't keep up with. People would demand action from their governments. Pressured by the people, the powers at be would eventually find themselves under the power of the Death Note as well, and a bill would be put on the table.

This bill would authorize unrestricted military police action in all nations, and criminals the world-over would be shot on sight and their bodies burned. Of course, not every government official would have their name signed in the Death Note, and they would be opposed to such a bill…and there would be certain criminals that would go and kill these voices of dissent. Those left alive would have their opinions change, and the bill would be made international law.

Crime rates would suddenly plummet as the world realized that the governments weren't fucking around anymore. This new action would send a message to corporations and shadow organizations that otherwise controlled the governments, and these people would soon fall back into the amount of standing that the average second-hand store had, as the governments would either see these corporations and organizations as criminals and eradicate them, or because these people were smart and realized that the time of their reign over the world was over, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Then, one by one, the leaders of the world who signed the UMPA bill would start making poor life choices, such as drugs, drunk driving, underhanded dealings that would be discovered, gambling, fatty foods, etc., and they all would all find themselves in the grave…with patriotic men and women who believed in justice ready to step up and fill in the gaps.

All of them controlled by the Death Note, of course.

From there, the world would experience a new age of peace and existence, one in which criminals that were convicted guilty of murder, rape, child molestation, and all other most heinous crimes, would be executed on the spot. Of course, not all illegal action would be dealt with instant lethal force.

The poor mother of five struggling to provide for her family by herself stealing a bushel of apples wouldn't be killed; she would be helped, as would all in her situation. The world had plenty of money and resources, if used correctly by those not looking to line their pockets…by those controlled by the awesome power of the Death Note.

The world would truly know a golden age of politicians and leaders and officials who truly served the people.

That was all the original plan, but one of the Clones found something online, something that completely altered Shin'en's plan. That something was nuclear weapons. Also, upon this discovery, a new line of thought entered Shin'en's head.

Okay, so he uses the Death Note to crack down on crime and usher in a generation of non-corrupt politicians…so what?

The world was an ever changing place, with trends coming and going, fads rising and falling, eras marking their place in history before dying out. Shin'en was good, very good, but there were limits to his mental ability and foresight, and there was only so much he was willing to write in the Death Note for a single person.

Eventually, the politicians his Clones researched—if there was one thing Shin'en loved about the world his sister lived in, it was just how easily accessible information on the most powerful people in the world was; a quick Google search, and he had every member of Congress on file—would die due to the Death Note, and every politician he researched to take their place would die of old age. Shin'en was not about to go through the painstaking effort of narrating a child or teenager's life to put them on the path to government.

That was just too much time and effort, and it was highly impractical.

The point was that humanity would slowly crawl back to its state of corruption and filth, whether it be a few decades or maybe even a century or two, but the state of the world like it was now would resurface and wreak havoc once more. And so Shin'en was going to fix that.

He was going to wipe the board clean.

He was going to delete the system and make a new one.

 _He was going to hit the reset button._

It wasn't hard at all, especially with the constraints for launching a nuclear missile available online. Just a few names and instructions in the Death Note, and boom. _Literally_.

There didn't have to be a reason, only a phone call. With that phone call came men bound by duty and orders to turn the keys. With the keys turned, the silo doors in the countryside and on the subs opened. With the doors opened, the missiles went up. With the missiles up, they will come back down. When they came back down, the world will never be the same again.

Oh, not everyone would die, and not everywhere would be hit. There would be enough pockets of humanity left, enough areas of vegetation left for habituation, enough hospitable landmass left on the planet for the remaining humans to repopulate and grow in size. With the limited amount of space though, due to radiation, humanity could only get so large again until there was a population crisis…and then they would themselves back down to size.

In this new society, a democracy may rise, or a dictatorship, or a monarchy, or whatever. Shin'en didn't know, nor did he care. It would be his problem…it would L's, and Near's, and Mello's, and Watori's, for they would survive the bombs, and they, under the power of the Death Note, would know where to find these remaining humans, and would know where to take them to a safe haven, and from there, those four would lead until their times came.

Light was a brilliant man, but he thought too small. You didn't change the world and make it permanent by ridding the world of criminals. You permanently changed the world by changing the population, shrinking the problems down to a manageable level, shrinking the livable area down to a restrictive environment so that the problems couldn't big enough again to be actually be real problems.

You may be asking how Shin'en was able to find L and friends, and the answer was simple: demigod dreams.

It was so obvious and easy that Shin'en himself kicked his own ass for forgetting about his divine power of Essence Projection. He just went to sleep, separated himself from his physical body, and thought about finding L Lawliet. Then, just like magic—because it _was_ magic—Shin'en found the scrawny man with the black hair and dark eyes, and then he found the albino in the white pajamas, and finally the blonde with the chocolate addiction. Now with faces to the names, the Death Note did its thing without fail.

As Shin'en sat at the bottom of the ocean, he could feel the ripples in the water from the megaton explosions all across the planet.

He had wondered if there were other gods here, so some of his clones had inspected the Berkeley area for Camp Jupiter, the Long Island Sound for Camp Half-Blood, Seattle for the Amazons, Manhattan for Olympus, Brooklyn for the Egyptians, and Boston for the Norse. The searches of the designated Shadow Clones yielded no results.

Hell, in the ocean like this, Shin'en should've sensed the presence of Atlantis, a menagerie of sea monsters, and even Jormungand, but there was nothing. It was strange feeling, honestly, being in a dimension in which the only gods were the Shinigami, but it was an even stranger feeling when Shin'en accessed the public birth records of the Manhattan hospitals, and found that he and his sister didn't exist in this particular world of _Death Note_.

It made sense, of course, seeing as this was a Shinto world, but still.

A world in which he just flat out did not exist…trippy.

"You know, I'm curious about something," Ryuk said, his voice not affected by the water.

"Oh?"

The Shinigami's eyes glowed in the darkness of the ocean. "Does your sister cause all those divisions you talked about earlier?"

Shin'en looked at Ryuk, and somehow, he wasn't panicking over Ryuk knowing about such things. "She does. If she were to go out and public hand in hand with her lover, her actions would cause friction and draw attention. Perhaps nothing verbal, but there would friction nonetheless."

"I _see_."

"Were you expecting my view to be different because she is family?"

"Maybe…you are such an _interesting_ person, Shin'en. I wonder, even though you aren't from around here, do the rules still apply?"

"What rules?"

Ryuk's red eyes seemed to glow brighter. "When a human comes into possession of a Shinigami's Death Note, that human and Shinigami are bound for life…until the human dies, of course. See what I'm getting at?"

"You want to know if you'll be able to come with me through the Multiverse."

"Ah, the realm of infinite possibilities. The amount of amusement that would bring…"

"You act like I'm not going to simply disown the Death Note and leave you here."

"Awww, come on," Ryuk said with false hurt. "After all this time we've spent together, you're just going to leave me like that?"

"Probably."

The water around Shin'en's left arm sizzled. He brought to his face, and rose a brow as the number there skyrocketed exponentially, quickly eclipsing seven billion, and continued to get higher.

"Funny how this works," Shin'en said. "I was told it functioned by being directly connected to my nervous system and memories to keep count of how many people I've killed in my life, but I don't think that's entirely accurate sometimes. For instance, I don't know how many people I'm killing with these bombs, and yet this tattoo has kept perfect record. How strange."

It was over eight billion now. It seemed the census was a bit off.

Shin'en didn't know it, but out of all the Percys that existed within the DI-verse, he now had the highest kill-count, surpassing the Assassin, the Kraken, the Alien, the Leviathan, and the Psychopath _combined_. It was a narrow margin, admittedly, only by a few thousand, but still. Even when another version of himself had also nuked the planet, even when all of that was added to the few thousand between the Kraken and the Assassin, and the few million between the Alien and Leviathan, the Abyss _still_ had the highest collection of bodies.

While Shin'en felt nothing for all the lives he just ended, a side effect of killing his emotions so many times to perform a mission with Yūrei, he still felt this nagging at the very bottom of his black heart. Perhaps it was sad realization that the number on his arm would only get higher and higher as the months wore on, the sad realization that he lived on death.

Percy let his arm back down, and he pondered on what Ryuk said. Would the Death Note even work outside its home dimension? No reason why it wouldn't, beyond interdimensional laws and rules. Hell, forget all that; would Amaterasu and the Shinigami King even _allow_ Shin'en to keep the Death Note?

Now that was a question that could only be answered one way…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

… _ **by the fans! So, does Shin'en get to keep the Death Note, and take Ryuk on the wildest ride in the Shinigami's life? Or does divine law prevent the Death Note from leaving its home dimension? You guys decide via reviews!**_

 _ **Also, another reviewer asked about**_ **Green-Eyed Ghoul** _ **and Persia. Should Percy's body switch gender, like the clownfish, to accommodate Persia' female personality and then switch back for the male personalities, or should his body remain permanently male, and leave Persia to crossdress? You guys decide in the review section!**_

 _ **How about that plan, huh? I bet none of you saw that coming, nuclear holocaust, with L and friends as the leaders of the remains of humanity, and how about Shin'en's views on so many matters? Do you agree, disagree, or have something else to say entirely?**_

 _ **I'm curious as to how everyone feels about this chapter, and its otherwise delicate subject matter and world views.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	59. The New WorLd

_The New WorLd_

 _ **Sweet mother Teresa on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz! Over 870 reviews, with a single chapter! You guys rock!**_

 _ **Anyway, the results of the unofficial votes are over, and it has been decided that Shin'en will keep the Death Note, Ryuk will stay with him (although everyone is of the firm opinion that the Note should be limited in power…you guys act like the Death Note is the only thing Shin'en would ever use from this point on), and that Persia from**_ **Green-Eyed Ghoul** _ **will get her own body upon switching personalities, based on the clown fish's ability to switch gender. Expect a visit from Artemis during the next chapter…sometime in the future.**_

 _ **Now, prepare yourselves for some deep conversations about human nature and the reality of this new world.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO, Naruto, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

L couldn't…he didn't…was this…how had… _what!?_

The detective's black eyes were wide and disbelieving as he stared at what was before him: slag, destruction, death, the skeletal remains of skyscrapers. It was the scene out of every apocalypse movie on the market. Ruins everywhere, nothing standing, everything gone. There was no sun, only a thick blanket of clouds—clouds that would most likely be there for a long time.

Watori was as stunned into silence as L as the aged man beheld the end of modern times.

L wasn't stupid, he knew what a post-nuclear attack looked like. He had been to Chernobyl, he had computer simulations, and it wasn't hard to figure out what a bomb exploding felt and looked like. An incoming star, a supernova, and shaking. Terrible, horrible shaking.

But _how_? How did the bombs get launched? How did they find their marks? _What_ were their marks in the first place? Where else got hit? Who launched the missiles? Why did they launch the missiles? What reasonable purpose could there have been to nuke Kanto Region, Japan?

Were the governments of the world _that_ desperate to kill Kira?

…

L's racing mind began to settle back down. Was Kira even dead now? Or was the bomb the direct result of Kira's machinations? It was proven that Kira could control his victims before their death, so it made sense that he could control world leaders and have them turn the keys, input the codes, and launch the missiles.

L clenched his fist. Why he was still alive, he didn't know. Why Watori was still alive, L didn't know. What he knew was that there were too many things that he did not know, and he needed to know them. First things first, what was happening elsewhere in the world.

"Watori…call the first person you can think of."

"I've tried, sir, but there is no service."

L's eyes twitched. Yes, that made sense. Nuclear explosion would've easily toppled any nearby cell towers, and no doubt the EMP pulse from the blast fried any remaining electronics. It looked like, due to the situation, he and Watori would have to walk to the nearest habituated area and pray that there were people still alive.

"Let's go, Watori. There's nothing more we can do from here."

"Yes, sir."

They had been standing in the ruins of a hotel, somehow still alive when everyone else was seemingly dead. They exited those scorched remains, and took to the street. Their footsteps echoed thunderously against the toppled buildings. They never saw any signs of life, nor any bodies. No skeletons, no charred remains, no ashes—nothing.

It was scary. It was eerie. It was quiet. Terribly quiet.

But it gave L time to think. What was to be done about food? Power was seemingly out, so no electricity meant no gas, which meant no stoves or microwaves or ovens, which meant no conventional cooking. Presumably, animals would now have to be hunted down, killed, cleaned, and their meat cooked over an open fire on a spit.

That was if animals still existed.

What was L saying— _of course_ animals still existed. Even if the world's entire nuclear payload went off around the world, L highly doubted all of Canada had been roasted, and her seriously doubted all marine life was suddenly gone. Granted, getting to somewhere like Canada was going to be a very big chore, and L didn't exactly have access to a fishing boat.

At the moment.

On the subject of animals still existing, how many people were left in the world? If he and Watori were the literal last humans alive, then L was going to find the nearest place that over a hundred feet high, and jump headfirst to the ground, because, if he and Watori were the last humans, that would mean that reproduction would be impossible between the two, and there would literally be no more point in existing on this scorched rock.

What was L supposed to do in that situation? Start a farm? Build a house? Live the rest of his days with an old man, one that would most likely be dead in a few days if a means of food wasn't found, or something fell on him, or radiation got into his old bones and –hey.

L did not know what radiation was supposed to feel like, but he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Yeah, it was a bit chillier than the norm due to the lack of substantial sun, but other than that…everything was fine. Air was breathable, the smell in the air wasn't terrible, all things considered, a little spot of a sun was visible in the blanket of clouds, and as a far as a wasteland went, this place was rather peaceful.

A small breeze brushed past L, and he heard something from behind.

"Now we can talk in private."

L whipped around and saw Watori gently being laid on the ground, a boy about as old as Near performing the act, a boy wearing red clouds against the black night. L knew who this was, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt right now.

"Kira."

"L."

Kira was not at all what the detective expected a mass murderer to look like. Sun-tanned skin, dark green eyes, black hair that hung low across the back of his neck and about his face, and combine that with the exceptionally androgynous appearance, L almost thought that Kira was a girl, but there were certain differences, just enough to confirm that Kira was definitely male.

"The nuclear bomb…did you do this?"

"Not just here, but everywhere."

L's eyes widened. "Everywhere?"

"Major cities, major suburbs, and any major prisons just a little bit out of the way of the blast radius. I have successfully rid the world of crime…temporarily."

L stumbled backward, beginning to hyperventilate as the magnitude of what he was being told crashed down on his shoulders. Nuclear—everywhere—people—dead—billions—gone—cities—rubble—corpses—ash—families—shattered—! L snapped. He screamed, a loud, despair, angry sound that boomed across the ruins of Kanto. The detective saw nothing but red, the entire world was red, everything was _red_ and Kira needed to be killed and stopped.

L didn't stop screaming when he charged Kira, charged the young teen…but everything that was red went black when something hit him on the head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

L started with a groan, his head aching and throbbing. Looking around, he saw that the sun wasn't much higher than what it had been, maybe an hour's worth of distance towards its zenith, but not any less or more. Watori had been propped up against a fallen building, his head against a pillow and a blanket covering him. The old man snored softly.

L saw Kira, calmly sitting on the ground about five feet away, cloak splayed around him, smoking a cigarette. L idly thought that he could now convict Kira of at least underage smoking, but what was the point of that? Everyone was dead now. There was only one question that L needed to ask. The detective looked at the monster.

"Why?"

"Why nuke the world, or why kill people in the first place?"

"Go with the latter and work your way to the former."

Kira shrugged.

 **[Death Note OST: Light's theme]**

"I wasn't lying when I said I sought to create a new world free of crime, one of order and peace, but when I looked beyond that goal, and looked beyond our own battle, I didn't see an end to anything. Crime is gone, so what? There's still going to be poverty, corruption, greed, and mass social division everywhere anyone looks.

"I actually had a really good plan. I was going to use my powers to start a massive crime wave across the globe, one that would've been 'too much' for Kira to handle. Also using my powers, I would've influenced all the world leaders to push for a bill that would allow unrestricted military police action. Not everyone would be on board, and those people would soon be killed off, and support for the bill would grow before it would be ratified.

"From there, world militaries and governments would crack down so hard on crime that the corrupt business men and women, the drug lords and cartel heads, the mafia bosses and the common street thief would all become law-abiding citizens again. Then, those that signed the bill would all start dying off through one means or another, and those vacant spots would've been filled by patriotic men and women, all of them filled with strong senses of lawful justice…and all under my powers."

L listened with rapt attention, his eyes unblinking, every detail being soaked in and absorbed.

"Then I took another look at things. Alright, I've made a world clean of crime, now what's going to happen? I'm eventually going to die, the people I put in office were eventually going to die, and I wasn't about to spend the rest of my life narrating those of others to make sure there would be endless generations of do-gooders ready to uphold the principles of peace and justice, and that's when I realized that nothing I would ever do would amount to anything.

"Humanity would remain divided over certain issues and concepts, corruption would eventually return to the governments, and the third world countries would inevitably return to their chaotic and dysfunctional roots. That's when I switched gears, and directed my powers at the world leaders, and got all of them launch their nukes at each other. Now we have a world that is truly different…at least, outwardly."

Kira suddenly went from wistful to frustrated, going from nostalgic to bitter. This was the part that L knew would be the true reveal behind Kira's actions. The detective kept silent, content with listening to his greatest rival finish his story.

"I say outwardly because yes, the landscape has been altered, the biomes changed, the atmosphere will eventually be different, and the population was drastically cut down from several billion to maybe a few thousand…but what has that truly changed about humanity as a whole? Will the survivors all turn to the Bible and beg God for forgiveness for whatever sins they committed? Will everyone curse God's name, and the names of other gods, for what I did? In the face of borderline extinction, will all mankind suddenly set aside their differences, looking past who is religious and who isn't, looking past who is gay and who is straight, looking past who is black and who is white? In light of this event, will any of humanity truly unite after millennia of division?

"No," Kira said simply, "they won't. We both know that. The remaining believers will most likely become zealots, preaching to all that this was an act of God against the sinful, and that now is the time for repentance in the face of the Revelation, and the remaining atheists will all band together and denounce this, most likely citing something along the lines of how could any god allow this to happen, especially because the Bible said God was supposed to a benevolent entity.

"The gays will most likely surge forward as well, using this tragedy to make a stand on the grounds that in the face of this nightmare, love is love and that it's important to be yourself in these times of crisis…which will spark the religious side, which will spark the atheists, and now we could very well have the first war in a new era, one that was bound to happen, because now without governments or police, there's nothing from stopping the last redneck from chugging down his beers, loading his shotgun, and going to town on the nearest fags.

"And that's nothing to say about any makeshift governments that would be formed by otherwise enterprising individuals looking to get that power they had always wanted since birth. Now what we have on our hands could be a very real reenactment of the _Lord of the Flies_. Of course, not every government that might sprout would be totalitarian or dictorial, we might even see the rise of a New America or something like that, and maybe it will go on to be strong in the faith and the Constitution for a few years to maybe a decade or two, before someone comes in and fucks it all up.

"Bottom line: history will repeat itself, and the remnants of mankind will once again go to war over the most trivial of matters."

 **[End OST]**

At some point during the monologue, L had taken to his usual sitting position on the balls of his feet and his thumbnail borderline in his mouth. He hadn't blinked at all for the past minutes, and at the end of Kira's speech, he asked, "Then why go through all this trouble if you knew that mankind would simply revert back to its primal roots?"

Kira smirked, and it was a smirk of derision and humorless bitter towards a concept that escaped L's comprehension.

"Now that's an explanation that you'll never get to hear, L. I bet you're wondering why of all the people left alive on the earth, you and Watori are among those numbers?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"The world has very few people left in it. There are those on oil rigs and submarines, those on ocean liners and shipping vessels, those in passenger aircraft and fishing boats. There are native tribes in the jungles and rainforests, the plains and the savannahs, the desert and the tundra. Against the previous population, there are very few, but there are still many…and they will need a leader, someone who believes in justice, someone who knows the law, someone who can think and problem solve.

"I chose you to be that leader, along with Watori, Near and Mello, both of whom are still alive at Wammy's House. In time, you will come to find these errant peoples across the earth, and it will be up to you to decide how to handle them. Will you be the guiding hand they'll need, or will you allow humanity to stumble and fall into oblivion? Either way, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've played my part and fulfilled my role."

Kira stood, and the angle at which L looked at him made it so that the sun shined dully around Kira, highlighting him in a faint glow, but one powerful enough that the shadow obscured Kira's features from L. All in all, it was an image seen only in movies and fiction, but here it was before L, in stark reality. It was an image that would be burned in L's memory for the rest of his days.

"Goodbye and good luck…Lawliet."

The clouds parted slightly, and Kira angled his body to the side, causing the sudden illumination to blind L. The detective gasped and covered his eyes, and he opened them soon after, blinking the bright spots out of his eyes. When the rods and cones returned to normal, Kira was _gone_.

L felt a wave of emptiness wash over him. He sprang to his feet and searched around, looking for the boy in the cloak. Hell, he even put his hands to his mouth and started shouting 'Kira!' repeatedly to no avail. It was like the boy just vanished. L stared wide-eyes at the horizon.

Pockets of humanity left? Pockets of hospitable land scarce? A world in which the EMPs left from the nukes had fried most all electronics, leaving only the few things like planes and ships, the ones out of range of the pulses, functioning. Where the hell were any of those things? Which planes? Which ships? Which subs? Which rigs? Which tribes?

You can't just hand this kind of responsibility to someone, and then vanish! Just how the _fuck_ did Kira expect L to—

 _BA-BUM_

L's eyes went red as the Death Note's instructions took hold.

 **[Death Note OST: Death Note]**

Knowledge filled the detective's head, knowledge of the remaining flights and ships, the coordinates of the oil rigs and the submarines, the tribes that remained unaffected by the bombs, and knowledge of a military aircraft at a base nearby, one that had plenty of fuel and EMP shielding.

The clouds parted once more, and warm light shined down on L.

He wasn't going to say that Kira had been a benevolent figure, but the boy had given humanity something it had desperately needed: a restart. The board had been cleared and the slate wiped clean. Kira had given humanity its second chance, and while it wasn't at all through righteous and just means, what was done had been done. L wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

Watori stirred and regained consciousness, and the two old friends locked eyes.

"Let's go, Watori. We have work to do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The plane's engines revved and whirred. The aircraft was like a private jet in design, only equipped with everything the public didn't know the military had.

"We are ready, sir."

"Then let's get going."

Watori taxied the plane onto the runway, and they quickly picked up speed. In no time at all, the two were in the air and soaring into an uncertain future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **[1:32]**

L and Watori couldn't possibly hear it, but the end of their adventure would be viewed via montage to one of the best metal riffs ever.

Watori would fly the jet, and L, would radio every air and sea vehicle his eidetic memory recalled, and he gave them a short rundown of the situation and took stock of the amount of fuel everyone else had in comparison to where they were on the earth. With a little bit of thinking, L decided that each ship would power down and drift where they were, and each aircraft, if possible, would fly for England. If not possible, they would land at the nearest airport and refuel, then they would head for England.

An arrival date was set.

Watori and L would eventually arrive at Wammy's House and find it remarkably intact, and all the children inside were alive and well. More importantly, Near and Mello were okay.

The world changed forever. It took time, planning and more phone calls and coordination than what was possible for one mind, even L's, but the final remnants of humanity gathered in England. The subs would return home, oblivious of the disaster, and L would be there to inform them of the new world. There was mourning, grief, and sorrow for those that lost their families, and those that insisted on going to their hometowns just to make sure.

L never let that happen of course, for reasons.

Humanity would struggle and fight to survive, but under the leadership of L, Watori, Near, Mello, and the numerous individuals with military backgrounds and others with natural-born leadership skills, humanity never fought amongst themselves. They didn't have the time.

Nuclear winter came, and the planet knew an ice age. Not one as bad as the historic one that wiped out life, but one that lowered temperatures, killed crops, and blotted out the sun. Humanity almost died out during this hard time of 28 years, but they persevered.

Watori and L died during this time, as did the majority of those 40 and above. Near and Mello became men, and they used their combined mental capacity to pull the few hundred men and women and children out of the winter, and into the spring. The earth still wasn't yet hospitable in most areas, but there was enough.

The time of Mello and Near would come, and the Four Leaders would become legend…and then myth.

Time would pass on and the earth would continue to spin. With the loss of such history, humanity would fall prey to the old proverb, and ancient conflicts would rise again as the earth returned to a state of normalcy. Still, even though Kira had been right in the end, L hadn't given up on the new world, and he did his best in an era the likes of which planet earth would never truly recover from.

Crime would return to the world as men and women sought to further themselves, or give into their basic instincts.

A Shinigami would follow in the footsteps of Ryuk, and become bored. This god of death would drop his Death Note, and the world would change once more.

 **[End OST]**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Dimensional Hall_

Shin'en exited the broken dimension, Ryuk still behind him, shockingly enough. Upon returning to _Death Note_ 's personal Hall, the demigod looked up, and suddenly he felt…strange.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Ryuk began. "You go through all that trouble—all that time and effort to change things, only to come back here and see that against so many other places, your efforts are wasted."

Shin'en hummed, he himself wondering if Ryuk was correct in his assessment…no, the Shinigami wasn't.

"My efforts aren't wasted. Though it might have just been one dimension, it is one that will forever be changed, forever different…for a time. Humans truly are despicable creatures, and they will no doubt revert to their basic ways of cheating and killing to get what they want. It's just basic instinct for man."

Amaterasu made her presence known.

"So…do I get to keep this, or what?" Shin'en held up the Death Note.

"Yeah, if he gets to keep it, do I get to stay with him? It gets boring real fast in the Shinigami Realm, and this kid is the best source of amusement I've ever seen!"

Shin'en gave Ryuk a look.

"What? That's a compliment coming from me!"

"Whatever. Keep or no keep?"

Amaterasu shrugged. "There's no reason why you can't keep it. Just know that it won't be as strong outside its home dimension than it is inside."

"What kind of limitations are we speaking of?"

"It'll only work within ten miles, and you won't be able to control the victims, only give them heart attacks. As for Ryuk, Shinigami isn't very pleased with you allowing a nuclear holocaust to happen."

"Eh, what's the worst that old fart is gonna do to me?"

"If he ever sees you again, he's going to confiscate your Death Note and kill you."

Ryuk blinked. "Oh."

"Yes, Shinigami isn't happy with you, at all."

The death god hovered in front of Shin'en, upside down, hands clasped in a pleading gesture. "Hey buddy, ol' pal, ol' friend of mine! I know we weren't exactly the closest of friends, but you liked me enough, right? Enough to take me with you and not leave me to die here, right!?"

"Huh, didn't know gods of death were capable of begging. I don't know, are you going to actually be useful instead of simply spectating?"

"I promise I'll be helpful!"

"…fine. If you disappoint me, I will throw your ass back here and watch as you get erased from existence."

Ryuk smiled, which was creepy by itself, but now the thing was upside down, which made it creepier. "You can count on me, buddy!"

"Uh-huh, sure. So, which other dimension needs fixing?"

Amaterasu snapped her fingers, and everything became a blur of color. When everything settled back down, Ryuk had swirls in his eyes and birds flapping around his head. The Shinigami stumbled about drunkenly, before he collapsed in a heap. Shin'en ignored these antics and looked at the plaque on the door.

 _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)_

"And what's wrong with this place?"

Amaterasu managed to look a tad disturbed. "Things. Just think of it as another Oiran Buchi."

Shin'en froze. "Oh. Well if that's the case, then I'm going to enjoy this more than I should."

"I figured."

Amaterasu opened the door, and Shin'en and Ryuk entered. Instead of finding themselves in the inverted Dimensional Hall of specific dimensions, they found themselves in a forest. The Sun Goddess' voice echoed in their heads.

 _Just kill everyone. There is not a soul in this place worth redeeming._

"Hey, can I kill people without having to use the Death Note now?" Ryuk asked.

 _Knock yourself out._

The Shinigami's eyes glowed pure red. "Oh, now this is going to be interesting."

Shin'en's own eyes turned red. "Indeed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Yeah, next chapter is going to be a bloodbath. Why? Because there is nothing good that comes out of**_ **Higurashi** _ **. If you don't know what that anime is, good. Feel free to check it out, and/or watch the show on YouTube.**_

 _ **Anyway, notice the chapter title? With the capital 'L'? Consider that some homage to**_ **Death Note.**

 _ **So, how did it go? Liked it, hated it, wished something else happened? Was Kira wrong about people, and how about L stepping up for humanity? And how about the musical accompaniment? This is**_ **Death Note** _ **for crying out loud. It wouldn't be**_ **Death Note** _ **without some music, right? To those who wanted some limits on the Death Note, I gave you some limits.**_

 _ **I still do not get why you think Shin'en would purely use the Death Note and let his skills go to waste, especially when the entire point of this arc is to get his skills back up to their highest. But anyway.**_

 _ **Quick question: if Shin'en had a**_ **Yugioh** _ **deck, what would his deck be based around?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	60. Of Murder Dungeons and Duel Monsters

_Of Murder Dungeons and Duel Monsters_

 _ **Holy crap…we hit 900 reviews, in like, three chapters. I'm starting to feel spoiled.**_

 _ **Anyway, lots of feedback on what kind of deck Shin'en would use if he ever went to the**_ **Yugioh** _ **world, and I confess that I myself was at a loss, until I remembered something: Shin'en wouldn't give a flying fuck about any deck he used; hell, he'd just mash some starter packs together and find a way to make it work. Types and elements wouldn't mean a thing, for the simple fact that Shin'en would be looking to end his tenure in any era of**_ **Yugioh** _ **ASAP, and the quickest way to do that would simply to be to get the first set of cards he laid eyes on.**_

 _ **Speaking of**_ **Yugioh** _ **, I regret to announce that I only know the details of the**_ **5D's** _ **arc. The original was before my interest sparked, as was GX. I don't even know how I got into**_ **5D's** _ **, but I did, and**_ **Zexal** _ **was something I lost interest in, and I didn't even bother with**_ **Arc V.** _ **That being said, get ready for Shin'en to completely shatter all known concepts of Dueling…right after he goes on a murder spree in Hinamizawa**_ **.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, Death Note, Higurashi, Yugioh, or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amaterasu had neglected to give Shin'en any prior information about this _When They Cry_ dimension, but she had said to think of it as another Oiran Buchi. If that was the case, then Shin'en expected a small, sleepy town away from everywhere, one fraught with conspiracy, disappearances, and dead people. There should also be a deity around here somewhere that demanded corpses, a disease that causes aggression and paranoia, and a murder dungeon…as well as a swamp for corpse-disposal.

Speaking of…

"Whew, this place stinks. How many bodies do you think are buried in there?"

"Thirty-nine."

"Woah, how can you tell?"

"You know that I'm from another dimension and that I have a twin sister, but you don't know about all my powers?"

"Selective all-knowingness."

"Right. Anyway, I can sense water down to its atoms, which means I can sense human beings with ease."

"Oh, I get it. You can sense the corpses in the mud and water."

"Precisely. Let's go. There's a town that needs murdering."

"You gonna use the Death Note? That would be kinda hard, since you don't know anyone's name, but I can help with that."

"Oh? Do tell?" Shin'en humored the Shinigami.

Ryuk made a laughing sound that wasn't quite a cackle, wasn't slow enough for a chuckle, and wasn't fast enough for a giggle, but it definitely wasn't a laugh. Maybe Ryuk knew he was being played, maybe he actually saw some kind of humor in this situation, who knows? Shin'en hadn't bothered with trying to figure the Shinigami out then, and he certainly wasn't going to try it out now.

"You see, we Shinigami have special eyes. With them, we can see a person's name, and their lifespan, no matter what. That's how we can extend our own lifespan, making us immortal. I can give you the Shinigami eyes, for the simple little price of half your remaining years."

"Hm, very tempting, very tempting…I'm going to have to decline, however. Using the Death Note for everything would make life so…uninteresting."

Ryuk cackled. "Now you're speaking my language."

Shin'en left the swamp, heading in the direction in which he sensed a large gathering of bodies, literal death following him.

The sun was setting casting its blazing glow across the valley, setting everything on a fire the color of blood. How symbolic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Hinamizawa Village_

 _Evening_

Shin'en and Ryuk, the Abyss and Death, waltzed right into the village. The Shinigami was invisible, while the demigod attracted all kinds of attention for his black cloak and straw hat, as well as his staff.

"So, who are we going to start with, huh? Amaterasu said to kill everyone, so does it even matter who we start with?"

"We?"

Ryuk's red eyes glowed in the sunset. "You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?"

"What are you talking about, Ryuk?"

"The Shinigami's number one rule…never kill a human with anything other than the Death Note. Break that rule, and the old fart breaks you, permanently. But since he's got nothing on me anymore, I can go as wild as I want."

Shin'en stared at the black-clad humanoid. "That's why you were so bored, wasn't it? You got bored of simply writing names down on paper, and wanted something more, so you dropped your second Death Note in the hopes of entertainment, since you couldn't so anything to humans besides write their names down."

"That's right," Ryuk said slowly, turning what was supposed to be a simple answer into a drawn-out slur of guttural madness. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Glowing crimson met shining vermillion, Shinigami eyes against Sharingan.

Shin'en closed his eyes and turned around, putting his back to Ryuk. "I just sensed something that I want to deal with personally…make sure you don't leave anyone alive."

The demigod dispersed into water vapor. Ryuk stood there, just staring at where his companion had just been, ignoring the shocked looks of the villagers…and then he began chuckling, then guffawing, then howling-roiling-cackling- _shrieking_ with unholy laughter. It was only heard by him, of course, but still. Ryuk's red eyes glowed with more malice and twisted joy than they ever had before.

Villagers began screaming when a man's head was lopped off his body in a shower of blood that stained the face of his nearby wife and children.

" _So this is what it feels like!"_ Ryuk roared.

A child was torn clean in half.

" _This is what splitting flesh is like!"_

That child's big sister suddenly had a gaping hole in her face.

" _This is what splintering bone is like!"_

Ryuk's jaws clamped down on a woman's body, and he jerked his head back, coming away with a massive chunk of body that freely dripped blood. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her head as most of her insides were exposed to the air, and she collapsed in a red heap.

"And this is what human meat tastes like…" Ryuk spat out the matter, not enjoying the taste. "I remember now."

The Shinigami remembered his past life, his human life. He had been a serial killer, a violent psychopath and sociopath, one that had filed his nails and teeth into points, and dressed in dark clothing to blend with the night. Now, presently, Ryuk understood himself. He understood why his fingers were claws, his mouth full of fangs, his clothing black, and his eyes so wide and crazed.

They were reflections of his past life.

Now Ryuk wondered if every Shinigami's appearance was based on things they had done and been in their human lives. If that was true, then just what in the _hell_ had Armonia done in his life?

Freaking jewel-encrusted-golden-skeleton-lookin' ass…

Ryuk took note of how the townspeople were running away. The Shinigami's wings sprouted. "You can all run, but you'll all die tired!"

Death came on swift wings that day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What Shin'en had sensed that caught his attention was about 500 meters away from the main village, and underground. There were a couple of females with startlingly similar DNA, possibly twins, several elderly folk, and several more well-built men in their late twenties-early thirties. Based on the movement of water, the elevated heartrate, the adrenaline, and the heartbeats of the others, one of the females was being put in a high-stress situation.

Yes, having your fingernails removed would be highly stressful.

Upon reassembly in front of the wooden door to whatever the hell this was supposed, Shin'en felt his streak of theatrics spring up. Eh, what the hell? Who said you couldn't have a little fun in the work place?

Shin'en calmly opened the wooden door, and happened upon the sight of a green-haired girl being assaulted by a triple of men trying to force a bag over her head. His entrance went unnoticed until someone decided to glance around, and just happened to see him.

"Hey! Who are you!?"

Movement came to a stop as everyone looked at Shin'en. The girl being tortured was staring at him in relief, most likely grateful to him on a level that words couldn't describe. How unfortunate that she was going to die like the others.

"Oh, me? Yes, I was looking for the founders of Torture Porn 'R' Us, am I in the right place? It looks like I'm in the right place, with everything that's going on in here."

The old woman in the robe wasn't having it.

"Get this brat out of here and make sure he doesn't leave! I want to know how he got in here!"

The men assaulting the girl abandoned their efforts and made for Shin'en.

"It appears I have the wrong place then. My mistake."

Blood and heads splattered across the floor as Shin'en suddenly appeared on the other side of the room, the three men and the twins all decapitated. They all collapsed, and the girl with the torture device on her arm hit the ground with it still on her arm, her fingers still bleeding. The people on the floor mats didn't even have time to properly process what had just happened, before Shin'en spun on his heel and flicked his wrist, sending exactly five shuriken flying. The civilians were so pathetically fragile that the throwing stars blew their skulls clean off their bodies, showering the wall behind them with grey matter, squishy bits, and skull fragments.

Shin'en stood in the doorway. "I'll just be going now. Thank you for your time, and have a nice day."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Shin'en exited the property, it went up in flames. A quick stroll later, and the demigod found himself in the town square. The only life signs within a ten mile radius was wildlife. All of Hinamizawa was dead…and all of the bodies that weren't at that property had been neatly stacked by Ryuk in the middle of the village. In the light of the dying sun, the Shinigami sitting on top of the literal mountain of corpses looked insidiously sinister.

"Enjoy yourself?" Shin'en asked.

Ryuk stared forward at nothing, his eyes blazing. He ignored the question. "After I killed the first guy, I remembered my human life. I think now I get why the old fart doesn't want us killing with anything besides the Death Note…killing a human with our bear hands triggers our memories."

"Let me guess: you were a violent psychopath with sociopathic tendencies."

Ryuk slowly craned his head to look down at Shin'en. The act caused the sun behind the Shinigami to throw his face into shadow, leaving only those red bulbs visible. Shin'en had stared down Tailed-Beasts—Ryuk was not threatening.

"Hit the nail right on the head."

There was a certain gleam in those eyes that prompted Shin'en to ask: "Are you going to become a problem? Because I'll deal with you if you become a problem."

The god of death just busted a gut, and hopped down from his perch. When he landed, his countenance was that of his usual carefree self. "Are you kidding? Doing anything that puts my life at risk would be stupid because following you around is going to be the greatest entertainment I've ever had, and I don't want to spoil that opportunity. Get what I'm saying?"

Shin'en walked past Ryuk. "Do anything that hinders me, and I will end you."

Ryuk just laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two found themselves in the Dimensional Hall in a flash of light. Amaterasu was there, and she looked as calm as ever.

"There wasn't some murder deity in Hinamizawa, was there?" Shin'en asked.

"There was. The populace called it Oyashiro."

"Mm-hm. Next dimension, please."

Amaterasu nodded, but before everything became the usual blur of black and white, the goddess had this to say. "Due to certain laws regarding interdimensional travel, this will be the last one for a while."

Shin'en's eye twitched as his face morphed into a scowl. "And just how long is 'a while'?"

"Thirty four days."

Shin'en's eye twitched again. "Are you telling the truth?"

…

Typically, a question like that from a mortal to a god was grounds for smiting, but Amaterasu was not so dumb as to attack the demigod in front of her. Partially because it would be so worth it in the end to see Susano'o's shocked face at seeing Shin'en at full power, but mostly because she wasn't sure she could win in a fight against the boy. Besides, there was no reason for hostility here. Shin'en did have grounds for suspicion and mistrust.

"I swear it on my status as a goddess."

Shin'en's anger hardly subsided, and he just exhaled out of his nose. "Fine then. The faster we get done with this other place, the faster we can get this month out of the way."

Amaterasu nodded, and the world blurred about until it came to a stop in front of another black door. The plaque on it read: _Yu-Gi-Oh!_

"You're actually going to need information on this one."

Amaterasu placed her hand on Shin'en, and downloaded all relevant information about the extensive world of _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ Egyptian god cards, Yami, Yugi, Kaiba, Yubel, Shadow Realm, Jaden, Neos, Duel Academy, The Light of Destruction, The Supreme King, Signers, Dark Signers, Earthbound Immortals, psychics, the Crimson Dragon, Ener-D, Iliaster, Yusei, Jack, Yuma, Astral, Zexal, Barian World, Numbers, etc. etc.

Amaterasu was even kind of enough to give Shin'en a mental rule book of the game.

When she was done, Shin'en gave her a flat look. "These people take a children's card game way too far."

"Agreed."

The dimensional door opened, and Shin'en and Ryuk were zoomed forward in front of a door with the customary cracks of a broken dimension.

"Ooh, and what happened to this place that we get to fix?" the Shinigami asked.

"During the Fortune Cup," Amaterasu started, "Yusei eventually worked his way through the tournament to face Jack in a Turbo Duel."

"Because grown men playing a children's card game on motorcycles is completely acceptable here."

Amaterasu coughed into her fist at Shin'en's statement. "Anyway. During the Duel, some magical stuff happens, and the end result is that Yusei beats Jack and Jack crashes. Usually, he just walks away with a broken arm and some bruises, burns, and scratches, but in this dimension, he ends up dying in the crash, and Yusei commits suicide out of guilt, and the Dark Signers win the war, and the world goes to hell in a hand basket."

"And you want me to fix this how…?"

"By entering the Fortune Cup and beating Yusei in a duel so that he doesn't face Jack and end up accidentally killing him. From there, the dimension will sort itself out and things will get back on track."

"Fine. Whatever. Am I supposed to masquerade as one of the duelists, or steal someone's deck and disk and hold the city hostage so I can Duel Yusei?"

"Neither. Being a goddess gives me leeway in all Shinto dimensions. I'll simply insert you in the timeline, giving you your own backstory and identity. You can pick your own deck, if you wish, or I can give you one."

"Let's just get this over with."

Amaterasu nodded and opened the door. Shin'en disappeared into the light, and Ryuk followed, cackling the whole way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _New Domino City_

 _Sector Security Main Office_

Rex Goodwin was a tall man, a well-built man, and a man with more hair than what should have been allowed for a man. He was also an older man, with a stern face and sharp eyes, although he could very easily smile kindly and nicely for the children whose orphanages he visited…and when he needed to disarm otherwise 'uptight' individuals.

A kind smile helped put others at ease when they felt threatened, but anyway.

The Fortune Cup was in a few days. Hah, the _Fortune Cup_ …it took more money than what Rex would have liked to admit, but he had managed it, with some pulled strings, of course. He had managed to get all five presumed Signers in the tournament, as well as five unique Duelists whose skills would be more than enough to get said Signers to reveal their power. Through this, Goodwin would know who was useful to his plan and who wasn't.

Yes, Goodwin was…well, he couldn't say he was _proud_ of his Dueling Assassins (Lazar's term for them, not Goodwin's), but he was satisfied.

Grieger, the massive behemoth of a man, coming from a destroyed village near the Nazca Lines (the prisons of the Earthbound Immortals), was motivated by money, money to repair the damage to his home, and provide medicine and care for his younger siblings. Granted, things might get dicey given that it was Rex and the rest of his comrades that had inadvertently blown Grieger's village sky high, but hey. Ignorance was bliss. Besides, the man was motivated to win, and he wouldn't pull punches against any of the Signers. He would serve his purpose well.

Sir Gill de Randsborg, a man that claimed to be a descendant of a family of medieval knights. Goodwin didn't know if that was true, but he knew that the man dressed like a complete idiot and had a Duel Disc in the shape of a shield, so that was something. Hopefully he would get Akiza riled up to the point where the woman tapped into her Signer powers and mopped the floor with his armored hide, and if not well…

Commander Koda, a man that had a personal history with Ms. Akiza, would most certainly get the job done. His profiling deck would tear deep into the psychic's head, bringing out her fears and terrors, causing her body and mind to go on the attack. If Randsborg failed, Koda would pick up the slack. Personally, Goodwin didn't like Koda; the pompous fool was too self-righteous for Goodwin's tastes.

Then there was Professor Frank, the man with the spiritual awareness. He would be Dueling Koda and losing on purpose, so that he could Luna after her defeat at the hands of Grieger. Frank would no doubt pull Luna into the Spirit World, and he would no doubt reveal Luna's power…or lack thereof. Granted, Goodwin would have Sector Security on the ready line in case Frank Jr. got excited around Ms. Luna, because there was something wrong with that man.

Goodwin wanted results, not a rape attempt.

That had Luna and Akiza set up, and the Duelist to push Yusei to his limits would be Shira, otherwise known as the 'Shinigami Reborn.' Whatever, the man had a reputation and a theme to him, and he clearly had some skill to be called that name. However, regardless of whether he pushed Yusei over the edge or not, Grieger would be the one to Duel Yusei next, and Grieger would no doubt succeed where Yusei left off.

There, those were Goodwin's five Dueling Assassins. Grieger, Randsborg, Koda, Frank, and Shira. Those five covered three of the Signers, with Jack being the fourth Signer. Whoever won the tournament clearly had the greatest skill, and that person would be the one to challenge Jack. Preferably Yusei, but Grieger was Goodwin's next choice.

Of course, that was only four of the Signers, when there were five.

Goodwin smiled slightly when he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the stylized dragon head on his forearm. Once he got all four Signers in one place, and all four of them with their Marks active, he would trigger the vision, and most of it would be revealed. From there, it would be a simple matter of tricks and lies, a motivational speech or two, and boom.

The Signers would confront the Dark Signers in the Satellite at the old Ener-D stations, the Earthbound Immortals and the Dragons would do battle, there would be some death, some tragedy, and some property damage, but oh well. In the end, Rex would have the power of both a Signer and Dark Signer, and then he would have the Crimson Dragon and King of the Netherworld, and then the world.

The very thought almost made Goodwin smile with wickedness.

Then his phone went off.

He picked it up and answered. The voice at the end of the line was none other than Lazar.

" _Sir, we have a small problem. Commander Koda, the man scheduled to Duel Professor Frank and then Akiza Izinski, was just found dead in his home. The autopsy reports say that it was a heart attack."_

Oh…well shit.

It was moments like these that Goodwin wanted to kick himself in the ass. It had never occurred to him that a situation like this might arise, and as such, he had no one else on the ready line to replace any of the Assassins.

In short, Rex didn't have any backup plans.

And now he was in a bind.

"Are there any Duelists that can participate in the tournament on this short of a notice?"

" _There are many small timers around New Domino City that would be more than thrilled to participate."_

Goodwin kept the sigh out of his voice. "Fine then, mail the invitation to the first person that comes up on the Duelist Registration List."

" _Yes, sir."_

Lazar hung up, and Goodwin rubbed his temples. Okay, lesson learned.

Always have a backup plan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shin'en woke up, he saw that he was in an apartment. He sat up, and ignored everything else in favor of the letter sitting on the table in the middle of the room. He grabbed it, tore it open, and read it.

 _Dear Shin'en Yūrei,_

 _We at Sector Security extend our warmest greetings to you, and send this letter inviting you to participate in the first annual Fortune Cup tournament hosted by us. It will take place on this date at this venue at this time. Please report to this location no later than this time, and please present this letter to this man so that you may be allowed entrance._

 _If you are unable to attend the tournament, please contact this man immediately._

 _We hope to see you there, and good luck in the Fortune Cup._

 _Sincerely, Rex Goodwin, Director of Sector Security_

And there was a printed version of the man's signature as well.

Shin'en sighed to himself. Perfect, now he had to go buy (steal) a deck and a duel disk so that he could participate in this damn thing, and he had to take a tour of the city to get his bearings, and he needed to do a metric ton's worth of research on all the cards currently on record, as well as finding out any information on who was participating in the tournament so that he could plan accordingly.

Dammit, this would be so much simpler if Amaterasu simply allowed him to kill all the Dark Signers, but no. The constraints of this mission were to beat Yusei Fudo in a Duel…with a children's card game.

These people were retarded.

Did they, like, wage war on the battlefield by Dueling the enemy forces? Shin'en could already see that in his head: hundreds of men, spread out across a muddy wasteland, with two distinct uniforms, all of them with duel disks on. The battlefield was fraught with narration and face downs and little circles as monsters came flying out from somewhere. And then whenever a person lost a Duel, their disk would administer something of a severe electric shock, frying the loser. Then the winner would move on to the next available Duelist, and if there wasn't one, then they would just wait until someone was open.

Shin'en frowned. What a retarded an unproductive way to kill people.

"Sweet, you gonna go out by a deck now?" Ryuk made his presence known.

"Yes, because I have the currency to do that."

The Shinigami just grinned and pointed. Shin'en followed the finger and saw a card that wasn't there before along with a small note. He picked up the note.

 _This is a credit card. It has all the money you're going to need. Don't worry, I've also set up your identity, so you won't have to worry about lying. No hookers or booze or drugs._

"Whatever. Ryuk, let's go."

"This'll be interesting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en made his way to the roof of the apartment complex, and from there he made several dozen Shadow Clone, all of them with the predetermined orders of gathering information, just like in the _Death Note_ dimension. The  Clones vanished in search for the internet cafes of this city, and from there, they would research every known card on record, and everything else they could about this Sector Security, Fortune Cup, and its participants.

Shin'en himself took to the streets, and accosted the first person he found. His cloak was back at his apartment, since wearing something like that around a place like this was bound to attract attention. In place of his Akatsuki garb, he was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt, and a simple hoodie. He was the perfect rendition of the average teenager.

"E-Excuse me, ma'am. I'm new around here, and I was hoping you could point me in the direction of the nearest card shop."

Shin'en had his eyes closed with an embarrassed smile on his face, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his head.

The woman just smiled kindly. "Well, aren't you a sweet young man! The shop is just down this street and to the right. Look for Stacy's Duel Department."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

Shin'en then turned on his heel and scampered off. He heard the woman say, "What a sweet boy," before she continued on her business.

Ryuk busted a gut laughing. "'Sweet boy'!? BWAHAHAHA! Imagine if any of these people knew you could end them in an instant, or had a kill-count over eight billion! HAHAHA!"

Then he instantly calmed down.

"Points for acting ability. You almost had me fooled."

"My acting's so good it formed separate personalities that I keep locked in my subconscious."

"Oh, that's cool. Can I meet one?"

"No."

"Kill joy."

"Yep."

Rounding the corner, Shin'en found the card shop easy enough. The massive sign advertising a grand sale was conspicuous enough. Walking in, Shin'en found the place to be neatly organized and clean, with display cases of cards lining the walls, and all the store's main merchandise being behind the counter. Most likely to prevent theft.

Not that opening the cases and stealing what was inside would be hard, nor would hopping to counter and stealing the entire wall's worth of crap would be any harder, Shin'en wasn't in the mood to get his shinobi on. Besides, this was the prime excuse to _not_ be a ninja for once in his life.

"Hi! Welcome to Stacy's Duel Department! What can I do for you today?"

The woman's nametag read 'Kimi.' Whatever.

"Morning. I'm in the market for a structure deck and I heard you had the best cards in New Domino City. What's the best deck you have for the lowest price?"

Kimi blushed at the compliment. "Oh, thank you. Uh, let me think…the best deck for the lowest price…ah! This one's the one that fits what you're looking for."

She handed Shin'en a cardboard box with some character on it. He read the name at the bottom of the little box, as did Ryuk, and Ryuk began cackling. Shin'en looked at the box, and only had one thought:

' _Now that's just ironic.'_

"Thanks. Do you also sell duel disks here?"

Kimi beamed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en exited the shop with a standard, mass-produced, borderline outdated, Kaiba Corp. duel disk, and the most ironic structure deck imaginable for someone like him. Ryuk just floated behind him.

"Man, the look on her face when she ran that credit card…I've seen women make that same face when they see a giant cock."

"Indeed."

"I'm surprised she didn't jump you right then and there, and try to rape you, just to get you to pay child support."

"That would have been unfortunate."

"Well, she did give you her number…you can take her up on that offer?"

"No."

Shin'en threw the piece of paper with the digits on it in the nearest trash can.

"Wow, that's just cold."

"Mm-hm."

Ryuk began to ramble on about something, but Shin'en tuned him out in favor of other thoughts.

' _If anyone in this damned place gives me a speech on the Heart of the Cards, the Power of Believing in Your Deck, or the Bonds of Friendship, I will kill that person, their family, their friends, and any pets that they have. I don't have time for bullshit.'_

Then Shin'en sensed a surge in energy from down the road, and there was an explosion.

"Ooh, something's happening. Let's go see!"

The demigod disappeared and reappeared to see a confusing sight. There was a woman in a robe, Akiza, a gigantic thorn bush, a dragon-esque thing with rose petals for wings, Black Rose Dragon, Yusei, Leo, Luna, some other insignifacnt insects, and some clown looking man-woman on scaffolding above. Shin'en also saw that Luna's, Yusei's, and Akiza's arms had glowing red shapes on them.

The Marks of the Crimson Dragon.

"Your arm!" Akiza gasped from behind her mask. "You also have a Mark! Stay away from me!"

With a flourish, she teleported away. Not out of Shin'en's range, so he knew that she took off her mask and was breathing heavy, her heartbeat and the chemicals in her blood suggesting fear and distress. The clown man-woman giggled and headed for higher ground, and Shin'en debated killing Lazar…nah. Wasn't worth it.

Back on the ground, the commoners were panicking over the sudden appearance and disappearance of the Black Rose Witch. And then Leo just happened to look over and see Shin'en standing there. Duel disk box in hand, as well as structure deck. The kid just couldn't help himself.

"Hey! Is that a Kaiba Corp. original duel disk!? Those things are antiques. I used to have one, but—"

"Bye."

And then Shin'en simply dematerialized, leaving anyone who was watching him to gape in shock. Yusei couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to run into that kid sometime in the future, and Luna felt such darkness in that boy that she wanted to curl into a ball and never again see the outside world.

Shin'en materialized in front of his apartment door.

"Now that was just rude, cutting off Leo like that," Ryuk drawled.

"Spare me. The Mexican Leo is already going to be a pain, the Japanese brat is not one I'm dealing with."

"So, what now?"

"Now I'm going to read what each of these damn things does, and figure out ways to use them effectively…I hate this world. It'd be so much easier to just punch someone in the face, but no. We've got to take X amount of time out of everyone's day to watch adults play a game of super poker…I hate this world."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, I've got work tomorrow, so no idea if there's going to be an update tomorrow, or anytime soon, actually. I just remembered that I forgot a lot about peoples' decks and just how exactly the Fortune Cup went, so I need to go back and do a monstrous amount of reading on timelines, details, and card effects.**_

 _ **So, any ideas on what structure deck Shin'en picked up at the store? Just a hint: he hates ninja and is from a world of ninja…what could make his deck ironic?**_

 _ **Also, I forgot to put it in last chapter, but the plot bunny hopped across my brain yesterday as I was finishing up the**_ **Death Note** _ **arc.**_

 _ **We're all familiar with the end of**_ **Death Note** _ **, yes? How Light died, and then there was this mysterious, unnamed Shinigami that went and visited Ryuk, right? Well, popular fan theory is that this Shinigami is Light, and this is where the story kicks off at.**_

 _ **Light is a Shinigami now, but he still seeks to make the Human World a better place, so, during Ryuk's story, Light will have stolen Ryuk's Death Note, and gone to the Human World. There, he finds and kills Near and the rest of the SPK in revenge, and then he goes off to another part of the world, in search of a successor, in search of someone that could be molded and taught on how to be Kira.**_

 _ **Light would find himself in Manhattan, coincidentally at the exact moment that a nine year old Percy is being beaten by Gabe. Light's anger at watching this scum beat the young boy would flare, and he would choose Percy as his successor. He would show Percy that the Death Note was real, and how to use it correctly, teaching Percy how to be Kira, how to be the God of the New World.**_

 _ **Eventually, canon would happen, and the plot would soon evolve into something along the lines of Annabeth taking the role of L, having followed the Kira investigation from years prior, and making the connection that Kira had returned to the world, therefore devoting herself to finding and stopping him, and Percy taking the role of Kira, killing criminals and keeping his identity secret.**_

 _ **As for Light, there would be a growing conflict in him. Is Percy just a tool to be used, like Misa, Takada, and Mikami were, or is Percy something more? A son perhaps?**_

 _ **Anyway, the story would basically be**_ **Death Note** _ **retold with Shinigami Light as extremely helpful Ryuk, Percy as Kira, and Annabeth as L. However, I won't start work on this until I finish something else, which will undoubtedly take months for anything to be finished.**_

 _ **Thoughts?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	61. Maddening Boredom

_Maddening Boredom_

 _ **Okay, I did some reading, and I'm pretty sure I can effectively write some duels correctly, but don't expect anything over the top or well-written.**_

 _ **As for Reviews, weren't many guesses on a deck, but those that did guess are all wrong. Although, everyone is more excited for the future crossover. Like I said, it will be several months before that comes out, as I agree with all of you: I need to finish some other stories first.**_

 _ **Alright, now let's get to some dueling!**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, Yugioh, Death Note or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _New Domino City_

 _Fortune Cup venue_

The stadium was massive, the crowd was roaring, there was a cheer squad that wasn't getting paid enough for this, there were some kind of scanners placed around the stadium's open dome, and the entire place reeked of body odor.

Shin'en ignored all that, and Ryuk's never-ending prattle, and instead chose to focus more on the kid on the other side of the man in the cloak. Identical twins though Luna and Leo may be, able to pull off impersonations they were not, at least, Leo couldn't act like his sister for shit. Hell, Shin'en could count on his hand how many true interactions he had had with his twin, and he successfully impersonate her down to seducing Annabeth.

Granted, he was trained in how to do that, so perhaps he should cut Leo some slack…nah. The kid sucked.

Besides, what little girl used a deck built around machines and electronics?

The demigod sensed the water vapor be disturbed as Jack Atlas made his grand entrance and spouted off some arrogant nonsense. Ugh, if Amaterasu hadn't made it expressly clear that he had to _duel_ these people, he'd just kill them all and be done with it. Oh well, at least there was nothing said about not sabotaging someone else's deck.

Yeah, Shin'en wasn't here to test his dueling skills. If cheating would make this go faster, then cheating he would perform. He was a ninja after all, underhanded tricks and subterfuge were his bread and butter. The best part was that none of these place's systems had cameras fast enough to track his movements, and none of the security personnel were anywhere near trained enough for an S-class ninja.

This was going to be so pathetically easy, it was going to be boring.

"Hey, you're that guy from a few days ago! The one with the old duel disk!"

Shin'en leaned forward so that he could look past the cloaked man to look at the crossdressing idiot. 'Luna' was dressed in her typical garb of an open, light pink jacket, a long-sleeve red t-shirt with gold markings on it, white shorts, pink high tops, and tube socks. Her hair was done in its front-facing pigtails, and chin-length bangs from her face. The biggest amazement here was how Leo was able to fit in his sister's shorts without causing major discomfort to himself.

"And you're the kid that was wetting herself because of the Black Rose Witch."

"Wha—I was not!"

"Sure."

Leo growled and made to defend his pride, but Yusei held him back with a firm grip. The Signer gave Shin'en a hard look, but he was ignored. Akiza had watched all this happen from the corner of her eye, and while she didn't recall seeing that girl there, she did feel a tiny little twinge of regret for making the girl wet herself.

The doors above opened, and the platforms the Fortune Cup duelists were standing on started to rise. Leo's anger drained from him, replaced with excitement. Shin'en wasn't quite comfortable with being in the spotlight like this. Ryuk was a different story.

"Woah! Look at all the people! The lights! The sounds! Hey, Shin'en! If we threw a grenade into the crowd, how many people would we kill?"

"Not enough."

Shin'en knew better than to speak aloud to Ryuk, but he still had demigod ADHD. His words attracted attention.

"You say something, kid?" the hulking behemoth that was Grieger asked.

Shin'en decided that in this moment, he could alleviate his own boredom and annoyance at this entire situation by messing with everyone around him. Time to employ his acting skills.

"Yeah," he said with an almost dopey grin. "Just talking to the voices in my head."

Yusei and Akiza gave him hard looks, while everyone else moved about an inch away from the demigod. Grieger suddenly looked like a fish out of water. "Uh…okay."

Then he noticed that people were in the stands were whispering bad things about a fellow duelist, and he took charge, grabbing the microphone from the Announcer with the ridiculous pompadour and pink suit, and gave a speech.

Shin'en tuned it out.

"Oh, so I'm a voice in your head now, am I? You wound me, friend."

"Sh, I'm trying not to pay attention to anything, and you're not helping."

People moved a tad further away from the demigod.

One of the holographic screens started up, choosing at random the matches for the tournament…heh, 'at random.' As if this entire thing wasn't already pre-destined. Shin'en watched from the corner of his eye, and saw that Leo would duel Grieger, Akiza would duel Randsborg, Yusei would duel Shira, and he would be the last one to duel, going up against Professor Frank.

"Awe man! Why do I have to duel the pedophile?"

Frank took exception to that.

"Pedo—you apologize right now, young man-"

"I'll have you know that I feel like a girl right now, so my pronouns are 'she' and 'her.' I'm genderfluid, so check your privilege, you racist, misogynist white man."

It was a good thing the mic was too far away to catch any of those words, otherwise there might've been an incident. As it stood, everyone, even the kindhearted and accepting Yusei, was more than a little disturbed. Ryuk was rolling around on the ground, clutching his sides as he laughed to his heart's content.

The Announcer hadn't heard any of this, so he was just as cheery as ever. The platforms began to lower so that the duelists could prepare for their upcoming duels. Meanwhile, Director Goodwin had overheard everything that Shin'en had said, and he had a word with Lazar in his personal suite.

"Who, exactly, did you send that invitation to?"

"Shin'en Yūrei, sir. He lives by himself on the outskirts of the Daimon Area."

"I see. Does he have any history of mental illness?"

"No, sir. None on record anyway."

"Schedule the boy a mental exam for after the tournament. He's displayed signs of schizophrenia, gender dysphoria, and sociopathy."

"At once, sir."

"…will he at least be able to Duel correctly?"

"Presumably so, sir."

Goodwin, for all his annoyance, just remained calm and composed as ever. "Regardless, make sure he beats Frank so he can duel Akiza and Frank can duel Luna in the loser's bracket."

"Yes, sir."

Jack watched all this unfold with a neutral look. So there was some kid with issues, big deal. He was only worried about Dueling Yusei again to reassure himself that he was the better Duelist. He would not be losing to that Satellite trash.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _In the waiting room_

Shin'en got an entire table all to himself because he had successfully done a good job in putting off everyone around him. His act also made the others keep their distance and avoid looking at him as much as possible. It was all part of the plan, of course, because now Shin'en had as much privacy as one could get in an environment like this. Grieger had already left for the stage, and Leo was right behind him…with a blue duel disk on his arm.

This kid really didn't know how to impersonate a girl, did he?

"Hey, Ryuk…"

The Shinigami floated over. "Yes…?"

"You want to amuse yourself, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Then start messing with everyone in any way you can think of, but be sure to take the Professor's deck and leave it somewhere in here that's semi conspicuous."

Ryuk cackled. "Okay."

The conversation went unheard due to Shin'en's ability to speak softly and quietly, and the fact that no one here could hear Ryuk speak. The demigod meandered his over to where Yusei was on the couch, and flopped down next to him just as the Shinigami tore off Randsborg's helmet and dropped it, eliciting an indignant "What sorcery be this!?" and a bunch of turned heads.

Yusei kept his wariness close to himself at the sudden presence of the apparently genderfluid/schizoid boy next to him.

"Be honest, who do you think is going to win?"

The Signer closed his eyes before he answered. "Luna can pull it off if she focuses on Dueling instead of her favorite combos. If she doesn't think on her feet, then Grieger will have no problem defeating her."

Shira's hood was yanked off his head, exposing his blue hair and average face. "Hey!"

"Woah! So that's what you look like under there! You just lost all your mystique, dude!"

"What!? I'll bet this is your fault, brat!"

Akiza felt compelled to say something. Perhaps it was her growing feeling that this kid was a psychic like her, and some kind of childhood trauma had fractured his psyche, resulting in the hellion that there was today, and she felt obligated to rise to his/her defense? Anyway.

"Now, how could he possibly-"

"My pronouns are still female!" Shin'en chirped. God, this was just way too easy.

"Sorry," Akiza said, then she turned her wrath back to Shira. "How could she possibly have taken off your hood from way over there?"

Shira scowled, and just sat back down with a huff, pulling his hood back up.

"I summon Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!"

Shin'en snorted. "What an idiot, revealing that big thing this early in the tournament. Either he's trying to scare us, he's really confident in his abilities, or he has no idea what subtlety means."

Yusei looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know what subtlety means?"

"Sure I do!" Shin'en hopped from the couch and went for the hallway exit for the restrooms, where a Sector Security guard was standing by, doing a terrible job of keeping the peace. The guard's helmet was torn clean off his head and chunked into the ceiling. The guard screamed and bolted for the hills.

"Do I still need to ask him if I can go poop now, or can I just go?"

Randsborg bolted to his feet. "Just _go_ already, man-woman-whatever you call yourself! Your prattle grows ever increasingly vexing!"

"Someone needs to loosen their thong~," Shin'en sing-songed before dashing out of sight, arms spread wide as he made airplane noises.

He found the bathroom and entered the unisex one, locking the door behind him. The goofy grin dropped immediately and the false light in his eyes went out instantly. His usual seriousness washed over him. His act was making him a wildcard, someone who couldn't be predicted or controlled. That, and he was alieving his boredom in light of the situation.

That was all irrelevant now, because Shin'en had what he wanted. He reached into the front pocket of his jacket, and pulled out the deck of Frank, courteously borrowed by Ryuk and hid in a place that no one bothered to look at. With a flick of his wrist, Shin'en had the entire deck splayed out in a massive fan.

"Let's see…you don't need this, or this, or this, and definitely not this one, either."

Shin'en took the cards and promptly flushed them down the toilet. He folded the deck up, put on his happy face, and skipped merrily back to the waiting room. Grieger was back, Akiza and Randsborg were gone, and Leo was all the way back in the stands.

Shin'en felt what was happening above and saw the viewing screen. "She really likes that dragon of hers…might have to be careful about that one…eh, who am I kidding? I'll probably just steal it and sell it."

This also went unheard.

Ryuk floated close. "Feel better now that you've taken a dump?"

"Slip these back into Frank's possession without getting caught."

"Well aren't you the little psychotic slave driver."

"Yep!" Shin'en chirped, letting everyone know that he was back. He flopped back onto the couch with Yusei, Grieger on the opposite couch. "So was it hard beating Leo, or what was it easy?"

Yusei's eyes snapped to Shin'en, while the muscular man just cracked a grin. "So you figured it out too…no, the kid wasn't too hard to beat. He does have potential, I'll give him that."

"How did you know that wasn't Luna?" Yusei asked.

"Ways," Shin'en grinned.

Yusei was about to say something else, but he clutched his arm with a grimace. Coincidentally, that's when Akiza brought her Black-Rose Dragon back into play. Elsewhere in the sprawling complex that was the Fortune Cup venue, Shin'en sensed Luna and Jack doing the same with their arms.

Signer stuff. Shin'en didn't care.

"Wow, she really like that dragon. Maybe it's a psychologically fixated dependence based on trauma that was experienced during early childhood?"

Yusei was more preoccupied with his arm, and everyone else was too far away to hear, but Grieger whipped around with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"I said you need to rebuckle your chest belts."

Grieger looked down and balked when he saw that the belts to his armor and pants had come undone. Ryuk was cackling behind the behemoth of a man.

Akiza ended the duel with an attack via her dragon, and Randsborg went down in a torrent of blackish fire. A monotone voice called for Shira and Yusei to prepare for their Turbo Duel, and that's when things got serious for Shin'en.

"That's the guy you've gotta beat in a Duel…you gonna study him, or just write his name in the Death Note?"

"I already told you: using that would just make things boring."

"Using what would make what things boring?" Grieger asked, his creeped-out ness steadily reaching its peak.

"Oh, just this all-powerful notebook that kills people if I write their name in it. Wanna try it? It's _fun_."

The South American man calmly got up, walked across the waiting room, and sat down next to Professor Frank.

"And I've been the one chosen to Duel him."

"You have my deepest condolences."

Akiza eventually reentered the waiting room, and she actively searched for Shin'en, and then joined him on the couch. "Hello there."

The demigod raised a lazy hand in greeting from where he was laying on his back. Messing with these people was fun. "Sup."

Akiza wasn't at all sure on how to start this conversation with the genderfluid creature before her. People weren't her thing, and it was Sayer's job to do the recruiting. After she dusted Randsborg off her dress and she met with Sayer, she brought up the boy known as Shin'en Yūrei, and the head of the Arcadia Movement was more than happy to take the boy in.

Seemingly traumatized, schizophrenia, genderfluidity, and latent psychic abilities would make Shin'en an excellent member of the Movement, both for his power and his political stature. It would tremendously boost the Movement's social standing to let everyone know that they accepted all comers, even those that were genderfluid. This was a growing age of tolerance, after all, and it paid to evolve with the times.

"Uh," Akiza faltered, note her usual confident self.

"Wait, wait, wait, don't tell me, don't tell me…you want me to…to…to go on a date with you?"

The Witch blinked. "No."

Shin'en snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Dang it, worth a shot. Well, you gather your thoughts, I'll watch Yusei Duel this Hunter Pace guy."

Akiza, truth be told, was grateful for the time to think.

Meanwhile, in Shin'en's head.

' _Yusei Fudo…you think almost like a shinobi, placing cards on the field that are part of long-term strategies, all the while masking your intent with smaller units that add up into more powerful monsters that are seemingly stand alone in your plan, but are in fact a key part of your grand design. If I wanted to take you on fairly, you might've actually been something of a challenge. Then again, perhaps not.'_

"So, want me to take his deck too, so you can screw him over just like you did that other guy?"

Shin'en's answer was a barely perceptible nod. Ryuk just laughed. "You humans are so interesting. When you truly want something, you'll fight tooth and nail to get it, no matter what. Although, I think my services this time will require some payment…say, some apples?"

Shin'en bolted upright, a massive grin plastered on his face as he got about three inches away from Akiza's nose. The Signer blinked at the sudden proximity. "Sure, I'll get you some apples."

"Ah…I didn't ask for any apples…"

Shin'en laid back down, smiling serenely. "I wasn't talking to you."

Akiza was almost afraid to ask. "Who _were_ you talking to?"

"Satan."

" _Would Shin'en and Professor Frank please make their way to their designated preparation areas. Thank you."_

"Well, that's my cue. See ya, Akiza."

Shin'en rolled off the couch and landed face first on the ground. Then he proceeded to do the worm all the way down the hallway.

Akiza watched him go with a single thought in her head. _'There is something wrong with that child.'_

When Shin'en was out of sight, he got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Why are you acting like this?" Ryuk asked.

"Because I am bored, and playing mind games with the sheep amuses me."

"Uh-huh. So, am I looking at this guy's hand and telling you what cards he had and which ones he's put face down?"

"Yes."

"No problem." Ryuk's eyes glowed red.

"If you screw me over, I will physically throw you through the dimensional barrier all the way back the Shinigami Realm, and then I will watch as the King has his way with you."

Ryuk just laughed, but there was a nervous tinge to it. "D-Don't worry. Y-You c-can count on me!"

Ladies and gentlemen, Shin'en Yūrei, the boy that can scare the very gods of death themselves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Next up is the final Duel of the first round, between Shin'en Yūrei and Professor Frank!"

The crowd went absolutely nuts. As the two duelists rose to the field, Luna's breath was sucked out of her lungs as an unbelievable cold suddenly gripped her in a vice. As she stared at Shin'en, eyes wide, face pale, she saw terror, she saw horror, she saw a draconian demon with thirteen pairs of red eyes. Inexplicably, from hundreds of yards away, Shin'en looked _right at Luna_.

Her arm burned with tremendous agony, as did that of Yusei, Jack, Akiza, and even Rex, although the Director was better at hiding his pain and his Mark than any of his fellow Signers. A holographic screen popped up in the box, showing the epitome of a mad scientist.

"Sir, the machine is going haywire! All four Signers are glowing proudly and strongly, just as we hoped for!"

"I see, thank you."

The screen went blank, and Lazar asked, "Are we going to do it now, sir?"

"No, it is too soon."

"But will there be a better opportunity later, sir?"

"There will have to be," Rex said with finality.

Jack glared daggers at his technical boss. "Goodwin! What is this!?"

The Director looked at the blonde man with an apathetic gaze. "Calm yourself, Jack. All will be explained in due time."

Back in the stadium, Shin'en looked away from Luna, and the girl immediately collapsed in her chair, breathing so heavily and erratically, she almost bordered on hyperventilation. Of course, it wasn't just the Signers that felt threatened through the bond they shared with Luna, Professor Frank was seeing something much worse.

For him, the world had exploded into a violently shifting black and white, and before him was a gigantic shadow that threatened to blot out everything in the world. At the top of the shadow, several thousand feet in the air, thirteen pairs of huge red lights glowered down at Frank, and the man's knees were shaking against each other as sweat poured from him.

Of course, he reality was that no one saw this, and the crowd just kept on cheering.

"Duelists! When you're ready!"

Shin'en held up his arm, and the two sides of duel disk slid up, twisted at ninety degree angles, connected, twisted at another ninety-degree angle, and slid backwards with a sound like glass ringing against itself. Frank swallowed heavily, before his newer duel disk model simply extended outwards, with another little bit shooting out, making five slots for cards.

"Let's Duel/L-L-Let's D-Duel!"

Frank had been told beforehand that he was to throw the match, since he was being paid to take on Luna in a duel for the Spirit World, but to make his loss convincing. Yeah, fuck that. He was getting as far away from this psychopath ASAP. It would've been fine if the kid was like he was earlier, all smiles and creepiness, but now…

Those eyes, those terrible, frozen, hostile, primal, _merciless eyes!_

"I-It's my t-turn! I D-Draw!"

Frank looked at the cards in his hand, and quickly made his move.

"I summon Kuriboh, place three cards face down, and end my turn!"

Shin'en calmly drew a card from his deck and added it to his hand. As he observed what he had, Ryuk said loudly from the other side of the field, "He put down Dark Bribe, Mind Crush, and Trap Jammer!"

' _Let's just get this over with.'_

Shin'en had six cards in his hand, but he was only going to need three of them. He took a card, Elder of the Six Samurai, and due to its Effect, Special Summoned it in Attack Position. Now, because he had a Six Samurai monster on the field, he Special Summoned Grand Master of the Six Samurai and Legendary Six Samurai-Kizan in Attack Position.

Kizan's effect activated, and the monster gained 300 ATK points, boosting his ATK point to 2100. Along with Grandmaster's pre-existing ATK points of the same value, and Elder's own 400 ATK points, Shin'en didn't waste any time in pressing the button on his duel disk that signaled the holograms to get down to business.

With a scream of terror Frank's 4000 Life Points were shredded in a single turn.

Shin'en did all this without uttering a single word. He didn't have to. The commands in this game weren't voice activated, they were button controlled on the duel disk; any hand gestures were mere theatrics. Narration wasn't needed, and why on God's earth would you give your opponent a detailed rundown on what your cards' effects were? That was just asking for trouble. Beyond even that, there wasn't anything in the rule book that said you had to speak to your opponent, or even give them a sideways glance.

Talking during a duel was just a professional courtesy, one that Shin'en didn't have.

The Duel ended and the stadium was silent. The Announcer was silent. Goodwin was breathing a sigh of relief that this last minute duelist had some skill. Everyone else wondering what the hell just happened. The Duel never stopped, so Shin'en had followed all the rules, but he…hadn't said a freaking word! That just didn't happen in a Duel?

You were supposed to declare when you were Drawing, say the name and position of the monster you were Summoning, then go on to say you were Special Summoning this monster, and this other monster, and then give away their effects because that was just what happened. Then you were supposed to verbally say when your Battle Phase started, when it ended, and then you were supposed to say 'I end my turn.'

The holograms faded and Shin'en put his cards back in his deck, not caring a bit that Frank was laying on the ground, a twitching, terror-stricken mess. 0.1% of his Killer Intent could do that to a person that had never experienced an S-class shinobi's power before. But anyway.

Shin'en stepped on the platform, and disappeared below.

The Announcer finally got his bearings back.

"In an amazing one-turn upset, the Silent Duelist has won!"

That finally galvanized the crowd into cheering.

"Listen to them," Ryuk said. "A bunch of mindless idiots cheering on one of the biggest mass murders in the dimensional history. Imagine if they knew who you really were—what you could _really_ do. If that happened, then these Dark Signers and Iliaster chumps would all go running for the moon to get away from you."

"They'd all just die tired."

Ryuk cackled. "Yeah, they would! But hey, enough of that dark stuff, yeah? Let's talk about that amazing Duel just now, eh!? Three cards, one turn, a combined attack power of 4600, and you didn't say a word! That's like, breaking all kinds of rules right there! People are going to have so many questions…"

"They'll only get lies for their troubles."

Ryuk grinned. "Now this is more like it. None of that idiot retardedness from earlier."

"Yes, it was a bit much. I don't think I'm bored anymore. Well, not as much as I was."

The elevator stopped, and Shin'en wasn't surprised to see Yusei waiting for him.

"Six Samurai monsters, huh? Not a bad deck. They function on teamwork and coordination, trust and unity."

"No, they're just pieces of cardboard with little rules on how to use them at the bottom."

Yusei should have expected a response like this. An evident psychopath with schizophrenia who just wiped out a man after scaring him half to death, all without uttering a single word during the entire match, but even so…Yusei was a man who had nothing _but_ his deck. He had built his deck, knew every card inside and out. One could even say he was devoted to his deck, and Yusei would tell you to your face that he loved all his cards like they were family.

Growing up an orphan with only a tiny number of human friends in a world where Dueling was how you got by did that to a growing toddler.

Anyway, upon hearing those words from Shin'en, Yusei reacted like he was holy man that had just been told 'Hail Satan.'

"How can you say that?" he gasped. "Those cards are your life, gathered together through trial and hardship. They carry you through life, getting you out of one battle after the other. They're with you forever—how can you say they're just pieces of cardboard!?"

"Very easily, actually. As for gathering them through trial and hardship, I bought these three days ago for the sweet low price of $4.99 in a second-hand store. Before you go on another tirade about something along the lines of 'the Heart of the Cards,' let's get something straight: I don't care for this game, at all. I'm only here for the prize money. Personally, I think the whole concept of Dueling is retarded. Why spend several minutes of your life playing a children's card game against another grown adult, when a simple fist fight will solve everything much quicker and simpler? But anyway.

"Yeah, this deck is just something I bought in a store for the sole purpose of this tournament. After it's over, you can have them if you want, otherwise I'll just throw them away. See you in the semifinals, Yusei, if you make it that far. Oh, and please don't give me a lecture or a speech about friendship and what Dueling means to you, if we ever get to that point, otherwise you won't have to worry about your friends in the Satellite."

Yusei was on guard in an instant. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Shin'en glided past the man and disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

"Use your imagination."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **See, told you it was going to ironic. Come on, a ninja using a deck based on samurai and teamwork? Get outta here!**_

 _ **But seriously, that moment when you combed through your entire collection until you found the Six Samurai section just to read the card effects to make sure you did this correctly. As it turns out, I am completely and a hundred percent correct in my writing. If you were lost on what just happened, Google and Wikipedia are very close by, my friend.**_

 _ **Next chapter: The Abyss takes on the Black Rose Witch and the Shooting Star of the Satellite!**_

 _ **Don't miss it!**_


	62. Black Rose and Shooting Star

_Black Rose and Shooting Star_

 _ **So, anyone notice any similarities between Shin'en's psychopath act and Percy from**_ **Son of Jashin** _ **? Yeah, I did too. What a funny coincidence. Anyway, this chapter will probably be the end of the**_ **Yugioh** _ **arc, because I'm debating whether or not to keep Shin'en here to mop the floor with the Dark Signers.**_

 _ **Oh well, I guess you guys will find out soon enough.**_

 _ **Time for more Dueling!**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Yugioh

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Fortune Cup venue_

 _Waiting room_

With Randsborg, Frank, Leo, and Shira out of commission, that just left Yusei, Akiza, Shin'en, and Grieger to Duel, before the final Duel against Jack Atlas.

The demigod really didn't have any interest in that; hell, he cared so little about any form of challenge that when he slipped past Yusei just minutes ago, he came away with the man's Stardust Dragon without a care in the world. He had a half a mind to rip up the card, but then he remembered that it was necessary for the Ener-D reactor towers in the Satellite. Still, Shin'en didn't feel like giving the card back anytime soon, especially since it was a mainstay and key card for Yusei to use.

Shin'en was here to win, and part of winning was to make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to get any ground.

Going down that train of thought, Shin'en supposed it would have been better to get _all_ of Yusei's Synchro monsters, and then let Grieger deal with the man in the upcoming Turbo Duel…then again, Yusei had already proven himself resourceful beyond the norm, and he most likely would've found a way out of that situation regardless of his lack of Synchro monsters.

Oh well, it wasn't like Yusei was going to even beat Shin'en.

Nor was Akiza for that matter. Speaking of, since there was only four people left, and two of them were about to Duel, that left Shin'en alone in the waiting room with the Black Rose Witch. He put back on his dopey persona, and flopped down on the couch.

Akiza hadn't realized he was back, and so the sudden shift in the weight of her seating arrangements caused her to flinch. "Oh, it's you."

"Hi~."

"What happened out there? You didn't say anything."

"Yep, part of my strategy."

"Strategy?"

"Yeah, like how you base your deck around Black Rose Dragon and getting it out on the field as soon as possible before going through some convoluted combo to win. You have your strategy. I have mine."

"And it involves not talking during a Duel?"

"Yep!"

Akiza felt her understanding of the natural order of the world to start flipping itself upside down. "But…you're supposed to talk during a Duel! Declare attacks, explain the Monster Effects, what your Spells and Traps do…"

Shin'en looked at the Witch, and the look in his eye, made her feel like she had just said something really stupid. "Now why on earth would that be a good idea?"

Akiza froze, both at the chilling feeling that suddenly squeezed her, and at what he said. It was the most common practice in Dueling to explain what your cards did to your opponent, out of simple courtesy. One did not simply _not_ offer up a simple explanation of what this Monster did, what this Trap did, and what this Spell did. It was against the rules!

"Hey look! Grieger's already got his SKY FIRE out! Oh wow, is that really his Duel Runner? Someone's overcompensating!"

Akiza couldn't stop the small snort that escaped her. Grieger's Duel Runner was, undoubtedly, a statement about something, but whether it was about Grieger Jr. or something else was entirely up to the imagination. However, Akiza was now enraptured by the Duel, curious as to how Yusei was going to pull out of this one.

In fact, she was so enraptured and Shin'en so skilled in his arts, that the woman never noticed the hand that slipped into her deck pouch.

"Aren't you the slippery one," Ryuk remarked.

The demigod returned his attention to the screen, and the waiting room became silent as the sounds and commentary from the Duel filled the area.

' _If he ends up needing_ _Stardust_ _, I wonder how he'll react to not having it. I wonder how Akiza will react when she goes to summon_ _Black Rose_ _only for it not to be there. These people…they rely on a single card for their trump moves. Even Yusei can't go a single Duel without summoning_ _Junk Warrior_ _and_ _Quilbolt Hedgehog_ _. At least Yusei has variety when it comes to his Synchro monsters…technically speaking.'_

Seriously, ninety percent of the man's Synchro cards had 'Warrior' in there somewhere.

It was ridiculous.

The Duel carried on, with Grieger continuing to back Yusei into a wall, only for Yusei to bounce back regardless. Eventually, Yusei bounced back hard enough to get Grieger to snap and reveal this really interesting tidbit of information that revolved around Rex Goodwin being behind the destruction of his village by the Nazca Lines.

Then the behemoth tried to murder Goodwin, by driving his Duel Runner up the glass surrounding the track in order to fly his Duel Runner into the Director's box, only for Yusei to do the same, just knocking Grieger off course. Still, while the cameras didn't catch it, Shin'en saw one of the spikes on Grieger's wheel come flying off, and it would've turned Goodwin's head into mush, if the man hadn't reacted with supreme reflexes and got the incoming spike with his…prosthetic hand of metal.

Anyway, Yusei won the Duel and Grieger was hauled off by Sector Security.

Now it was time for Shin'en's and Akiza's Duel.

The Black Rose Witch put her game face on, and gave Shin'en a courteous nod before rising and leaving. Shin'en hopped off the couch, and, still in his persona, said, "I'm not a nice guy when I Duel, so don't expect me to pull punches!"

Akiza looked at him over her shoulder. "Likewise."

When she was gone, the dopey grin faded. Shin'en was going to eat her alive, and spit out what was left, before scraping it off the floor into a trashcan, one that he would proceed to throw into the incinerator, and then he would finish it up by scattering the ashes into a hurricane.

…

Okay, that was a bit extreme, but the idea was still the same.

"You gonna knock her out in one move after you scare the crap out of her like you did with Frank?"

"Yes."

"Oh-ho, and here I thought you might've actually developed a soft spot for her." Shin'en looked at Ryuk, and the Shinigami only chuckled. "Just sayin'."

On his way to the stage entrance, Shin'en ran into none other than Goodwin's clown, Lazar.

"Ah, Mr. Yūrei-"

"Uh, try again. I'm feeling like a girl right now, so that would be _Miss_ Yūrei, thank you."

"Right, my mistake. Miss Yūrei, I have a proposition for you: throw the match, and you will be _handsomely_ rewarded for your services to Sector Security."

"Hmm…how much we talking about here?"

"Say…ten million?"

"Oh, wow. If that's how much we're talking, then I'm gonna have to say no deal!"

"Excellent, your payment will be wired—" Lazar realized what Shin'en had said. "Excuse me!?"

"You're excused. Now, if you'll excuse _me_ , I have a Duel to win. Cheerio!"

Shin'en gamely skipped his merry way down the hallway, leaving Lazar stunned at both his attitude and his refusal of ten million bucks. The clown-like man then remembered that he had to give Shin'en his/her doctor's note for a psyche evaluation for after the Fortune Cup. However, when he raced down the hallway, he failed to see the child.

Oh well, he'd just get him/her after the Duel—oh shit.

Shin'en was still going out there to win.

That was a problem because it was largely unclear just how good of a Duelist Shin'en truly was, seeing as how he had ended the Professor with some kind of fear-inducing thing (the man was in a coma for God's sake!) which meant that they needed someone capable of pushing Luna to the limit to test her Signer powers.

When Shin'en had Dueled Frank, there was a massive spike detected by Zigzix's equipment from all five Signers, and readings were picked up from Jack, Yusei, Rex, Akiza, and Luna, but that event went down as malfunctioning equipment and strange phenomena. Bottom line: they needed someone just the right amount of skilled to Duel Luna in consolation game.

The reason Rex wanted Shin'en to lose, was so that Akiza could have Yusei, as those two would no doubt push each other beyond their limits. That all stemmed from the fact that everyone had already seen how good those two were, and the only thing seen from Shin'en was three cards in a one-turn ending. There was too much unknown and mystery about the child to gamble on, which is why Goodwin wanted him to lose so he could Duel Luna.

Because if Akiza lost, she would mop the floor with Luna, and Randsborg was a waste of air.

Dammit, none of this would be happening right now if Shin'en hadn't incapacitated the Professor! Hell, none of this would be happening right now if Koda hadn't died of a sudden heart attack! What was it about this kid that made him cause chaos just by being here!?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have reached the final round of the semi-finals!" The Announcer said.

The crowd cheered.

"The winner of this Duel will go on to face Yusei Fudo for a chance at the King!"

More cheering.

"First to come to the field is the second youngest Duelist in the Fortune Cup! After a surprising one-turn victory against Professor Frank, Shin'en Yūrei comes ready to Duel again!"

Cheering.

"His opponent is a woman whose impact is still fresh in the minds of everyone from round one! Give it up for Ms. Akiza Izinski!"

Pretty sure there were some boos in that round.

"Duelists, when you're ready!"

When she rose to the stage, Akiza expected naysaying, trash talk, booing, disapproval, fear, anger, and hatred. From Shin'en, even though she had seen him Duel against Professor Frank, she expected a dopey grin, a lazy posture, and the general air of an excited child with mental health problems.

No, what she got were glacial circles cut from emeralds found deep beneath the North Pole. Akiza's heart constricted as terror filled her. The world around faded and shifted, becoming a shadowy plane of twisting white and pulsating black. Like a lava lamp on steroids, blobs of dark matter coalesced behind the boy, morphing into a ginormous beast with thirteen sets of red eyes.

Akiza whimpered so quietly it went unheard amongst the roaring of the crowd.

Just like before, Shin'en was using a mere .1% of his full Killer Intent, but it had all the needed effect. Perhaps cliché and overused at this point, but like he kept saying: he was here to win. Part of winning was using each effective technique he had at his disposal, and if Killer Intent was the way to go, then so be it. Hell, maybe he should jack up the outage, cause some people to start dying in fear.

Shin'en reigned in the pressure, and Akiza suddenly saw the world as it was meant to be again. Her heart hammered against her ribs and her breathing was more labored than what it was after the average jog. Akiza stared at the boy, normally in a deranged episode of glee, but now he was nothing but a dark seriousness that had Akiza wanting to forfeit just to leave his presence as soon as possible.

She had thought that he was just a disturbed youth, a product of abusive parents that tried to use fear to control his psychic powers. Akiza thought she had him all figured out: a boy born with strange abilities, so his parents force him to be something he's not—a girl, for instance, which is where the genderfluidity came from—but he resisted the lifestyle, and he started living out the 'fake it till you make it' saying, but the mind of a child could only handle so much, and this double-lifestyle cracked his mind, forming his schizophrenia.

Now though…now Akiza realized what she was _truly_ dealing with: a demon from the Ninth Circle of Hell.

A betrayer. A deceiver. A liar.

At least, that's what her terror-stricken mind rationalized this situation as. Fear truly was an amazing thing.

Those glacial green eyes bored into Akiza's wide brown ones. "Let's Duel."

Akiza swallowed. "L-Let's Duel!"

The game began, and through some determination, it was the Witch's move. "My turn! I Draw!"

' _Okay, calm down. I can get through this. I just have to remain calm.'_

Akiza looked Shin'en in the eye…and suddenly she was reminded of the fact that she hadn't been to the restroom since this morning, because suddenly her panties were a fraction wetter than they were before. Akiza quickly clamped down her sphincter muscles before something worse than a few drops could come out.

Forget staying calm, she needed Black Rose Dragon out here now!

"I summon Twilight Rose Knight in Attack Mode! Next, I'll activate his Special Ability, and Special Summon Botanical Lion from my hand! Next I'll Tune both my Twilight Rose Knight and Botanical Lion to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!"

Akiza's duel disk buzzed at her, and her eyes widened considerably. A duel disk only made that sound when a Duelist attempted to do something that was either against the rules or couldn't happen because of unavailability of a card. Akiza instantly ran through her mental rulebook, and came up negative of any violations, so that could only mean-!

Akiza checked the Extra Deck space in her duel disk, and her heart leapt into her throat. She quickly reached for her deck pouch, and her heart almost fell out of her mouth. Where was her card!?

The Announcer picked up on this. "Oh my! Akiza is desperately searching for her Black Rose Dragon! Could it be that she's lost it!?"

The whole crowd broke into mutterings over possibilities and theories, although there were many people breathing sighs of relief, and many more people jeering. Shin'en remained silent as ever. Meanwhile, Ryuk was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.

Panic consumed Akiza as she couldn't find her dragon. She racked her memory, desperately going over everything that had happened since she beat Randsborg. All she had done was talk to Sayer and go back to the waiting area. Could Sayer have taken it so that she could test her abilities?

That…that had to be it. Akiza would have words with him later about this, but for now, she had to come up with a different strategy.

Emerald eyes burned in her subconscious, causing Akiza to freeze up. With breath so heavy it almost hurt, the Black Rose Witch barely managed to eep out, "I p-place two cards face down, a-and end my turn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Something's wrong," Luna said. "The way Akiza is reacting to Shin'en is the same as how Frank reacted. Shin'en's somehow scaring the both of them into not being able Duel properly."

"Woah," Leo breathed. "He can scare the Black Rose Witch? That's insane…"

"Yeah, there's definitely something up with that kid," Bolt Tanner, a muscle-bound man with blue hair, with several spikes jutting out around his cranium, and a Security Marker on his face that looked like a couple of tear troughs. "I talked to Yusei down below, and he said that the kid claimed to be genderfluid, and that he displayed schizophrenia and psychic powers, just like Akiza. There's also his name, 'Shin'en Yūrei.' It means 'Abyssal Ghost.'"

"And he uses a Six Samurai deck," Lester, a friend of Leo's and obvious nerd, observed. "With all that you said tanner, it makes more sense for him to use a Zombie deck, since Six Samurai are all about working together and honor."

"Yeah, about that. Yusei said he talked to Shin'en after his Duel with the Professor. He said that Shin'en just thought of his cards as pieces of cardboard, and that he had bought them just _days_ ago for a cheap price," said Tanner.

"Whaaaaaat!?" Leo yelled in outrage. "You're telling me this guy beat another guy in one turn with cards he's only had for a few days!?"

"That's what Yusei said."

Leo collapsed back into his chair. "Awe, that sucks!"

Luna had tuned out some time ago, as she was far more preoccupied with the throbbing of her arm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Her face downs are Blossom Bombardment and Nature's Reflection."

Shin'en's only response to that was to Draw. He knew exactly what he Drew, and he knew exactly what he was going to Draw for the next 40 turns. See, Shin'en had gotten into the duel disk's software, and he had found the code for Shuffling. It was an algorithm, which meant numbers. Number could be manipulated, and manipulate was something Shin'en did well.

He had arranged the cards of his deck so that after the machine shuffled them, he knew exactly where each card was in the stack. Now all that was left was to get rid of Akiza's monsters and then deal with Yusei. Her two Traps meant nothing.

Let's see…first we're going to Special Summon Elder of the Six Samurai, then Special Summon Kizan, Special Summon Grandmaster, then we're _finally_ going to get to the part where we Normal Summon, and it's going to be Legendary Six Samurai-Kageki, whose effect allowed for the Special Summoning of a Level 4 or lower "Six Samurai" monster from the Hand. Shin'en cleared out his Hand with the Summoning of The Six Samurai-Nisashi.

Once more, all of this was done without saying a word, and with each card played, Shin'en upped the KI by .01%. Even with those tiny fractions, Akiza got paler and paler, her knees ever the more shaky.

Due to various effects at hand, Kizan had an ATK of 2100, and Kageki had an ATK of 1700. Combine that with Grandmaster's 2100, Elder's 400, and Nisashi's 1400, you had a grand spanking total of 7400 ATK point. 8800 when you factored in Nisashi's Special Ability of attacking twice per turn. 8800 minus Akiza's total of 3500, since her Knight had 1000 and her Lion, due to its Effect, had 2500.

Doing the math, you end up with 5300 points of damage.

As far as Akiza's perception went, she was back in that distorted world of black and white, and that great beast was glaring down at her. Thirteen mouths opened up, and the beast dove down and devoured Akiza.

She let out a silent scream and fell to her knees as her Life Points plummeted straight to zero.

The whole stadium went silent

"F-Five monsters," Tanner struggled to say. "Five monsters in a single turn…"

In the box, Goodwin was smirking something fierce, Lazar was open-mouthed, and Jack was simply wide-eyed. Even _he_ would be hard pressed to put five monsters on the Field in one turn.

In the waiting room, Yusei was staring at the screen with narrowed eyes. That was twice now, twice that Shin'en had ended a Duel in a single turn, and both times it had been with a swarming tactic, just like Crow used with his "Blackwings." Yusei was going to have to be on his toes for his next Duel, if he wanted to get to Jack.

Back in the stands, it was still silent as ever, until one individual's voice was heard loud and clear.

"Woo-hoo! He beat the witch!"

It was the catalyst needed to get the rest of the throngs moving, and soon the entire stadium was filled with the voices of those praising Shin'en for defeating Akiza. As for the woman, she was still on her knees staring up at something that wasn't there in primal terror, her mouth hanging open.

Once more, Shin'en couldn't help but marvel at the effect his Killer Intent had on those that had never experienced it before, or at least those that weren't even the slightest bit immune to it.

"Listen to them. They chant your name because you beat her in a game of cards."

"I can hear that just fine, thank you."

"You okay? You sound angered with something."

"It's in situations like these that I realize that as much as I hate ninja, sometimes I can hate people more…humans are such disgusting creatures."

Ryuk chuckled. "I happen to find them quite interesting."

"Then maybe you should become a psychologist."

"Nah, too much effort."

Shin'en just walked off for the elevator, leaving Akiza's broken form to the Arcadia Movement goons.

"Another stunning upset! Shin'en has managed to pull off a one-turner two times in a row! Will he be able to do it again against Satellite's Shooting Star, or will Yusei be victorious once again!? Find out after this thirty-minute intermission."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sabotage!" Sayer roared in Goodwin's face. "There is zero chance of Akiza losing or misplacing Black Rose Dragon, and you damn well know it! It would be like Atlas losing Red Dragon Archfiend! It just doesn't happen!"

"I agree you. Rest assured that all security footage is being reviewed as we speak. If there was any foul play, you will be the first to know, you have my word."

Sayer scowled. "Your word is meaningless."

He stormed off, furious that his most powerful tool had just been rendered in a state of shock after not just losing the Duel after one turn, but also after being exposed to an ultra-high level of hostile psychic power. That boy…Shin'en Yūrei…there was something very off about him, and Sayer wanted to know what it was.

Sayer wanted that boy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yusei, you can't Duel that guy, you just can't!" Leo pleaded. Luna didn't want to say anything, but she was right in that boat with him.

"You ready for this, Yusei?" Tanner asked, serious as capital punishment.

The Signer just nodded, then he got down on a knee so that he was closer to eye-level with Leo. He put a hand on the boy's head, and affectionately ruffled his air. "Hey, I'll be fine. Besides, I have to do this, for my friends."

"But what if you get hurt!? What if you end worse than the Professor or Akiza!?"

"That's just a risk I'll have to take."

Leo teared up before burying his head into Yusei's shoulder. The Signer just hugged the boy, understanding his worry. Luna looked just as frightened and worried as her brother, but she was better at keeping her emotions to herself, and had better personal restraint.

"I have faith in ya, Yusei!" the old and eccentric Yanagi exclaimed. "Go out there and get 'em!"

Yusei smiled at his old friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akiza was laying in the Arcadia Movement's bus parked outside the stadium, her body submerged in a bathtub/pod. She was staring wide-eyed at nothing, her body racked with trembles and shakes, her pupils furiously dilating in time with her erratic breathing.

Traumatized was not an accurate word for what Akiza's mind was feeling.

Sayer stood off to the side, glowering at the bath pod. Two of his female followers were standing behind him. They had been the ones to have undressed Akiza and place her in the pod.

" _Where_ did you say you found Black Rose Dragon?"

"In her stocking, sir."

"Her stocking?"

"Yes, sir."

"There is not a way on this earth that Akiza would place her card there, and then forget about it. Something's wrong here, and it revolves around Shin'en. Find out everything there is to know about him."

The two women bowed. "Yes, sir."

As they walked off, Sayer stared at Akiza, observing her in her terrified state. She was a psychic of unparalleled ability, a Signer, and a Duelist that could hang with the best of them…yet here she was, a bumbling mess after walking out of a Duel with Shin'en Yūrei. Professor Frank was in a coma, so there's that, but Akiza looked to be on the verge of a vegetative existence of terror.

If that was the case, then Sayer would drop her off in the nearest mental institution, and they could have her.

Sayer was a man of many talents; changing the diapers of a vegetable was not a talent he had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell's up with this kid, Goodwin? He's put two people in the hospital just by having a staring contest with them." Jack Atlas said, eyes narrowed. Don't get him wrong, it's not like he _cared_ for Yusei, or was worried for his own skin, it was just concerning when a fourteen year old had some effect on grown adults to make them comatose.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Rex assured Jack.

Jack was not reassured. "You'd better. If he puts Yusei out too, it'll start to look bad on you."

"How so?"

"You're the one that organized this tournament, and you're the one that brought these people here. Anyone who bought that crap earlier about equality is stupid—you're already under fire for bringing in the Black Rose Witch, so you can count yourself lucky that Shin'en beat her out of the tournament. However, if he puts Yusei in a coma, it could start to look like there's some ulterior motive here. A professor from the Dueling Academy, a psychic, and someone from the Satellite, all put down by a kid, a kid invited here by _you_."

Goodwin stared at Jack. Okay, those were some good points. Granted, if he had known that this child was going to be the one at the top of the list, he would've had Lazar go to the next person, but even so. Without even realizing his part in all this, Shin'en had performed beyond expectations, getting Zigzix's machine to identify all five Signers at once yet again.

"I'll take your words under advisement, Jack. For now, you just need to focus on your Duel with Yusei."

The King's eyes narrowed even further. "You make it sound like you can ensure Yusei will win."

The Director just smiled and nodded at Lazar. The clownish man bowed with his hand across his chest, and walked off to go have a word with Shin'en.

Hell, the kid had taken down two opponents in a grand total of two turns, maybe Goodwin should offer the kid a place at the table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Yusei was heading for the elevator with ten minutes before it was time to Duel, a sudden though occurred to him. Akiza had somehow managed to lose her Black Rose Dragon, which shouldn't have been possible, all things considered, but she had. Was it possible for Yusei to lose his Stardust Dragon?

The Signer reached for his deck, and began to rifle through his cards—oh, now that was a problem.

Yusei bolted down the hallway, back to the waiting room. In a panic similar to what Akiza had experienced, he tore the room apart looking for his dragon, looking under every chair and table to see if someone hadn't gotten cute and taped it there, throwing aside all couch cushions, and even going so far as to dig through the potted plants. After six minutes of searching, he came up with nothing.

Undaunted, Yusei made haste for the Duel Runner area, where his own Runner was waiting. Barging in, Yusei went mad as he peeled every nook and cranny wide open, checking every drawer, under every drawer, every compartment in his Duel Runner, even in the trashcan.

He couldn't find it.

" _Yusei Fudo, please report to arena elevator in one minute, or you will be disqualified. Thank you."_

Yusei wasn't typically one to curse, but there was no better word for this situation.

"FUCK!"

The Signer tore down the halls at speeds that would've had Olympian Athletes asking for tips. On his way, he fervently patted himself down, hoping against hope that he had simply put his Stardust Dragon in a pocket and forgot about it. No such luck, and he wat the elevator doors with ten seconds to spare.

Panic, worry, and despair were the agents that Yusei found himself drowning in as he rose to the arena.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Heh, so you took that flower dragon and demolished the girl, and now you've taken the space dragon, and are about to demolish the guy with the weird-ass hair. On top of that, you've gotten into his deck and arranged it to where after it shuffles, you know where each of his cards are, just like you did with your own."

"I told you Ryuk. I'm not here to play games. I'm here to win."

The Shinigami laughed. "You keep saying that like it's easy to forget."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have reached the last Duel of the finals! The winner will go on to face none other than the King himself, Jack Atlas! On one side of the field is the Silent Duelist, Shin'en Yūrei!"

The crowd went nuts.

"On the other is Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo!"

The crowd went less nuts, in fact, there was some derision.

"Send that Satellite trash back where he belongs!"

"Show that Satellite who's boss, Shin'en!"

"Markers don't belong in New Domino!"

"Go back to the Satellite, loser!"

Yusei's five supporters, Tanner, Yanagi, Luna, Leo, and Dexter weren't the happiest group of people as they listened to the jeers and taunts.

Down on the arena, Yusei still wasn't entirely calm with the apparent sudden loss of Stardust Dragon. His heart beat was racing and his breathing was far from level. These things weren't caused by the fact that he didn't have the card, but the fact that he didn't know where it could be. He had lost Stardust Dragon before, but that was because Jack had stolen it, and Yusei knew where Jack was, which was why he was in this Fortune Cup nightmare to begin with.

So this was all Jack's fault, in the end, and now Yusei was at a total loss of where to begin his search for his card.

"Duelists, when you're ready!"

Oh, right. He still had a Duel to win.

Yusei looked at Shin'en, and he promptly froze up. Those eyes, those couldn't be _human_ eyes. They were red, and glowing, and branding themselves into Yusei's memory. The sounds of the world faded around Yusei, and a faint, indistinct, rapid whisper began to sound in his ear. Those eyes glowed brighter and the whispering got louder, until the eyes glowed so brightly that Yusei couldn't see, and the whispering exploded into a sound like metal being violently scraped against metal.

The roaring of the crowd resumed, and Shin'en's was looking at Yusei with a raised brow. His eyes were cold chips of emerald. "Let's Duel."

Yusei tried to focus himself. Right, here and now. Focus. "Let's Duel."

In a surprising turn of events, it was Shin'en that Drew first, completely cutting Yusei off. The boy Summoned a monster that Yusei remembered as Legendary Six Samurai-Kageki, then he, for some reason, Summoned another "Six Samurai" monster, one that Yusei didn't recognize. Yusei's blood ran cold when Shin'en put a third card on his Monster zone, and this was one that Yusei recognized.

That red armor, the flowing cape, the sword with the ghostly flames on it, that helmet with fire-like insignia, and that ghoulish face…this third monster was none other than Great Shogun Shien. Shin'en placed three cards face down, emptying his hand. Only then did he say his first words of any Duel.

"Your move."

Yusei noticed how Kageki's and attack that other Monster's ATK points were increased, with the latter's being 1900, and former's being 1700. Combine that with the Shogun's ATK points, and it didn't matter. Yusei would lose next turn if he didn't play his cards right. Let's see, what did he have in his hand?

Yusei, for the first time since this Duel started, chose to inspect his hand, and his blood ran cold.

Graceful Revival, Call of the Haunted, Junk Barrage, Turret Warrior, and Sonic Chick. Those first two needed something in his graveyard, the third needed a Monster, the fourth was Level 5, and the last one didn't amount to anything. It was okay though, Yusei had been in this situation before, when all seemed hopeless. All needed to do was have faith in his Deck, and his Deck would come through for him like it always did.

Yusei closed his eyes, and tuned everything out. With a deep breath, he Drew. Confident in what his Deck gave hime, Yusei opened his eyes back up…his jaw promptly fell open. Shield Crush…destroy 1 Defense position Monster on the field. Yusei didn't even remember having this card in his Deck in the first place.

Blue eyes surveyed the situation.

' _Okay,_ _Sonic Chick_ _can't be destroyed by Monsters with more than 1900 ATK points. Next turn, Shin'en will attack first with_ _Kageki_ _, destroying_ _Sonic Chick_ _, which will leave me open for_ _Shogun_ _and that other Monster. But, using_ _Graceful Revival_ _and_ _Call of the Haunted_ _will bring_ _Sonic Chick_ _back…in Attack Position. Using both those cards next turn…let's see, 2500 and 1900 is 4400, and that minus 600 would be 3800. All of that is also based on the assumption that he doesn't summon another Monster with his next draw, or at least a Spell that doesn't destroy any cards. There's also these face downs, there's no telling what they do. This is not good, but I can't give up yet. I just have to have faith in my Deck.'_

"I Summon Sonic Chick in Defense Mode!"

The little chick came flying out of a circle that appeared in midair, and then it curled in on itself after turning blue.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn."

' _Okay, I'm going to take some damage this turn, but I know my next Draw is going to pull me out of this. If I believe in my Deck, it'll pull through for me.'_

Meanwhile, there was a certain Shinigami laughing his ass off at this entire situation.

"My goodness! Shin'en puts out three Monsters in a single turn, and Yusei responds by Summoning a Level 1 Monster with 300 DEF points in Defense Mode, and a couple of face downs! Is this it for the Satellite's Shooting Star, or will he pull another miraculous comeback!?"

Yusei watched with baited breath as Shin'en Drew his card and didn't even look at it. Instead, he activated a Trap card, one that depicted Kageki summoning a lightning bolt. The Monster Yusei didn't recognize glowed as its ATK decreased by 300, and the Trap card glowed, before releasing a bolt of lightning that struck Sonic Chick.

Yusei almost had heart attack when the card on his duel disk came off. Whatever just happened, that Trap card's effect just returned Sonic Chick to his hand…oh shit. Yusei's Traps needed something in the Graveyard to activate, and all that he had in his hand was an Equip Spell, a Spell that had nothing to target, and two Monsters that couldn't be Summoned.

Yusei's face drained of all color. Jack gaped. Leo looked ready to faint. Luna was covering her mouth with her hands. Dexter was flabbergasted. Yanagi was making a panicked moaning as he chewed on his nails. Tanner was wide-eyed and had a stricken look on his face.

Shin'en wasn't smiling; he didn't even have an expression. Wordlessly, he pressed the buttons on his duel disk that initiated the attack animations, and he watched just as silently as Yusei's Life Points hit zero just as fast as Akiza's.

The stadium went silent as they watched what had to be the most disappointing Duel ever. Despite their prejudice at Yusei for having a Marker, they still knew him to be an excellent Duelist, evident by his triumphs over the likes of Hunter Pace and Grieger. But to see him go down _so easily_ …it was shocking.

Everyone was shocked.

Up in the box, Jack and Lazar were shocked. Goodwin was focused on the tiny screen that popped up next to him that showed footage of the waiting room from much earlier in the day. It showed the Duelists being subjected to what appeared to be psychic antics, which was as amusing as it was great material for a horror movie, but that wasn't what Goodwin was truly focused on.

No, he was watching as Professor Frank's deck was pulled from his pocket and quickly levitated to an area by the hallway, an area that Shin'en passed, and suddenly the deck was gone. Goodwin smiled.

Perfect.

Back down in the stadium, everything was still silent, as even the Announcer was struggling to comprehend this event. The monster and face down card holograms faded, signaling the true end to the Duel. Yusei was just standing there, his mind working to get a grasp on things.

Oh sure, he had lost Duels before, plenty of times. He had lost to Crow, to Jack, to Kalin, to other people besides them, but he had never lost like _this_. All the times he had lost were because his opponent played a better combo, or because he was young and didn't fully grasp how to chain his cards together yet. But this time, this instance, against Shin'en…Yusei's Deck…

…it had failed him.

He had the utmost faith in it, and it _failed_ him. Right out the gate, it gave him cards that couldn't be used to save his life. The combo with Sonic Chick and the Trap cards would've succeeded, but would have cost Yusei monstrous amounts of damage, too much to recover from, even with a lucky draw. Yusei knew for a fact that there wasn't a card in his Deck that he could've chained into a combo capable of taking out three Monsters and dealing a substantial amount of damage to make the Duel more realistically possible to win.

So, yes; Yusei had lost Duels before, but never like this.

Never before had Yusei's unshakable faith in his Deck _failed_ him.

"I told you Yusei: I'm here to win. Don't worry though, I'll give your regards to Jack."

Shin'en's voice came from a mile away, but it triggered Yusei back into reality, and it made him think about something. "My Stardust Dragon…"

"Hm?"

Yusei's Mark of the Dragon glowed on his forearm. When he looked up at the boy, his normally sapphire blue eyes were glowing crimson. "You stole my Stardust Dragon, and you stole Akiza's Black Rose Dragon."

Shin'en rose a brow. "I didn't steal anything. Akiza's the one who managed to lose it, and, judging by your accusation, you lost your card as well. How is any of that my fault?"

Yusei snarled, primal rage making him irrational.

Before there could be an altercation, a battalion of Sector Security soldiers stormed the Duel field, with none other than Director Goodwin at the head.

"Shin'en Yūrei, you are under arrest on charges of sabotage, theft, and violation of Public Ordinances 3 and 12. You are also disqualified from the Fortune Cup?"

Shin'en blinked. "I don't recall stealing anything, or any of what you just accused me of."

Goodwin waved his hand, and that was the signal for the operators of the holographic screen to do their thing, and suddenly the whole stadium was filled with massive video recordings of Ryuk's shenanigans. Nothing too special, until a certain event happened, and the screens around a certain area darkened, showing the audience where to look.

Everyone saw the Professor's Deck get pulled from his pocket, float over to this one area, and when Shin'en walked past this area, the deck was gone.

Shin'en gave Ryuk a look. Instead of chuckling nervously or trying to put on an innocent act, the Shinigami just grinned, his eyes glowing a hideous vermillion.

He had pulled that stunt on purpose.

"Whatever you do next, it's going to be _interesting_."

Shin'en looked back at Goodwin.

"Are you going to come quietly, Mr. Yūrei?"

The boy smirked. "I'm genderfluid, and I'm feeling like a girl right now, so it's actually _Miss_ Yūrei to you, you privileged, misogynistic, racist…but to answer your question—" Shin'en spread his arms wide, a massive grin on his face— "come and get it, boys!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, having to go back and check card effects and build working strategies in your head takes a while, so sorry for the late-ish update. If the Duels were disappointing to you, that was the point. Shin'en's here to get this over with, and since cheating makes that easier to do, he will chest his ass off. Also, the Duel with Yusei was a direct jab at the**_ **Yugioh** _ **series' greatest trope of always drawing the right card right when you need it.**_

 _ **See? This is what happens when the plot does not require you to win every Duel and go undefeated for the duration of the entire storyline.**_

 _ **Anyway, if you're bored with the Dueling, I've got a heaving helping of violence coming your way next chapter, as well as copious amounts of satire and poking at**_ **Yugioh** _ **.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	63. A Dimension Gone Very Wrong

_A Dimension Gone Very Wrong_

 _ **Holy crap it has been too long. Helping my grandfather replace the flooring in a rotted-out, roach-infested hovel that should just be knocked down in the morning, and then having to work late in the evening takes up a lot of time, but hey.**_

 _ **You guys are here for some carnage, not listening to my woes**_

 _ **Also, qwerty.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Yugioh

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The mission was complete. Defeat Yusei in a Duel so that he doesn't Duel Jack in a Turbo Duel, one in which Jack ends up dying. Beyond that, it was up to Amaterasu to pull Shin'en and Ryuk out of here before either one did something else to the timeline.

Seeing as the sun goddess hadn't pulled the aforementioned two out yet, she was either okay with letting this happen, couldn't pull them out yet, or was busy with something else. It didn't matter though, since Shin'en was admittedly frustrated with this place.

Dueling? Seriously? While one could argue that it's humane to settle conflicts by playing a children's card game, it was just so much simpler to hit a man. Like right now, for instance. These Sector Security schmucks had their custom blue duel disks out, ready for a gang Duel against Shin'en.

That was another thing that annoyed Shin'en to no end. You think beating someone in a Duel was enough to make them surrender? Was there some sort of honor system in place here? Lose the Duel, you give up entirely? If that was the game, then Shin'en was going to break the rules.

Starting now.

"Give up, Miss Yūrei. You are hopelessly outmatched."

"I know what you are but what am I?"

And with that, Shin'en was at the first Security guard, and his fist when through the man's face. Reactions were pathetically slow when compared to the demigod's heightened senses. His tore his fist through, and made his way down the line, cleaving through body after body like they were made of tissue paper. It wasn't surprising, really, since these people didn't have the barest traces of chakra in them to give them at least a single iota of durability, and Shin'en was an S-rank shinobi.

He had physical strength in spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds.

Left and right, those of Sector Security found themselves cut down and viciously shredded apart.

Shin'en grabbed a man and flung him into the Director's box. He sent another man into the stands. He swept another off his feet, and stomped on his head, crushing his skull like an overripe watermelon. With a swipe of his hand, a man was decapitated. With a thrust, another no longer had a heart. With yet another swipe, a man lost his entire lower of half.

When the last man collapsed, Director Goodwin's brain finally managed to catch up to him, and he flinched in a myriad of emotions. He froze up when Shin'en's voice sounded in his ear.

"Now, wasn't that all much simpler than having a prolonged Duel? Imagine how much less threats in the world there would be if you just shot someone in the face. Oh, and about your plan to gain control of the Crimson Dragon and the King of the Underworld…consider it ruined."

Shin'en decapitated Rex Goodwin with a swipe of his arm.

The demigod stared at the shell-shocked Yusei Fudo, then he cancelled the illusion around himself. In the blink of an eye, gone was the hoodie, the t-shirt, the jeans and the sneakers, and in their place, Shin'en's Akatsuki regalia became known in all its dreadful glory. The long sleeves of the cloak his bloodied hands.

It was silent for all of three seconds before the screaming and stampeding started. Yusei continued to stare at Shin'en in shock. "What…what are you…?"

"Annoyed that my time was wasted on this when it would've been much simpler to just break your arms to prevent you from Dueling anyone. Goodbye, Yusei Fudo."

Shin'en vanished in a burst of vapor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en stood on the beach of New Domino City, staring out at the horizon. There, isolated in the middle of the bay, was the trash heap collectively known as the Satellite. There, three of the five Dark Signers resided, the ones bearing the Marks of the Giant, the Spider, and the Monkey. In New Domino, the one bearing the Mark of the Lizard had already been dealt with.

A shame that Misty Tredwell would never be able to avenge the death of her little brother at the hands of Sayer, but oh well. The whole situation almost tugged at Shin'en's heartstrings, almost making him see something similar in his and his own sister's story, but alas…Perseus and Persephone were twins, where Misty and Toby were separated by probably ten or so years, and Perseus wasn't a psychic, Persephone wasn't a fashion model, nor was she an evil megalomaniac hellbent on revenge.

But anyway.

The fifth Dark Signer, Carly Carmine, was a nonfactor now, as she was only reborn as a Dark Signer after Sayer sent her tumbling out of a building and straight into an ocean of dark energy. With the other four Dark Signers dead and their Earthbound Immortal cards ripped up, Goodwin's plan was then wholly undone, and then there was Iliaster but Shin'en wasn't getting paid enough to take care of them.

Actually, he wasn't even getting paid to wipe out the Dark Signers, but here he was anyway. This is what happened when you wasted Shin'en's time: he got mad and sought to vent his frustration on something until he was calm again.

Hmmm…should he physically go to the Satellite, or have some real fun and sink the entire place?

The answer came in the form of Shin'en thrusting his hand forward, and a wall of water went surging for the island, progressively getting larger with each passing foot. When the tidal got to the Satellite, it was a towering giant of several hundred feet. It swept over the island and destroyed everything on it, killed everyone on it, and wiped the whole place off the map.

Even from this far out, Shin'en felt the lives he ended with his tsunami, and his tattoo burned. Now, with over eight billion, the few thousand he just ended wasn't much, but it was still a substantial amount. Over ten thousand people lived out there in those slums, and did Shin'en feel anything for the men, women and children he just drowned? Did he feel anything for the struggling parents, the struggling couples, the hopeful children whose dreams he just shattered?

Yeah, he felt something…the tattoo on his arm was burning.

Ryuk whistled. "Now that's something you don't see every day. How many people did you just sweep away?"

"A few thousand."

"Oh? Did you at least get those Dark Signer rejects?"

"Yeah."

"What about the cards? Those "Earthbound Immortal" things…if you rip those up, are the monsters destroyed, or are they released from their cards?"

"Don't know, don't care to find out. I'm waiting for Amaterasu to take us out of here."

…

"Well, she seems to be taking her sweet time," Ryuk remarked.

"Agreed."

Even though the Fortune Cup had devolved into a massacre, and the Satellite had been subsequently swept away into oblivion, it was still broad daylight. Bright sun, blue sky, fair temperature, sparse clouds; it was a perfect day in spite of all the death and destruction. Then a bunch of fiery purple sigils carved themselves into the sky, and from those signs came a blanket of black clouds.

Shin'en raised a brow. He made out a monkey, a spider, a hummingbird-ish thing, a humanoid—maybe—with large eyes, and a whale. Behind him, he saw in the sky a lizard, and a more detailed bird-like thing. The air suddenly grew cold and heavy, with an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness slamming down upon the earth. Shin'en's brow lowered, only for his other brow to rise as when what appeared to be a bunch of little heart-like things emerged from the signs in the sky.

Then there was a heaping amount of these purple lights that swarmed up from all around New Domino and the ruins of the Satellite. These were souls, Shin'en realized. It seemed that the Earthbound Immortals, in the absence of their Signers, could bring themselves forth…or something to that effect.

The bottom line was that Shin'en now had something fun he could to occupy his time.

Each of the hearts exploded in flashes of light, and the Earthbound Immortals, fed by the souls of thousands, descended upon the world of man. Uru, the red spider, Aslla Piscu, the orange hummingbird, Cusillu, the yellow monkey, Ccarayhua, the green lizard, Ccapac Apu, the blue giant, Chacu Challhua, the indigo whale, and Wiraqocha Rasca, the violet condor.

Each creature was big as the average skyscraper, and each radiated darkness and evil.

Ryuk was grinning madder than usual. "Now _this_ is going to be interesting."

Shin'en's Mangekyou blazed. "Indeed."

With a mighty leap, the demigod soared high into the air, higher than even the Earthbound Immortals, and came crashing down into the bay. Immediately upon immersion, Shin'en felt the tremendous surge in power and health. Suddenly, his chakra coils didn't feel so damaged and his heart didn't feel so labored. Drawing upon the power of the salt water around him, Shin'en cast his jutsu.

"Water Style: Thirteen-Headed Dragon Jutsu."

Thirteen massive geysers of water shot straight up, each as thick as thick as a nuclear power plant's chimney, and each as long as a mountain was tall. At the top, the geysers shaped themselves into the draconian maws everyone knew to belong to a dragon. The eyes of each beast glowed bright red. However, for all the power this jutsu possessed, Shin'en wasn't done with it yet.

He stood atop the middle head, Mangekyou blazing brightly. "Susano'o."

Dark emerald fire erupted down the dragon's neck, wrapping across its head. The fire spread to all other parts of the dragon, and the fire gave way to scale-like armor, and streamlined helmets around each head. Each helmet had three horns, one emerging from the tip of the nose, and two coming from behind the eyes.

The dragon's heads found an Immortal to look at, and the beast _roared_.

Shockwaves slammed into the city, shattering glass and toppling skyscrapers like dominoes. In the water, massive tidal waves surged up and charged forth, giving the Satellite-based Immortals a challenge in remaining upright while also causing more damage to the city.

Lightning flashed and it began to rain, which only added to Shin'en's power.

"Hn, seven Earthbound Immortals versus my armored dragon. As much fun as this could be, I can only imagine that it will be unsatisfying."

The hummingbird and the condor came first, flapping their huge wings and soaring forward at speeds impressive for ones so large. Six dragon heads responded, three to a bird. Their maws glowed brightly with highly potent and volatile chakra, and they all released beams of great power, beams the blew massive holes through each Immortal.

Violet and orange energy spilled from the wounds, and the Earthbound Immortals let out horrible screeches as their essence faded from their bodies, leaving only husks of shadow, shadow that quickly dissolved. In the sky, the Dark Signs of the condor and hummingbird faded. Shin'en blew air out of his nose.

"So disappointing. However, since that is the case, there is no need to drag this out."

The dragon's heads reared back and fired, blowing gaping holes through the rest of the Immortals, causing each of them to spill their essence from their wounds, all of them roaring and screaming as they died. However, there was one Immortal that managed to avoid the lasers, and that was the airborne Chacu Challhua. The whale-like Earthbound Immortal chose to make a final stand, and fired a beam of blackish-blue energy from its own mouth.

Shin'en allowed the dark energy to hit, and a fireball erupted around his dragon. The Earthbound Immortal's energy didn't even leave a scratch on the Susano'o. From out of the smoke cloud, one that obscured Chacu Challhua's vision, thirteen beams of chakra came roaring out, and their combined size _obliterated_ the whale from the sky.

The Dark Signs faded, along with the dark clouds. The ruins of New Domino and all those dead people remained though, so not all was right in the world. Oh well, it wasn't Shin'en's problem to worry about. He had followed his orders (beat Yusei in a Duel), and then went above the call of duty and slaughtered the Earthbound Immortals.

"You know, I just noticed some symbolism here," Ryuk said. "This whole dimension was boring and unsatisfying, and the climactic battle between you and the Earthbound Immortals was just as boring."

"Yeah, it was."

The dark emerald armor faded, and then the red eyes faded, and then the entire construct lost its shape and collapsed in a tidal wave that washed over New Domino and further carried the remains of the Satellite out into the ocean. Shin'en stood suspended in the air, standing on a platform of water the size of a trashcan lid and thin as paper.

In a flash of light, Ryuk and Shin'en were gone from the world of _Yugioh_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why, exactly, did you wait so long to pull us out of there?"

"Because you went overboard on Akiza. She's currently struggling with mental trauma and a sense of paranoia and fear that would have Scarecrow impressed. If I had pulled you out sooner, the Dark Signers would have won."

"Whatever. You said earlier about this being the last dimension for 34 days?"

Amaterasu nodded. "Yes. It'll be over a month before you can start fixing dimensions again due to laws beyond my control."

Shin'en didn't look pleased at all with this, but arguing it wouldn't get him anywhere. "Fine. There are things I wanted to do anyway."

"Ooh, do I get to watch?"

"You're still bound to my Death Note, so that means you have to follow me around everywhere. Yes, you get to watch."

"Excellent."

Amaterasu waved her hand, causing the vision of Ryuk and Shin'en to be filled with blinding light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before his vision cleared up, Shin'en was immediately aware that there was something very wrong. All the signs came at once, but the first thing Shin'en noted was the dirty air, then the horrendous number of honking cars, followed by his elevation, and finalized by the fact that all around were people fucking, snuggling on couches, partying, sleeping, eating dinner, walking down streets, etc.

This was not the Shinobi World. In fact, based on the gigantic thing hovering a few hundred feet above this one skyscraper, Shin'en was willing to bet his chakra coils that he was in Persephone's world.

"Uh…this looks like Manhattan of the Human World."

"How astute."

Shin'en's vision corrected itself, and the first thing he saw was a note. He picked it up and read it. With each passing word, his ire grew.

 _Dear Perseus,_

 _It is not just the Shinto Multiverse that has anomalies. The one you and your sister hail from have their extenuating problems as well. This is but one of many googolplexes of broken dimensions. Merely go to where your mother and sister reside, and the problem will become evident soon enough._

 _We trust in your capabilities to determine the proper course of action from there._

 _Yours truly,_

 _The Fates_

 _P.S. try not to kill too many mortals_

The temperature dropped so low that the paper in Shin'en's hands frosted over and shattered. Ryuk blinked. "Bad news?"

"If they don't pull me out of here the second I am done with this place, I am going to pull Olympus out of the sky."

"Olympus…? Oh." Ryuk finally saw the floating mountain. "Hey, since I'm a god of death from the Shinto world, do you think they can do anything to me?"

"Considering that Inter-Pantheonic Law restricts the divine powers of any foreign god into the territory of another pantheon, I would say yes. However, as you are not _the_ Shinto god of death, and there are ways in that you can be killed, that technically makes you a demigod, and therefore you would have all the benefits and downsides that I have. Either way, it's up in the air, and I don't feel like experimenting. If you wish to test your luck, by all means…"

"Nah, I think I'm good. Besides, what you're doing seems more interesting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en knew where Sally and his sister resided, even after they moved into the new penthouse following the tragic demise of Gabriel Ugliano via midnight heart attack. However, he had seen a newspaper out of the corner of his eye while roof-hopping, and his superb shinobi vision, vision superior to that of a bird of prey, saw the date on the paper.

August 18, 2000.

His birthday, and therefore, his sister's birthday and many different interdimensional selves' birthdays as well. Based on that information, he would be turning seven today, and that would mean that his sister and Sally would still be living in that old apartment.

As he hopped from rooftop to rooftop, Shin'en pondered on what he would find. Something horrendous, most likely, otherwise the Fates wouldn't have pulled him here. Most likely, it was either a younger version of himself being abused by Gabe, a female version of himself being abused by Gabe, twin boys being abused by Gabe, twin girls being abused by Gabe, twin boy and girl being abused by Gabe, a mix of triplets being abused by Gabe, etc. Also, 'Gabe' was interchangeable with 'Sally' and 'Gabe and Sally.'

There was also the question of parentage. Olympus was up there, so this was obviously a dimension with gods. Would the child/ren in question be of Poseidon, or Zeus, or Hades? Hell, someone else, like Kronos, or Artemis, or Hestia? So many possibilities, so many things, so many _variables_.

As Shin'en bounded his way for the Upper East Side, he mentally prepared for everything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One drink.

After a hard day at work, in which she got laid off, Sally had taken one drink. The stress got to her; the stress of raising her twins, Percy and Seph, the stress of putting up with Gabe, the stress of living in such a tiny place, the stress of not having enough money for anything—birthdays, Christmas, groceries, _clothes_ —for the love of God, Percy had been forced to wear some of his sister's articles of clothing, and it had the psychological impact of him getting it in his head that it was perfectly acceptable to where girls' clothes—and the stress of everyday life completely shattered Sally's will.

So she went out to get one drink.

And then it became another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And more after that.

The bartender eventually refused service, and, after going through Sally's purse and finding Gabe's contact information, called the fat man to pick up his wife. Initially angered at having his poker money wasted on drinks that he didn't even get to have a sip of, Gabe's anger soon turned into perversion upon meeting Drunk Sally.

Drunk Sally was a horny, shameless flirt, and gave her husband a hand job through his pants the entire way back to the apartment. From there, it was only a downhill spiral into alcoholism, frequent copulation, and smoking. Sally aged ten years in a few weeks, her skin going wrinkly, her hair frizzy and unmanageable, and her demeanor went straight into the toilet.

She would find work soon enough, when Gabe started whoring her out. Sally didn't even realize it, since she was either too drunk or high to notice that she wasn't being screwed by Gabe or that beautiful man from her dreams, the one with the green eyes.

Of course, none of this was to say that the children weren't affected.

With Sally otherwise indisposed of, Gabe now had free reign to vent any anger or frustration he had on the fragile little things that his precious money was wasted on. It was all well and good, since those little shits healed from anything in just a few days, so there were no worries about authorities being called on the matter.

Of course, when you were never out in public and no one ever saw you, it was hard to be worried about. The school and the teachers there didn't bat an eye when Gabe called and pulled the little shits out, claiming to start homeschooling them. Now that they weren't in school, that was more money for beer, cigarettes, weed, etc. Another thing Gabe did in the way of 'budget cuts' was to stop buying clothes…for both children.

He even went so far as to throw away _all_ of the boy's clothes.

Sally didn't care; as long as she had a blunt in her mouth and a beer in hand, she didn't care about anything. Of course, if she did care, Gabe would have simply said that now that there was only one set of clothes to wash, there would be less money spent on the water bill. Still, Gabe did have a reason for getting rid of Percy's clothes, and it was sick.

Gabriel Ugliano, when browsing different kinds of pornography, had discovered the trap genre.

You can guess what happened from there.

The dynamic between the twins changed drastically as well. In the absence of their true mother, Persephone had stepped up to provide as best as she could at seven years old. She snuck food in for her and Percy to eat, she made sure there were clean clothes for her little brother to wear, and every time Gabe in to take Percy away, she was there to bite and scratch and kick and punch and scream and do everything her little body could do to not let that happen.

It always ended in her bones being broken.

Percy had retreated deep within himself to escape from the world, but there was no amount of mental defenses that hid the physical effects of the abuse. There always seemed to be a limp in his step whenever he walked. His eyes, once sparkling and green, were now dull and glazed. Whenever he returned from what whatever Gabe did to him, the back of his shorts would be dripping red, and whenever Persephone finally managed to coax Percy into letting her undress him, and slide the out-of-place panties away from his body, there was always _white_ mixed with the red.

Whenever Percy wasn't with Gabe, he was clinging to his sister like he was trying to merge with her, and Persephone held him back with just as much strength.

Like Pat Benatar said: Hell is for children.

All of this started a month ago, and tonight it would end.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en arrived at the apartment complex, and a simple glance into the receptionist's eyes had her under the Mist. He ascended in the elevator to the appropriate floor, Ryuk hovering behind him.

"So, what do you think we're going to find?"

"Things."

"Such as…?"

"Things."

"You are no fun. I could have a better conversation with a rock."

Shin'en promptly held up a rock he had found on his way to the apartment.

"Here. Have fun."

Ryuk took the rock, and began talking to it. "So there's this guy I'm seeing, right? Real short, loner, brooder, bit of an attitude problem, but he's got stunning good looks. Anyway, I'm trying to get his attention, but he keeps blowing me off. Any ideas on how to get him to not be a stick in the mud?"

The rock split in the middle and suddenly began hopping around and talking.

"Well here's the problem, see?" the Rock said in a whistly voice. "You got walk up to him, see? And you gotta grab him by the shoulders, see? And you gotta turn him around and give him a stern talking to, see? Then you gotta confess your true feelings for him, see? And if he rejects you, you gotta pack your bags and move on, see? Now get in the and get your man!"

Ryuk stared at the rock in his hand. There wasn't a thing different about it than any other rock. "…what the hell just happened?"

 _DING_

"Oh, it's our stop," Shin'en said. Then he was off the elevator and strolling down the hallway, Ryuk hovering behind him. The demigod could sense it, you know, the water; the water in Sally's body, the water in Gabe's body, the water in the twins' bodies. He could sense the alcohol, he could sense the cannabis, and he could sense the fear. As he could sense the detriments, he could also sense the bodies, as in the cell arrangement.

The boy's rectum was…not what it should have been.

Shin'en was hardly surprised or shocked—this had been a common thing in the Mist. The poverty and the propaganda and the war had a most supreme toll on the psyches of many, many people, and not all of them shinobi. The drug trade flourished in the environment Yagura created, and many parents lost themselves to the syringe and the bottle, and the children suffered tremendously.

It wasn't often, but it had happened many times, children scraping together enough money to pay Yūrei to kill their abusive parents. Of course, the children often died of starvation or were killed by a third party for whatever reason, but hey. For Yūrei and their purpose in the war, money was money.

Shin'en grasped the door handle, and suddenly his head was filled with the finer details of the past month. His Mangekyou spun to life.

"And dear Sephy wonders why I want nothing to do with her mother."

The demigod shattered the door handle in his grasp, and waltzed right in. He went unnoticed, as Gabe was deep in the late-night basketball game, and Sally's eyes were so bloodshot it was a wonder blood wasn't dripping down her face. Since the lights were on inside the apartment, the lighting from the hallway didn't do anything.

Shin'en glided across the apartment to where Sally was lounging on the couch, behind Gabe. The demigod put his hands her head and whispered in her ear, "You are a disgrace as a mother." Then he snapped her neck.

The shattering of her vertebrae was enough to catch the walrus' attention, and he turned around only to see a red cloud.

"And here I was thinking I'd never get to do this myself."

Gabe's vision went wonky, and he could no longer feel the rest of his body. He was suddenly looking at the ceiling, and he realized, before his brain stopped functioning, that he had somehow been decapitated.

Ryuk watched all this happen with glowing red eyes.

With a flick of his wrist, a shuriken hit the light switch, which cut the current and shut off the lights. Shin'en walked back across the apartment and shut the door, before placing a tag on it that Sealed it shut from the inside.

"So…what'cha gonna do now?"

"Try to get traumatized, malnourished children with trust issues to follow a complete stranger that looks like them to a location many miles from here."

"Oh, this should be fun."

"Fun," Shin'en echoed hollowly. "Right…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en slowly opened the door to the room that the twins were in, and he was greeted to the site that he expected. A dark room, cluttered with trash, clothes, and other items. A bed pushed against the wall with a single window, the blinds open to let in…the light of the full moon.

Artemis was watching.

Sitting on the bed was what would've been an otherwise adorable sight, except that the reasoning behind was sickening.

Sitting on the bed was a seven year old Persephone, and clinging tightly to her, head buried in the crook of her neck, was a seven year old Percy, dressed as the common young female. Just like Shin'en and his own sister, these two were so alike that they were mirror images of the other, so much that you could've been forgiven for assuming that there were two girls on that bed. Percy was trembling, but not from cold, but in fear.

Persephone glared icily at Shin'en with a look very few adults could manage, let alone young children.

"Who are you?" she asked with just as much ice in her voice as her eyes.

"A demon to some, an angel to others. Who I am depends on how you wish to see me. You are an intelligent child, so you will be able to understand my message and what has happened in recent moments.

"Your mother and Gabriel Ugliano are dead; their bodies are cooling as we speak, if you wish to see for yourself. From here, there are things that can happen. The first is that you and your little brother stay here, and law enforcement agents will eventually arrive to inspect the disappearance of Gabe. They will find you and your brother, and you will both be taken into custody, questioned, and you will be scheduled for therapy and psychiatric care, and given medication. You may also be separated for a time and taken to different foster care homes."

Percy and Persephone tightened their grip on another, clearly not welcoming of that idea. The girl's eyes turned dark at that notion.

"The second is that you take your newfound freedom and leave this place. If that is the case, then you will have to fend for yourselves against weather, hunger, animals, and otherwise unsavory characters, such as policemen, drug dealers, pimps, murderers, muggers, serial killers, and kidnappers. At seven years, I wish you the best of luck in that situation."

Granted, Nero would most likely get a hold of the twins in that scenario, with his network easily identifying the twins as demigods, and from there it wouldn't be long until Nero discovered they were children of Poseidon, and then that would lead to a rather unsavory outcome. But anyway.

"The third thing that could happen is that the two of you follow me away from here. There is a place on Long Island Sound called Camp Half-Blood. There, you will be fed, bathed, clothed, and you will be provided with a roof above your head, and clean bedding. If you learn how to trust people again, you may even make some friends.

"I have given you your three options. You have five minutes to decide among yourselves before I leave you here on your own."

Percy looked up at his sister, his previously dull eyes now alight with a hope that hadn't been there in weeks. Persephone instantly read this look, and she knew that, despite how much she didn't trust this cloaked person, despite how much she didn't want anything to do with him, that he was the only way. She didn't know why, but what he said about this Camp place…it felt real, it felt true, it felt like she had known about it forever and he was only confirming its existence.

"Okay," she said. "We'll go with you."

"Then let's go."

"Shouldn't we pack a bag first? You know, clothes, food, and water?"

"I will take care of those things. You need only worry about leaving this place."

Persephone bit her lip, her dark eyes blazing with displeasure and mistrust. Percy squeezed her, "Sephy…can we go now?"

The girl was instantly off the bed, and, despite them being the same height, she was carrying her little brother on her hip with impressive strength for one so young and skinny. Just goes to show how much stronger a demigod was when compared to a human.

The new trio silently walked through the house, and when they got to the living room, Seph asked, "What happened to the lights?"

"I cut the power. It wouldn't do for someone to walk in here and see the bodies…nor do you need so the bodies, either."

Her eyes narrowed. "Then I how do I know they're dead?"

"By taking the first step in a new chapter of your life."

"And that would be?"

"Trusting me."

Persephone didn't look happy about that. Percy had his arms and legs wrapped around her, even in his sleep he wouldn't willingly let go. The trio moved across the space, and Shin'en took off the locking tag and opened the door, causing light to flood the room. Persephone couldn't resist looking back, and it was a testament to how hardened she was that she didn't get sick or feel regret or remorse at seeing Gabe's decapitated body or her own mother's head facing the wrong way.

When she turned back around, she gasped at seeing Shin'en's face.

"You look like…us…who are you?"

"Let's just say I'm your cousin from far away. You can call me Light."

"O-okay," Persephone said, shaken by the face she just saw.

Behind her, Ryuk laughed loudly at the alias.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the streets, the bustling sidewalks of Manhattan gave zero attention to a teen in a black cloak with a couple of children by his side. Especially when there was a burning apartment complex about a block away. The mindless drones and sheep didn't know it of course, but evidence to any crime was being lost by the second. It didn't matter how fast the firemen got there and started spraying down the place, the incendiary tag would burn for another hour.

Persephone shifted her brother, her eyes red and her lids drooping.

"Getting tired?"

"No," ever defiant as she was, her subsequent yawn revealed her lie.

"I see."

Shin'en put his staff on his back, and promptly peeled his younger self out of his sister's arms and placed him in the crook of his left arm, and then he scooped up the younger self of his own big sister in the crook of his right arm.

"Hey-!"

"Hush now," Shin'en said sharply. "We have a long journey ahead of us, and you haven't rested properly in days. Now is the time for sleep. While admittedly warranted, your mistrustful nature will cost you. If I had ill intent for you or your brother, I would have already done so."

"Or you're just waiting for us to both fall asleep and then take us somewhere."

"If that were the case, I would've knocked you unconscious. Now, sleep."

Persephone glared, but it was obvious she was trying not to succumb to her exhaustion. "I don't trust you."

"In time, I fear that you will come to."

Persephone didn't get to ponder what that meant, as she fell asleep in the strong arm of Shin'en.

"So, what does _that_ mean?" Ryuk asked.

"It means that, over the course of this journey, they will grow attached to me, and when it comes time for me to leave, my departure will shatter them even more than what they already are."

"Maybe. It depends on how much you actually bond, and how much you leave behind."

"What are you getting at, Ryuk?"

"I'm just saying that, since they are younger versions of you and your sister, why not teach them some things…like how to fight, how to survive, and how to use their powers…"

"You're just bored and want some entertainment."

"Bored? Hardly, although watching a couple of kids control water with your personality will be really interesting."

"No, that'd be asking for the bodies to start piling up."

"Hehe, true…so what are you gonna do?"

The full moon shown down from above, a rarity in this light-polluted nightmare of a city. Shin'en wondered what Artemis was doing. Was she telling Zeus about current events? Was she and her handmaidens racing to his location? Were they doing that to help him, or hinder him on the assumption he was up to no good? Was Artemis even doing anything, content to merely watch?

Who was to say.

Shin'en's red eyes glared into the night as the twins both wriggled and let out weak, pained moans. He let out his divine essence, and forced his way into their nightmares, and defeated the demons that tormented them there. The demons that were Gabriel and Sally.

"I'm going to make sure they grow up to be strong."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Happy late 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **of July.**_

 _ **This was supposed to be out on the Fourth, yesterday, but I ended having the late shift at work and ran out of time. I also missed my family's get together celebration with friends. However, I'm getting paid for it, so there is a silver lining.**_

 _ **Anyway, the ending to this chapter.**_

 _ **Like I said at the beginning of this arc, there would be my inner fanboy, and there would be grueling seriousness regarding the PJO universe. This is but one of the few things I will cover. If you think this was bad, wait until I get to the alternate**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **…I think I'm going to call that arc**_ **Xenophobic** _ **, and it will be fucked up.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	64. Parenting Skills of the Abyss

_Parenting Skills of the Abyss_

 _ **Yep, you read that chapter title correctly. We're going to see Shin'en teach a couple of seven year olds about life, philosophy, and the upper limits of their hydrokinesis, as well as instill them with a strong sense of morality…of a certain nature.**_

 _ **Remember: this Percy and Persephone are victims of rape and abuse, with a bunch of trust issues.**_

 _ **Anyway, let's get to the fun stuff.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Through the night, Shin'en realized something: he couldn't simply drop these kids off at Chiron's doorstep and say 'here's a couple of kids; one's a victim of rape and the other a victim of abuse; don't make them mad, because they might trigger a tsunami and an earthquake.' Besides, Dionysus would be there, and even more question would arise. However, once the twins' story was told, they would have massive amounts of pity points and leeway, even from Zeus.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was the potential powers they were inevitably going to unlock, if they haven't already. There was a question Shin'en asked himself: why was he so much more powerful than his sister—in terms of hydrokinesis? No, it wasn't just chakra that made him superior, because when he didn't use to chakra to boost his powers, he was still leagues ahead of his sister. Shin'en's theory for this power gap was simple: mentality.

He wanted to use water to hurt people. He wanted to cause earthquakes to devastate the landscape. He wanted to conjure storms to destroy cities. He wanted to use his powers with a darkness in his will. Persephone didn't have that darkness, at least, not anymore. There was that time when she focused her inner darkness into her powers, and she gained enough control over the water in Gabe's body to rupture his heart.

That was Exhibit A to Shin'en's theory.

Exhibit B came to him long ago in a dream. It was him, older, dressed in Camp attire and with Annabeth, down in Tartarus, near the Primordial Chaos. There, he and Annabeth were confronted by Akhlys, the Goddess of Misery…a _Primordial_ Goddess. Granted she was withered and weak, but still. She was one of the first deities after Creation, and she attempted to use poison against this older Percy. Instead, something in him snapped, and all of sudden, darkness flooded the young man, giving him Power.

This older Percy turned Akhlys' own poison—a _Primordial's own power_ —against her, and when the goddess started to cry, he turned those tears against her as well.

The point being made here was that the more lethal intent a demigod had, the more lethality they added to their powers, the more _darkness_ they had…the more powerful they could be. In conclusion, Shin'en's theory was that a demigod's mentality had a direct impact on just what their limits were regarding their divine powers.

The last thing this dimension needed was someone to pick on Little Percy for being dressed like a girl, and then for Persephone to retaliate by violently awakening her powers and causing the nearby people to pop like bloody water balloons. So, Shin'en decided that this was an opportunity for teaching.

However, that would have to wait until the children were more rested and the morning was a little older.

In the meantime, Shin'en chose to ponder of the psychological state of the children before him, and how they were most likely to develop. Starting off with his younger self, Percy. Due to financial difficulties, the boy had to make do by wearing his sister's clothing, down to her underwear, and then Gabe threw out all of the boy's clothes, which made the only options available for something to wear very limited.

The long-lasting impact of those events would most likely be that this incarnation was going to be a crossdresser, one that didn't understand the concept of boy's clothing and girl's clothing…which could admittedly lead to some humorous situations, but Shin'en wasn't a comedian.

There was also the sexual abuse at the hands of Gabe. Already, the child had problems walking correctly, and was very pale due to blood loss. That was nothing a dip in a pool couldn't fix, however. What couldn't be fixed, was the boy's mind. Most likely, he would develop a fear of intimacy, a fear of men, and would most likely grow into a timid, shy, stick of a man, one that would most likely be homosexual due to the childhood trauma having an everlasting impact on his developing psyche.

So, to conclude: this Percy Jackson could very well become a gay, timid crossdresser with abandonment issues.

Which brought Shin'en to Persephone. She was overprotective, understandably so, and refused to let her brother be anywhere more than two feet away from her. She wanted to coddle and cling to him as he clung to her, protecting him against the world and the dangers therein. She didn't want to be separated from him anymore than he wanted to be separated from her. While young, that wouldn't necessarily be a problem; they could bunk together, dine together, shower together, sleep together, and no one would care.

But come adulthood, such things would not do. It was the sad, painful truth, but the twins couldn't be like this forever, tight and close nit. They would mature, grow into adults, adults that couldn't spend their whole lives glued to the other's hip. Life would separate them, and they needed to know how to cope with that, lest something disastrous happen.

So, to conclude: this Persephone Jackson would develop into an untrusting woman with the Mother Hen Complex of an alligator, and would refuse to let her little brother leave her side.

There was also the distinct possibility of incest among the twins, as their trust issues and extreme dependence on each other would clash wrongly with their sexual maturation. In laymen's, because they would only associate with themselves, they would only see the other—and only the other—as appropriate breeding material.

Shin'en growled as he compiled a mental list of the problems he was facing: crossdressing, timidness, shyness, gayness, trust issues, abandonment issues, overprotectiveness, coddling, clinging, overdependence, long-lasting psychological trauma, the inability to let go and move on, incest, and latent divine prowess.

There was probably something he missed, but he would take care of it if it came up.

Let's see, which of those problems could be dealt with now…Shin'en's eyes slid over to the boy, and took note of the hot pink soccer shorts with the white stripe along the sides and on the leg holes, as well as the pink shirt with the Disney princess backdrop on the front. And there was no telling what kind of underwear the boy was wearing.

Right then, that was nothing a trip to the nearest clothing store couldn't fix, although the real trick was getting Percy to put on something other than girl-themed articles of clothing, given the child's recent experiences in that being all that he could wear. He was either going to be hesitant to part with what he was wearing, or supremely joyful at having something that wasn't pink and girly.

Only time would tell.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost ten in the morning before the twins stirred awake, and they woke to find themselves under a tree in a forested area. They heard water nearby, and both turned in tandem to see a flowing river not twenty feet away from them.

"Good morning."

Both whipped around at the sudden baritone voice, and they saw Light standing against a tree, munching out of a giant bag of trail mix. Despite both twins being hardened to the world, and more mature than their age should allow, they both couldn't help but drool slightly at the sight of the food. So fixated on the trail mix were they, they didn't notice the clothes and backpacks and other snacks lying at Light's feet until he motioned to them.

"These are yours. The pink bag is for Persephone and the blue for Percy. The clothes and snacks nearby are reserved for yourselves unless you feel like sharing with others. What I have in my hand is breakfast, but you can't have any yet. First, you must bathe in the river and change your clothes."

Percy's stomach rumbled, while Persephone wasn't buying it, as usual. "The river will be cold and dirty, and we don't have any soap or towels. Where are we, anyway?"

"Connetquot River State Park. Your concerns over the water are unwarranted. Come, I will teach you how to bathe with any water."

That caught Percy's attention, and he immediately leaned into Persephone, who glared icily at Light. "You're no better than Gabe," she accused. "You just want to see us naked."

Unfazed, Light said, "Like I said last night: if I wanted to do anything to you, I would have already done so. Further, I would not have gone through the trouble of killing your mother and step father, and then burning the bodies and any evidence to cover up your trails, if I intended to harm you in any way. Now come, you both smell like a rotted-out carcass…or we can get moving immediately and I take the snacks and trail mix while I happily watch you both drool and listen to your stomachs growl. Your choice."

Persephone was about to argue, but her and her brother's stomachs roared in protest. However, while not feeling argumentative, she was feeling negotiative. "Eat first, then bath time."

Light just gave her a hard look. "You are in no position to negotiate. You're both hungry and you both stink, and I lose nothing if you both go hungry until you bathe. This also an exercise in trust. Trusting me to follow through with my word, and trusting me to not harm you."

Persephone returned the hard look, but Percy tugged on her arm.

"I'm hungry," he whined quietly, "and you smell like poop."

The girl gaped in shock and betrayal, and Ryuk, who had been silently watching this whole time, busted out laughing.

Light had just the tinniest bit of a smirk on his face. "There you have it. Two against one. You've been outvoted."

Light went to the water, and Percy rose to his feet, dragging his sister up with him before leading her to the water. He limped with every step.

Light slid his hand down the middle of his cloak, unbuttoning it. He shrugged his shoulders and the garment fell off. He hung it on a low hanging branch and waded into the cold water. Immediately, he was aware of every species of fish and microbe, every broken fishing rod and lure, every sunken boat and car, and everything in between in the river and beyond. Hell, he could even sense the shores of Camp Half-Blood from here, but that wasn't important at the moment.

The twins got the bank, and they both audibly gasped at seeing Light's scar-ridden torso and arm.

"Take off your clothes and enter until you are both waist deep."

Persephone bit her lip, but to her surprise, Percy immediately started stripping.

"Percy!"

The thin boy shrugged. "I trust him."

…

"Oh." Persephone felt her whole world shifting upon hearing those words. Those three little words that held more weight than the planet. Seph looked back at Light, searching for any hints or signs of something bad, like a leer, a gleam in his eye, or a certain look. Instead, for all the expression on his face, Seph might as well have been looking at a rock.

"Come _on_ , Sephy." Percy was already completely undressed, his clothes discarded. There was dried blood on the back of his legs. "I'm cold."

"And the water is going to be so much warmer," Persephone muttered. However, despite her dislike of this situation, she quickly undressed herself down to the nude. The twins stood side by side, neither ashamed. In the water, Light held the same expressionless expression. "You said waist deep, right?"

"Correct."

"It's going to be cold."

"Only if you allow it to. Step in, and you will understand."

Percy tugged on his sister's arm. "Come on~."

It was an interesting sight, watching a boy the same height as his sister try to tug her along as if he was smaller than she was. As it stood, the two were soon standing up to their waist in the waters of the river, and both were shivering already.

"I-I-I t-told y-you i-i-i-it was g-going to b-b-be c-c-c-cold," Persephone chattered, hugging Percy tightly to her.

"If you don't want it to be cold, then make it warm," Light said calmly.

"T-t-t-that d-doesn't m-m-make s-sense!"

"Just try it. Imagine the water around you is warm like that of a shower, and tell me what happens."

Against all sense of better logic, the twins did as Light suggested, and they thought of the warm showers they used to take together, and they thought of the water they were standing in to be like that shower. The unexplainable happened: the water was suddenly not only warm, but tickling them with bubbles. Percy's eyes were alight with wonder, while Persephone couldn't fathom just what in the hell just happened.

"In time," Light said, "you will find that water is all around you, and that it will answer your call if you make it. In time, you will find that the things you can do with water are only limited to your imagination. In time, you will come to be able to draw upon all sources of water, no matter how small or minute."

Persephone looked at him as Percy played with the bubbles. "Even the water inside a person?"

Light nodded, his countenance never shifting. "If you should desire it, so shall it be."

"How is this possible? It doesn't make any sense."

"The short version of that explanation is that your father passed on his power yo you and your brother."

"Father? He was lost at sea."

"Oh, he's lost all right, but not dead. I will explain in the future but for now: bathing. Just as you willed the water to be warm, so too can you will the water to clean you."

"Is it really that simple?" Persephone asked. "Just imagine it doing something, and it does it?"

"If you have the mentality for it, you can do anything with water."

"The mentality?"

"If you're thinking of sunshine and unicorns, causing a tidal wave big enough to knock down a building is going to be more difficult than if you were thinking about all the things Gabe has done you and Percy."

The water exploded when Persephone's face darkened. Percy watched the white spray rise and settle with an awed expression, and then he giggled when the wave washed over him and his sister.

"As I said, what you can do with whatever is influenced by your mentality, which influences your emotions. In other words, the angrier and more wrathful you are, the powerful your abilities will grow. For now, focus on small things, such as temperature control and self-cleaning."

The twins nodded, and then they proceeded to scrub each other down, imagining the water cleaning the other.

"You can breathe underwater as well, if you so choose," Light threw in offhandedly.

Percy's face lit up, and he immediately dove down. Persephone looked at Light. "Why is he suddenly so happy?"

"You're his big sister, you tell me."

Persephone pondered on it for a while, then she said, "Because he's no longer with Gabe and Mom?"

"Correct. He truly is an innocent and happy soul, but the environment created by those two dimmed his personality. Out here, away from them forever, he no longer has anything holding him back."

Percy popped up, an easy two minutes after he went down. "Wow! It really works! You have to try it, Sephy! Please~?"

There wasn't a creature alive that could resist Percy's puppy eyes, and Seph caved immediately. "Alright…"

Percy cheered and promptly dragged her under.

Light patiently waited as the twins had their fun. He sensed every move they made, of course. He sensed as they swam about, Percy willing the water around him to shoot him about, dragging his sister along behind him. Light wondered if this was what he and his sister's life would have been like if they had never been separated.

Would Sally have gone drunk, would Gabe have become a rapist? Would sally have become a whore, would Gabe have thrown out all of Percy's clothes? Would Sally have become a junkie, would Gabe have pulled the twins out of school? What would have been, and what would have not been?

Light pondered this with such attention that he almost didn't sense his younger self and sister attempt to relieve him of his pants. The twins had the biggest shock of their life when they were suddenly jerked up and held suspended by tendrils of water.

"Awe, no fair…" Percy pouted.

"Hey, I'm willing the water to put me down, but it's not working. Why?"

"Because my will is stronger than yours, child. In time, you may find yourselves up against opponents that hold better control over water than you do."

"What do we do if that happens."

"Fight tooth and nail for victory. So, do you want breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Percy chirped.

Persephone just nodded her head.

"Well, then you both had better start fighting for it."

Immediately did Light feel the attacks against him, the outside forces prying mightily against his will. The kids were good, he would give them that, and their powers would only continue to grow as they got more and more frustrated with their lack of success. Eventually, they might even work up the combined might to overpower Light's control, although he doubted it.

However, he wasn't expecting them to actually beat him, but he was expecting them to fight him with everything that they had. Eh, the little ankle biters did well enough for today. Light cancelled his control, and the twin went splashing into the water. Percy cheered in success, and Persephone had a victorious grin on her face.

"We beat you! We beat you!" Percy sang.

"Congratulations. I'll put more effort into it next time."

"Huh?"

Persephone scowled. "You were holding back."

Instead of verbally responding, Light willed the entire river to rise up. It never lost its shape or fluctuated in its flow; it just simply lifted off the riverbed high enough to where it stood ten feet above the twins. Then Light calmly let the river settle back into place.

Light waded out of the river, perfectly dry.

"Hey, how come you're dry!?" Percy whined.

"The same way you change the temperature. I _willed_ myself dry. You can do it as well. Simply step out of the water, and make it so."

The twins shared a look, before they exited the river, and did as instructed. Just like that, they were both dry as when they got in.

"Good. Now get some clothes on."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Percy stared at her new clothes. The blue backpack, the Marvel superhero-themed underwear, the Power Rangers shirts, the shorts and the pants, the socks and the shoes. All of it was for a _boy_ , but she was a girl, wasn't she? That's what Gabe had called her, a 'good girl.' But, Percy had seen herself naked, and she had seen Sephy naked, and they weren't the same.

Did that make Sephy a boy and Percy a girl, because they were different down there? Wait, Gabe wasn't a girl, but he and Percy were the same. What—what did this mean? Was Percy a girl—was Sephy—was Gabe—what made them different—Gabe and Percy were the same—Gabe wasn't a girl—Sephy was different—was she a girl—was Percy a girl—but he and Sephy were different—!

Percy moaned and held her head when it started hurting. Sephy was there instantly, hugging her, already dressed. Tears brimmed in Percy's eyes.

"I-I don't know what to put on…Sephy, am I—am I a girl?"

"No, Percy, you're a boy," Sephy said gently.

"But…Gabe always called me a girl, and I always put on your clothes…why am I not a girl?"

"Because you have _that_ down there, and I don't."

"So that makes me a boy, and not having that makes you a girl?"

"Yes. Now you got it." Persephone beamed.

"But," Percy looked so utterly and helplessly lost and confused that Persephone wanted resurrect Gabe and rip him apart with her new powers; everything that was happening to Percy right now was _Gabe's_ fault, "Gabe always called me a girl, but me and him have the same thing, but he wasn't a girl…

"Sephy," Percy said suddenly. "If I wear those clothes, does that make me a boy, and if I wear those clothes, does that make me a girl?"

Persephone was at a loss on this one.

Off to the side, Light might have looked calm, but his fingers were digging deep into the bark of the tree he was leaning against. He knew exactly what he was watching here, and it was the sickest thing ever. While Gabe was raping the boy, his fat jiggling with every movement, he was most likely moaning out 'good girl good girl' over and over again, and Percy's mind, in a desperate attempt to find something to distract from the pain of literally being split open, focused very heavily on Gabe's utterances, which is where all this confusion was stemming from.

Another thing that was happening before Light was the argument over the controversial topic of gender identity. Granted, sexual abuse was a lot different than gender dysphoria, especially in the case of the developing mind of a child, but still. Gabe had got it into Percy's head that he was a girl, and now wearing boy's clothes was causing untold amounts of turmoil in the child's psyche.

"Percy, put your hand right here."

He did as Light instructed.

"That is makes you a boy. Nothing Gabe said will change that. In fact, forget everything Gabe has ever said to you. He was liar—he lied to you."

"He lied to me?"

"Yes. He lied about you being a girl. You are not a girl. This will always make you a boy."

"So…I can put on Sephy's clothes, but I'll still be a boy because I have this?"

"Correct."

"Okay…I'll put these on. Sephy, can you help me?"

The girl beamed. "Sure."

Light felt a small bit of weight lift off of him. Alright, he successfully broke Percy out of his crossdressing stint, and even succeeded in getting the boy's head worked out in that he wasn't a girl. Now all that was needed was to make sure he didn't end as another male's cumdump, and the world would look a little brighter.

We also seem to have broken the boy of any potential shyness/timidness with the removal of the hostile environment and negative influences, so quadruple win!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Percy and Persephone were dressed and ready, their backpacks full with their new clothes and their snacks. They soon finished munching out of the trail mix, and looked at Light expectantly.

"What are we gonna do now?" Percy asked. It was very clear that he was already coming out of his shell, which was a very good thing. Persephone also wanted to know the answer to that question.

"The North shore of Long Island, opposite of Montauk."

Light knew exactly how those two would react to the word 'Montauk,' and he was not disappointed. The twins' faces both brightened immediately as good memories flooded their conscious minds, but with those good memories came the bad ones, and Montauk became a sore reminder of what was, what could have been, and what will never be.

Seeing the mood shift, Light decided now was as good a time as ever.

"Listen, and listen well. The both of you already know how cruel the world can be, so there's no need for that lecture. What you do not know is this: the world doesn't care. Eventually, your lives for the past month will be naught but distant memories and bad dreams, so it is best to move on from that time now.

"Furthermore, the two of you will grow up, becoming teenagers, and then adults. When that happens, the two of you will accept that your lives as you knew them are now over. You will both find loves of your own, jobs that you must show up for, and you will transition into lives apart from one another. When this happens, you will have wholly moved on from the past, leaving your life with Gabe and Sally behind forever, and you will come to accept that you can no longer be the siblings that you are now.

"However, I do not expect either of you have the mental fortitude to deal with that when the time comes, given what you are now and your dependence and protectiveness of the other. Your inability to trust will also be a hindrance to your future, but for now we'll let that be as it is. I will teach you how to be strong as I was taught. It will be tough, it will be brutal, and you both may very well come to hate me and try to kill me, but when I am done with you, the both of you will be _strong_.

"I have already taught you about your ability to control water, and the potential you have with it. I will instruct you on how use more power, and techniques you can use, as well as how to make constructs and devices out of water. If we have the time, I will teach you how to liquefy your bodies, making you impervious to all manner of physical damage, and how to travel great distances by disassembling and reassembling your bodies out of the very water vapor around us.

"In addition to teaching you water manipulation, I will also teach you about life, the nature of humanity, the world seen and unseen around you, philosophy, the history you have yet to discover, and how to get by in this world without having to kowtow to everyone you meet, unless the situation suits you. Any questions?"

Percy raised his hand. "So you're going to teach how to be awesome?"

Light nodded seriously. "Yes, I will teach you how to be awesome."

While Percy cheered, Persephone locked eyes with Light, ready to learn.

"Lesson One: How To Deal With Pain."

Ryuk's eyes glowed madly. "Now things are finally getting interesting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that is a wrap. A bit fluffy, really, but next chapter is where the things get serious, and we see the fruits of Shin'en's labor. A stone-cold killer with a penchant for mass murder and a twisted sense of morality teaching a couple of abused seven year olds with super powers how to be like him.**_

 _ **What could possibly go wrong in that situation?**_

 _ **Perhaps the biggest problem facing this mini arc is the ending. I'm not going to cover the lives of this Percy and Persephone during canon, I'm not even going to write little cameos here and there about how they're doing. Hell, I'm not even going to write a many thousand-word expositional chapter that wraps up the twins' lives from start to finish. They're going to be dropped off at Camp, we're going to see some minor interactions here and there, and then it's going to be over.**_

 _ **The rest of the twins' lives are going to be purposefully ambiguous. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide how the twins' story ends.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	65. Molded Children of the Abyss

_Molded Children of the Abyss_

 _ **Holy crap, we are five reviews away from one of the biggest milestones a Fanfiction author can achieve. You guys are the best!**_

 _ **Now, everyone's wanting Shin'en to truly become a parent to Percy and Persephone, or at least take them with him across the Multiverse…not happening. No, no, no, and more no. They will be restricted to this dimension only, no exceptions. Sorry.**_

 _ **Anyway, this will be the last chapter of this mini arc, before we have an all-encompassing chapter about things happening elsewhere, both in the Shinobi World and Mythological World. I plan on the government doing something stupid with Persephone, but that will not be immediately. Besides, we all know how that storyline will play out.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Naruto or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks.

Shin'en had been teaching these children for two weeks. He had taught them lessons regarding life, lessons on their heritage and history, lessons on the future (because fuck the Fates), lessons on their power, and lessons on other stuff. Shin'en had taught them some pick-pocketing techniques, a little bit of hand to hand, but all of that was when they were awake. When the twins slept, Shin'en invoked the power of his divine essence, and entered their dreams.

That was where the _true_ teaching began…well, 'teaching' wasn't the right word. More like 'taking down and building up.'

It was an art Shin'en had perfected in the Mist, when it was necessary to interrogate someone. Granted, interrogate was more easily substituted with torture. Mental torture, verbal torture, physical torture; shatter the mind, the body, the resolve, the spirit, and the will. Tear down every barrier and flay every defense. When all of that is done—done _correctly_ —the subject should be left as a broken mess ready to reveal everything…and be rebuilt as anything.

That was the short-term technique, anyway. The long term was to steadily soften the mind until it is like metaphoric clay, and then mold it to your desire. That was what Shin'en was doing in the twins' sleep. Slowly and steadily molding them into something beyond their past.

It showed, it showed well, of course.

Percy no longer had gender identity issues, was less cheery (although that was Shin'en personal preference…damn brat was too happy, needed some mellowing), didn't have internal debates and conflicts over which bathroom was his to appropriately use, and was less clingy to his sister. Persephone was less Shin'en and more like his own big sister, with her eyes being a couple shades brighter, an easy-going smile more frequent on her face, and her demeanor being more positive. She trusted now, trusted Shin'en and Percy anyway, but the potential was there, the potential to trust other people. She was also less protective of Percy now, since he was powerful enough to handle any organic lifeform.

The twins could bloodbend without a problem.

And just how did they perfect this ability when the only other blood-bearing creatures nearby were Shin'en and the other sibling? Simple: New York had no shortage of undesirables. When teaching kids how to be lethal as possible, there was no better target than muggers, robbers, murderers, and other scum.

One of those life lessons Shin'en had taught his self-undertaken charges: show no mercy to any opponent.

It wasn't hard getting them to overcome the mental block of taking a life. Just tell them to imagine it was Gabe, and boom. You now had ample amounts of paint for any interior space. Shin'en had half-way expected Persephone to be more brutal, but it was Percy that pulled out all the stops on New York's worst. It seemed the boy held more hate for dear Gabriel than his sister did. Good, made things easier.

Currently, we find Shin'en watching over the twins from about thirty feet away, with the twins themselves practicing their control over massive amounts of water by having the river rise, and then twist into shapes according to their will. It was mid-afternoon, and Ryuk saw this as the perfect time to ask his question.

"Why are you helping the kids?"

"…"

"Come on, there's a reason, and I'm curious."

"…"

"Okay, let's brainstorm. Uh, their cute and innocent faces convinced you to help them out?...No? Okay, then their tragic past makes you think about how this could've happened to you and your sister and it pisses you off so you're teaching these kids how to be badasses to vent your anger?...Still no. Fine then…let's see…oh! They pulled at your frozen heartstrings!"

"They are children of Poseidon, ones that were being oppressed by a humanoid walrus. It is disgraceful and sickening to watch children of such lineage kowtow to such low-level filth when it is easily within their ability to change their situation for the better. What I am doing now is merely helping them realize their place in the food chain."

"…by having them ruthlessly slaughter men and the occasional monster that's picked up on their scents?"

"Yes."

Ryuk's eyes glowed red in the shadows of the trees. "Maybe if I wrote one of their names down in my Death Note, that'd get you to tell me why you're helping them out."

Shin'en looked at the god of death. "The second you reach for that book, I'll erase you from existence."

"HA! I'm a Shinigami, kid. You can't kill me."

"Perhaps, but it would take nothing for me to pray to Amaterasu to send you back the _Death Note_ dimension. I can only imagine how displeased the Shinigami King would be if that happened. I believe the sentence was eradication, yes?"

"…you know, you are an asshole."

"So I have been told."

"I wonder," Ryuk said, "if you've grown to actually care for the brats. If you didn't care for them, you would've just dropped them off at Camp Half-Blood as they were, broken, trembling, angry, fearful, and drowning in the shadows of their past, but here you are, helping them, training them, teaching them—hell, one could even say you're _parenting_ them."

"Parenting? I fail to see how I am a father figure in this situation. If anything, they see me as an elder brother."

Ryuk chuckled. "You're right…maybe I'm just grasping at straws here."

"Indeed, you are grasping at straws. Straws that do not exist."

"I hate it when you get all metaphorical. It's annoying."

"Only to those that are less intellectually inclined."

"…huh?"

"My point exactly." Shin'en stood.

"Children, come! It is time for lunch."

The champion of Susano'o, through his nighttime efforts, had managed to temper down the twins' excited nature, or slightly build up in Persephone's case, so the reaction he got was not a happy cheer or a simple nod, but a couple of cheerful smiles. The twins let the river fall back into place, gravity taking its hold.

"Don't let it crash."

The twins reacted with all the speed one would expect of demigods of the Big Three to Shin'en's instruction, and their will was immediately asserted over the water, halting its force and wresting from it its momentum. With gentle hand motions, Percy and Persephone calmly let the river settle, and then they scampered over to Shin'en.

"Can we have McDonalds?" Percy asked.

"That's gross. Taco Bell instead."

"But that makes us poop all the time~."

"It's still good."

"Good to poop all the time?"

Persephone's eye twitched. "No, dummy. Taco Bell is good."

"But it makes you poop!"

"Yes," she said tersely, getting frustrated, "it does make you poop, but it still tastes good."

"McDonalds tastes good, but it doesn't make you poop."

"Actually, it does make you poop. After your body is done digesting it."

"Okay, but Taco Bell makes you poop too, but it's all runny and watery and nasty."

"McDonalds can do that to you too."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh."

"Nuh-"

" _Children, please_." The both shut up at Shin'en's calm, loud, cold voice. "We are neither going to Taco Bell or McDonalds. Instead, we are going to-"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"-Subway!" Percy and Persephone said brightly. In tandem, they scampered inside the sandwich store and quickly got in line.

Ryuk laughed at the exasperated look on his partner's face. "Oh yeah, definitely not their dad."

"Shut up, Ryuk."

"Hmm, they are just seven, so maybe they'd still call you daddy."

"Amaterasu, would you please do me a favor and take Ryuk back to the-"

"I'm sorry! I was just kidding!"

Shin'en smirked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _That night_

"Are you two ready to do this on your own?"

"Yes," was the double reply.

"Fine then. Be doubly sure of what you're doing, and make sure there are no surprises. Most importantly, always have a-"

"Backup plan. We _know_." Once more, the response was in perfect synch, and carried the perfect pitch of exasperated children having been told the same thing over and over again.

Shin'en nodded. "Then go forth and bring terror and chaos to the night. Be back here by sunrise, or else."

"Yeah yeah. Come on, Sephy, let's go kill bad people!"

Ryuk snorted.

Shin'en watched the twins disappear into the night with a passive gaze. There was a Water Clone following them, of course, ready to intervene when it was absolutely necessary. The twins didn't need to know that though, and it would boost their confidence in themselves and their powers if they went the night without Shin'en's guiding hand. Really, this whole situation was just a big placebo effect

What they didn't know, didn't hurt.

However, Shin'en did not send Percy and Persephone away 'by themselves' to give them a sense of freedom. No, there was a guest he had to entertain tonight, one that he had begun to think would never show themselves.

"I can sense your presence, goddess. There is no point in hiding anymore."

The rustling of grass was heard as the goddess stepped of of the shadows cast by the small fire. While all divine entities had the power to take any shape they wanted, this particular deity decided to take the guise of a twelve year old girl with auburn hair and pale skin, dressed in tight-fitting black jeans, a silver jacket, and silver sandals, all of which faintly glowed in the light of the waxing crescent.

"You were able to sense me even though I was concealing myself with every bit of experience I've garnered in four thousand years. You are no ordinary half-blood," surmised Artemis.

"Indeed, I am not. To save time, let's just say I'm a son of Pontus and move on."

Artemis stiffened. Half gods were common, half Titans were a rarity, but half _Primordial_? The moon goddess didn't think it was possible for an ancient deity to even procreate with a mortal; the sheer divine power should've mad any woman (or man, depending on the preference (Artemis wasn't one to judge, batting for the home team herself for thousands of years)) explode. Then again, the boy was obviously lying, but she could feel that he had all the power necessary to back up his claim.

But anyway.

Now that the twins were gone (cute little tykes, the both of them), she could get to asking her questions.

Artemis sat across from the boy on the other side of the flame. She was not the first to speak, much to her consternation.

"You knew of their plight the moment it started, yet you did nothing. I'm curious as to why. The Ancient Laws would be your first excuse, but you have the most freedom around those annoyances. You could've sent the Hunters on a shopping errand in the Upper East Side, and they would've easily sensed the twins' essence and instantly acted on it. Instead, you remained inactive. Was it because of Percy, because he is a boy? Did you just not feel it worth your time and effort? Or did something hold you back?" Shin'en studied Artemis fiercely, gauging her every minute reaction. There, he saw _it_.

"No…some _one_ held you back. Was it Lord Thunderdick trying to one-up Lord Watersports? Or was it Lord Corpseparty trying to do the same? Or was it someone higher?"

"The Fates," Artemis answered. "I was going to intervene myself, but the Fates stopped me, claiming that they had a plan."

"Oh, they had a plan alright, and it involved ruining me doing what I've been doing."

"Yes, what has that been, exactly? Training them, obviously, as well as teaching them and guiding them, but for what? Why are you doing this? What do you gain?"

"Let's just say that I've seen the future, and they're going to need everything they've got to win."

Artemis' eyes narrowed. "Knowledge of the future, you say? That is a very dangerous thing to have, and it is an ability that yields information that is often misinterpreted."

Shin'en smirked in a way so cold the fire literally dimmed and almost sputtered out, and Artemis actually shivered. "There's nothing misinterpreted about something you've seen happen for a googol of times. But that is irrelevant; certain events will come to pass no matter what we do, and I cannot tell you these events, so don't ask. All that we can do is prepare and I have been preparing all that you will need. The real question here is what are you doing here besides questioning me?"

Artemis kind of froze up for a moment. Beyond questioning this boy before her, she _hadn't_ had anything else planned. As for her questions…who he was, was obviously going to go unanswered, and the same went for 'where do you come from' and 'who's your godly parent.' _Why_ he was here had been answered, and the answer was to prepare the children for some dire future, a dire future that he obviously wasn't going to elaborate on, which made Artemis question just where this boy's allegiances truly lied.

All evidence points to himself, or some unseen higher power.

Artemis thought harder on anything else she could do or say here, and then an idea popped into her divine head.

"I can take them into the Hunt. Persephone would be readily accepted, and Percy already thinks he's a girl as it is, so it wouldn't be anything a little magic couldn't fix. They'd be together always, immortal, ready to fight against any threat, and we can give them the family they've wanted."

"Yes, because a group of all girls is going to be able to provide the strong, paternal role of the father they children want. Good luck convincing any Hunter to be a man, and good luck getting the children to believe any of what you just said. They're victims of rape and abuse—it's taken this long for them to trust me as much as they do, and telling them to play nice with complete strangers, ones that are all happy and smiling brightly, well end _so_ well. Granted, there wouldn't be any battle, technically speaking, so any mess that's made should be easy to clean up.

"Further, I spent two weeks getting Percy to not think of himself as a girl, to not want to wear girl's clothes, to not want to be exactly like his sister, to not go into the girl's restroom, and to not want to be a girl period. I am still working on getting him to not be gay in the future, and the absolute last thing I want is for you to turn him into a girl and undo all my progress."

Artemis frowned, her eyes darkening. "And who are you to deny the boy what he wants? If he wants to be a girl for eternity, or court a man, who are you deny him this? What authority do you have in Percy's life to keep him from following his heart's desire? What power do you think you have that gives you the right to dictate his life?"

She said the wrong words. She said _very_ wrong words.

The fire went out completely, and an unbelievable cold choked the whole of the entirety of the immediate thirty square miles. Frost spread on everything, wiping out insects and slaughtering plant life. People shivered and the heat was sucked from their bodies, and air conditioning units froze entirely. Electronics shut down and cars died and the summer temperatures of New York were reduced down to something more commonly associated with the Siberian winter.

As for Shin'en…

Who was he? What authority did he have over the boy? What power did he _think_ he had over the boy? He _was_ that boy; he had _all_ the authority over that boy; he didn't _think_ he had power—he had more power than he knew what to do with.

If this situation had been substituted with Thalia and Jason, or Nico and Bianca, Shin'en wouldn't have given a fuck about Artemis' little proposal. Hell, he wouldn't have given a fuck to pull those kids out of there in the first place. Even then, if the Fates had forced him to, and it was Jason that wanted to go trans, or Nico that wanted to go trans, if it was Jason that wanted to grow up and suck someone's dick, if it was Nico that wanted to grow up and suck someone's dick—wait. That had already happened.

The bottom line was that if it was anyone else besides himself in this situation, the amount of care Shin'en would give to the situation was which option gave him less of a headache and decreased the stress levels. However, it was not Jason, it was not Nico, it was not anyone else in this dimension. It was _him_ , a younger version of an alternate world, but it was still _him_ , and Shin'en wasn't about to tolerate himself being a willing cocksucker.

Thanks to the machinations of Yūrei, he already had female personalities locked away in his subconscious, and all of them were very particular about their appearances, and that got all of them almost raped multiple times.

Shin'en wasn't having any of this gay business. He already nuked a planet because they couldn't get their shit together over what a person's genitals meant, or how big an issue it was over who's sleeping with who; he wasn't about to contribute to the problem.

As for Artemis, as she sat frozen in the darkness, the only light she saw were a couple of twin stars the colors of blood, suspended in the primeval void many thousands of miles away. She thought she was going to die. She felt like a little goddess again, standing before the mighty Python, terrified out of her skin as she was about to be devoured.

The red suns suddenly got closer, and Artemis found that she couldn't breathe, and that there was a great pressure about her throat. From somewhere in the darkness, a deep voice resonated from all angles.

"You're welcome has been outstayed. Depart from me, lest I end your existence."

The crushing pressure around her throat vanished, and Artemis was quick to flee into the forest. The cold around the area vanished, and thousands of people were left with a plethora of problems and questions. The fire was still out, but Shin'en's eyes still glowed…as did Ryuk's.

"She didn't see me. How interesting."

"And these are the pretentious fools I must save from themselves? Unbelievable."

"So, you gonna take the kids to summer camp now? You scared Artemis so bad I think she crapped herself, and she'll no doubt run to Zeus and play her Daddy's Little Girl card, and now you'll have him and probably most of Olympus to deal with, never mind what might happen to the kids…"

"And at Camp, there is Dionysus, who will no doubt broker a deal with Zeus, something along the lines of 'here's the kids if you shorten my sentence,' or it could go the other direction, with Zeus demanding the children be turned over in exchanged for years off. Either way, it seems Zeus will have to be dealt with…Ryuk, do you know what today's date is?"

"Last I checked, it was September 1, 2000."

"My, isn't that convenient."

"How so?"

"About this time tomorrow, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan, and Grover Underwood will have made it to the camp's borders, with Lord Corpseparty's gangbang party following closely behind. What better way to make Lord Thunderdick owe me something, than to save the life of his daughter, granddaughter, and grandson?"

"I don't think Zeus will care about his grandchildren."

"No, but Lady Owlshit and Lord Snakecharmer will, and that'll be enough to use. Beyond that, Lord Watersports will be immeasurably grateful that his babies are safe and unharmed, and while Lord Corpseparty will no doubt be a little testy, it's nothing I can't solve by either holding his children hostage or guaranteeing their safety at camp…Lord Watersports always was the family man—it will take nothing to get him to take in Nico and Bianca in as a show of family to help heal the rift he has with Corpseparty. Yes, this will be easy."

"I love how you plan everything out. It's really fascinating. I do have a question though."

"Yes?"

"Remember how you said a few days ago that no one was born gay, and that they became attracted to the same sex due to childhood development, and that's why you think Percy will be gay because of the fat man?"

"Yes…"

"Well, following that logic…how do you explain Nico?" Ryuk's grin was vicious.

"One of three ways: one, during the time he spent in the Lotus Hotel, he was molested by a man or men, and that experience forever altered his brain chemistry and biological responses to sexual stimuli; two, Aphrodite, being the love goddess and a bitch, decided to make Nico gay for the sole purpose of her amusement or to create a controversy."

"And three?"

"Three is that Nico was molested in the Lotus Hotel, and Aphrodite jumped on the opportunity for a little fun."

"Sounds like she and I could get along, since both of us like to stir things up when we get bored."

"The last time Aphrodite got bored, she mind raped my sister and tried to infantilize her, so I crushed Aphrodite's head under my heel."

"Ooh, wish I could've been there to see that."

"Ryuk…you've got issues."

"Eh, you do too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next night_

Neither twin could be called 'happy' right now. In fact, they both looked to be on the verge of tears. It was understandable, to Shin'en, why they would be this way. He had told them it was time to head off for Camp Half-Blood, and the twins made the correct assumption that their time with Light was coming to an end. They had become attached, obviously, and they didn't want him to leave.

It was the same way kids dropped off at daycare reacted when their parents left for work.

"Dry your eyes," Shin'en said calmly. "All things come to an end, even our time together."

"Only because you want it to!" Percy cried. "You don't have to go…"

"I told you both that I would have to leave eventually. I've prepared you for this."

"But-!"

"Percy," Persephone said sharply yet quietly. "It's going to be okay. We couldn't stay with Light forever anyway. We…we would've had to move on e-eventually."

The girl straightened and inhaled sharply to hide the tremble in her voice.

Percy's little legs buckled and he fell to his little knees. He stared brokenly at the ground with his little eyes. "I don't want it to be over, I don't want it to be over…"

Persephone picked her little brother up, her little arms wrapping around his little body, holding him to her own little body. Percy's little sniffles were quiet, and his little shoulders trembled ever so slightly. Little Persephone, the same size as her little brother, held him tightly as he mourned for what was.

Shin'en saw.

He saw that she was trying to keep herself together, trying to keep her strong façade, trying to keep her own tears from spilling. She had to be Percy's pillar, his support; she couldn't show the same vulnerabilities that he did, couldn't express the same emotions. Shin'en that, when she was alone, she was going to cry harder than Percy ever would.

His heart constricted at that thought, and he didn't want to admit to himself the reason why.

"Come," he said. "It is time."

Persephone nodded, and set Percy down. His eyes were puffy and his face was red. The face of a distraught child.

"Remember what I taught you about vapor travel?"

The little girl nodded but the little boy quietly stared at the ground. He had entered a shell.

"Good. Focus on 3.141 Farm Road."

Persephone jostled her brother. "Come on, Percy. Let's do it together."

Enough life was still there for the little boy to look in his sister's eyes, and nod slightly.

"Okay. On three. One…two…three."

The twins dispersed into clouds of vapor.

"Awe, so you do care about them."

"Shut up, Ryuk."

Shin'en dispersed into his own cloud of vapor.

The Shinigami chuckled darkly as he reached for his Death Note, opened it, and wrote down the name and the conditions of death.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en arrived to just what he expected. Dusk, foggy, and danger almost thirty meters away hidden by the trees. The twins were staring transfixed in that direction, their ADHD-addled minds finding the noise and what they sensed to be a subject of great intrigue. They were so locked on, it almost seemed like the previous conversation had never happened.

Almost.

When Shin'en walked up next to them, they both looked at him. Percy visibly retreated into his shell, and Persephone's emotional guard was up in an instant.

"What's going on over there?"

"Do you remember what I told you about your cousin Thalia, and her friends Luke and Annabeth?"

A single nod and a single dead gaze at the dirt.

"They are currently trying to enter Camp Half-Blood's borders, but the minions of your uncle—"

"Sparky or Emo?"

"Emo. His minions are trying to kill Thalia."

"…what's the plan?"

"I'm going to kill the main horde, and you two are going to guard the other three against any stragglers."

"The backup plan?"

"All three of us join the fight and annihilate everything."

"Wait, why isn't that the main plan?"

"Because you two need to make some friends."

"Wasn't Lesson 28 about why we shouldn't do that?"

"It was, and Lesson 40 was about how friends can be useful for your own purposes."

"Oh, right. Come on, Percy."

Persephone grabbed her brother's arm and lead him to where all three of them could sense non-monstrous organic lifeforms. Shin'en taught the twins show to hydro sense. Granted, they were all in the middle of a thick mist, so sensing wasn't really difficult. But anyway.

Now Shin'en had to do his least favorite thing next to being a shinobi: play hero.

Granted, it served a higher purpose and paved the way for the plans to come out all right, but still.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Running, out of breath, terrified, and frustrated were all apt adjectives that described Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood. They were just a scant few feet away from safety, but Hades wasn't having it.

That's why he sent all three Furies and about twenty Hellhounds.

Which is why Thalia was fighting for her life so that her family could escape.

Right now, among the swarm of fur and claws, Thalia was aware of something warm dripping down her pants, and she knew it wasn't pee, and there was something funny about her lower back, which probably meant that she had taken a hit somewhere along the way and was bleeding. She supposed it was endorphins and adrenaline that kept her from feeling any pain, but right now she had to focus on not dying—

A flaming whip came from the corner of the girl's vision and her reflexes got her to bring up her shield in time to block, but her defense was too soft to fully shrug off the brunt of the impact, and she went flying backwards, her spear sailing off in one direction, and her arm painfully numb.

Thalia wasn't entirely sure, but there seemed to be a smoldering gash on Aegis' face. The smell of burning metal was certainly prevalent in the air, though.

Vision blurry and her head swimming, Thalia found herself to be unfocused, but not so much that she didn't feel a surge of panic when she saw a couple of Hellhounds run off in the direction of Annabeth, Luke, and Grover. However, she was unfocused enough to where she couldn't summon any lightning to fry the little bastards.

In the corner of her blurry vision, Thalis saw her impending doom.

It was enough to galvanize her into action, the fog lifting from her in an instant. She rolled forward and popped up, ready to fist fight her way out of this, only to take a punch from Alecto right in the face, shattering her nose and sending her back into a daze far worse than what she had just got out of.

Thalia stared up at the night sky, the fog just clear enough for her to see a scant few stars. She wondered if her father was watching her, and what it meant for her to die right here, and have her soul sent straight to the god trying to kill her. She imagined it wasn't about to be a pleasant thing to experience.

Then the air shifted. It got cold, really cold, almost as cold as it was last night. Thalia felt like she was drowning in despair and hopelessness, yet she also felt like she was merely standing on the outer fringes of this icy storm, and was therefore not subject to the full might of this deadly aura. She thought it was a god that was either on the orders of some other god to save her, or it was a god that had taken pity on her and decided to save her.

While grateful, Thalia felt sorry for this god in the latter case, for this was a violation of the Ancient Laws, and he would be harshly punished for this.

Thalia summoned enough strength to look at where she sensed the eye of this frigid storm. There, she saw him…or her. Hard to tell with that cloak and that hair. Thalia wasn't sure how much of a fight this god could bring against Hades' best, but she didn't get to wonder too long because, in several flashes of thin streams of light, all the monsters erupted into dust.

Thalia couldn't take anymore, and she fell into a sleep she wasn't sure she would awake from.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke was clutching a sobbing Annabeth. A few tears were falling from his eyes too. Grover as pale and unhelpful, like he had been since the start, but anyway. They were safe now, on the Camp's grounds. Grover was sure that monsters wouldn't be getting in here, but what did that mean, exactly?

It meant that Thalia was out there by herself, fighting against the odds, and was most likely dead. Perhaps the worst thing about this was the fact that the Hellhounds would eat her, and leave behind barely anything worth burying. And then Hades would have Thalia's soul to do with as he pleased.

Luke's blood boiled as fury at so many things coursed through him.

Growling drew his attention away from Annabeth to the small group of Hellhounds that were steadily approaching. These ones were huge, easily bigger than the average car, and their eyes glowed like burning planets, pure red in the darkness. Luke didn't stand a chance, he knew that, but that didn't stop him from grabbing his sword and charging with a war cry. The Hellhounds collectively roared back, and they charged too.

Then they all _froze_.

Annabeth and Grover stared wide-eyed as someone hit the pause button, making Luke and the Hounds simply stop where they were standing. Then Luke was flying back to friends, and the Hellhounds were being lifted off the ground. The trio saw, from out of the fog, a couple of kids enter the fray, kids no older than Annabeth.

No, not just kids, but _twins_. Boy and girl, simple clothes, green eyes, black hair, tan skin, hands outstretched. Towards the Hellhounds. They had focused looks on their faces, serious looks, hardened looks, _scary_ looks. There was cold indifference in their green eyes, eyes like a cold body of northern water, and they clenched their fists. The Hellhounds went rigid, but before anticlimactically dissolving into golden dust.

It was Annabeth that asked the titular question. "Who…who are you?"

They didn't answer, they just looked at Annabeth without a hint of anything in their dark green eyes. Before anything else could happen, a presence was felt from further in the forest, a powerful one, a dark one, one that made Luke compare this presence to his father's back home that day so many months ago, and he found his father's power to be subpar when compared to whatever silent juggernaut was coming this way.

From out of the fog, a being of shadow emerged, and he had Thalia carried bridal style in his arms. The twins apparently knew this shadow, because they quickly scampered over to his side—the first display of human emotion seen yet. If the shadow knew that he had a couple of children at his heels, he did not show it.

As he neared the trio, his sheer presence kept their tongues in their mouths and their mouths shut. As such, Luke, Annabeth, and Grover were rendered silent as the being passed, the twins following him. As he disappeared into the fog, deeper into the Camp, only then did the trio realize something:

Even among all these leaves, grasses, twigs, mud, and other ground-based things, not once did they hear the shadow's footsteps.

And that scared them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Okay, I lied. I said this was the last chapter, but I changed my mind. I also lied about Reviews, because now we need only**_ _ **two**_ _ **to get to that big milestone.**_

 _ **Can you guys get us there?**_

 _ **Anyway, how 'bout this job, huh? Don't have as much free time as I used to. I'm going in tomorrow at 8, and I don't get off till 4, so that's a whole day of working. On Thursday, I'm going in at 3 and don't get off till 8—the evening shift. The silver lining is that I'm getting paid for all this, so yay.**_

 _ **Next chapter, whenever that comes out, is Percy and Persephone settling in at Camp, introductions, and Shin'en manhandling the Olympians…again.**_

 _ **And just whose name did Ryuk write in his Death Note?**_

 _ **Find out in the next installment of**_ **Backup Plan!**


	66. A Shinigami's Amusement

_A Shinigami's Amusement_

 _ **WE HIT ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Everyone, give yourselves a pat on the back for carrying us all to this huge milestone, and beyond!**_

…

 _ **Done patting? Good, because shit's about to hit the fan. The machinations of Ryuk will become evident, and not in a fun way. Remember, just like he told Light in another life, Ryuk is still the same with Shin'en. He is neither with the demigod, nor against him, although he is not opposed to doing things that create situations in which there is amusement to be found.**_

 _ **At least, amusement that satisfies Ryuk's definition.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dionysus, like all residents of this annoying daycare, felt _him_ the moment that frigid aura erupted from just beyond the property line. It was cold, it invoked despair and hopelessness, it made everything frost over, it killed plants and insects, and it proved what Artemis had sobbed about during that council meeting a few hours ago.

Thinking of said meeting, Dionysus scoffed. He had arrived to find his half-sister in the form of a little girl, littler than usual, anyway, sitting on Father's lap, sobbing into the Sky God's broad chest. The Wine God had rolled his eyes at the sight, as it was clearly a display of Artemis' 'Daddy's Little Girl' card…the tears were something unexpected though.

Usually Artemis took that form when she wanted something, and she suckered Zeus into giving it to her with a pair of really big eyes and a cute pout.

At the meeting, before anything began, Poseidon looked stormy, Hera looked annoyed and moody, Athena had her game face on, Hephaestus was tinkering away, Ares was cleaning his teeth with a knife the size of a motorcycle, Hermes was subdued, Aphrodite was doing her makeup, Demeter was reading an agriculture magazine, and Apollo had his Big Brother façade on full blast as he stood next to Zeus' throne and rubbed Artemis' back.

Zeus then went on to explain that Artemis had encountered a boy who claimed to be a son of Pontus, a boy who was with twin children of Poseidon (which surprisingly didn't end with a fight or a threat of war; progress). Said boy was also a menace and a threat to Olympus, and needed to be brought to heel immediately (whoops, scratch that; no progress had been made after all).

During this spiel, the proud and mighty Artemis had taken to sucking her thumb for added pity points. Zeus devoured the act like he did pussy, and he declared that this boy be found immediately, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.

That was all well and good, but Dionysus was under punishment, remember? Restricted to this camp, remember? He didn't say that aloud of course, but still. It was a great excuse not to have to worry about a search mission for someone that was bound to show up here eventually, and lo and behold.

Here the boy was.

Dionysus blamed Artemis for this. There was a lot that wasn't covered during this meeting, such as how Artemis found this boy, what she attempted to do to him, if she attacked him, etc. There were crucial details missing to this whole situation, and Dionysus didn't like it. Hell, for all he knew, Artemis had tried to take away Barnacle Beard's twins from the boy, and the boy didn't like that, or Artemis had jumped the boy, and tried to turn him into a jackelope, or even a female, only to fail miserably.

Demi-Primordial, huh? Such a thing was unheard of, so there was no telling how much power this boy truly had, and here the Olympians were, seeking to basically murder him for an unknown situation with unknown circumstances. For all Dionysus knew, the gods could be signing their death warrants.

Then again, perhaps this boy had attacked Artemis…no, if she had been attacked, she would've gone out of her way to appear injured or wounded, not helpless and pathetic.

Anyway, this infamous son of Pontus was currently sitting across Dionysus on the couch, Poseidon's twins sitting on either side of his cloaked form, both of them staring unblinkingly at Chiron and he with cold, untrusting eyes, although the little boy's were much brighter than his sister's.

Dionysus might've been the God of Madness and Insanity, but he could still feel the twins' mental states. They weren't insane or mad, but they were scarred, traumatized, and heavily damaged. Without prying into their minds, Dionysus could already tell that whatever mortal family these brats came from, it had not been a good one.

The Wine God almost felt sympathy for the children, but then he remembered that there was this world-ending prophecy about them, and they were demigods, aka _heroes_ , and would therefore grow up to be manipulative little shits that didn't care one way or another about those that they hurt during their inevitable adventures.

Eh, call Dionysus jaded and cynical if you wanted to, but it didn't matter in the end.

"So, you are the infamous son of Pontus that has Artemis' panties in a twist."

Chiron choked on his saliva, having been uninformed about present events. Dionysus whopped the centaur on the back, and he wheezed, "P-Pontus?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, Pontus. You may call me Light."

"I see, and these two here…they aren't yours, are they?"

"No. They are Poseidon's."

Dionysus quickly examined the way the twins were situated around Light. Their jaws and fists clenched when Light said they weren't his children, and they both looked to want to cling to him and burry their faces in his side.

"Mm-hm. And what are their names?"

"The boy is Perseus, and his older sister is called Persephone."

Dionysus raised a brow at that. "I take it their mother knew who their father was, then?"

It got colder when the twins' faces darkened at the mention of their mother.

"A sore subject, I take it?"

"She was a drunken whore addicted to heroin and cannabis who left her children to their abusive and rape-prone stepfather who had more of a thing for little boys than little girls."

Chiron looked ready to faint, while Dionysus conjured a bottle of rum. Wasn't wine, so Father could go stick his Bolt up his hiney. While not the worst thing either immortal had ever seen, it definitely ranked in the top twenty nightmarish things.

"Certainly explains why they look so guarded and mistrustful."

"Can you blame them?"

"No." Dionysus undid the lid and downed the entire bottle in one swig. A crack of thunder resounded from above. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. Father would like to have, ahem, _words_ with you, seeing as you upset his baby girl."

"I'm not apologizing."

Dionysus snorted. "She crawled into Father's lap in the guise of a small child and started sucking her thumb. Best thing I've seen in decades."

Light hummed and stood, the twins rising with him.

"Can we go with you?" the girl asked softly.

"No. This is my problem to deal with and not yours. You will both be safe here until I get back." Glacial green eyes met weary purple, passing along a silent message. _'If anything happens to them, it's your own twins who will suffer.'_

While not at all appreciating the threat to Castor and Pollux's lives, Dionysus still nodded in the affirmative. He would keep the brats safe and hidden away for the night, as they were clearly socially inept, although he could hardly blame them for that. A mostly disliked god though he may be, Dionysus could still be compassionate when he chose to be. Perhaps, given their youth, they may be taught to be better than the average hero.

Light got down on a knee, and the twins were maybe just a head taller than he was. "I'm going to have a quick chat with your father and uncles. I'll be back afterwards, and I'll help you two get settled in here…then I have to go."

Percy's lip visibly trembled, while Persephone's already darkening eyes got just a little darker.

"Hey, Lesson One, remember? I taught you both how to deal with this, and I've already told you that this was going to happen. Dry your eyes, both of you. It's unbecoming of people like us to cry."

Percy always wanted to live up to Light's expectations, it was just something that had happened over the past two weeks, so when Light basically said 'don't you dare cry,' Percy did the only thing his mind rationalized was the appropriate course of action to follow suit with Light's words: he shut down. His eyes went dull and his emotions became bottled in the same way that Light's had once been, before Sukina had taught him to let his emotions flow through him like water.

When this council meeting was over, and the twins had a full night's rest, that would be Shin'en's final lesson before his inevitable departure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Mount Olympus_

 _Throne Room_

Shin'en was having déjà vu, because all Olympians were once again present, with Dionysus having split his essence to be in two places at once, with one part being here, and the other at Camp Half-Blood to look after the twins. Expressions and countenances were as varied as you could expect, but the main ones were the looks of Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, and Artemis.

Rage.

Glowering.

Curiosity.

And anger.

"You claim to be a son of Pontus," Zeus said harshly. "Prove it."

"Right after you get everyone out of here except for yourself and Poseidon."

The King's nostrils flared. "You dare give _me_ orders, mortal!?"

"Yes."

Zeus' rage became him, and his Bolt was in his hand.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Shin'en said offhandedly as he inspected his nails. Hm, he could stand for a trim. They weren't too terribly long, but they were long enough to where dirt could get beneath them.

"And _why_ would I not want to?"

"I saved your daughter…and your granddaughter…and your grandson. I don't think Athena and Hermes would be too terribly happy if you killed the savior of their children, but hey. What do I know?"

Zeus was going to say something, but then he became keenly aware of the fact that he was being watched. He didn't need to pan his gaze around to know that his son and daughter were both giving him hard looks.

"Oh, I also saved Poseidon's children from their abusive stepfather and drunken mother, and somewhere along the way they got attached to me. I don't think they'd be too happy with you killing me, and then I highly doubt that Poseidon would go against his own children. Fatal flaw of personal loyalty and all that. Oh, I also believe there's this prophecy about preserving or razing Olympus, and the last thing any of you need is a couple of those candidates out for blood."

The Olympians shifted and shivered.

"H-How do you know of that prophecy?" Zeus asked.

"Son of a primordial makes me privy to certain facts and information. For instance: how's Camp Jupiter this time of year?" The gods rippled as their Roman personas threatened to take over, but the Greeks managed to hold on to their grips on reality. "Based on those reactions, I'd say it's lovely.

"I believe I've proved my lineage, now if you could just get everyone out of here except for yourself and Poseidon, we can finally start talking business."

"Business? What kind of business?" Athena asked.

"The kind that concerns your father and your uncle."

Athena's grey eyes darkened. "Who do you think-"

"Daughter," Zeus said sharply, "enough. All of you: out."

"But Father-"

"Silence, Artemis. This situation will be handled by my judgement, and the rest of you will obey the words of the master of this house. Now, all of you besides Poseidon: leave."

Apollo and Artemis didn't look the slightest bit happy, and Athena looked to have swallowed a lemon, and the general mood of the rest was relief. The Olympians flashed out, leaving only Zeus, Poseidon, and Shin'en in the throne room. Even Hestia had left.

"Right, before we begin, we're going to need Hades."

"Absolutely not."

"Sure thing."

Zeus and Poseidon looked at each other.

"The funny thing is," Shin'en said, "you think that was a request. It was an order."

Zeus looked back at the boy. "You dare give _me_ orders, mortal!?"

"And now you're repeating yourself, so I will as well: yes. Don't forget that I saved your daughter, Zeus…just let Hades up here. I need to speak with him anyway, and would rather not have to travel all the way to the Underworld. It's a bit tedious."

Poseidon snorted. "Just let Hades up here, brother. We might have been done with this already were you not so stubborn."

Zeus growled, but he nonetheless snapped his fingers, giving Hades temporary access to Olympus. The shadows immediately rippled, and the Underworld Lord arrived in all his dark glory, and he didn't look happy. He was glaring at Zeus.

"You kill my children before the Oath was made, and then you go and sire two more in less than three years, and you expect me not to take action!?"

"Your children were a threat who would no doubt have followed in the footsteps of their brothers, Stalin and Hitler, and the last thing the world needed was two more children of the Underworld capable of world destruction."

"AND YOUR'S AREN'T!? Thalia's first menstrual cycle caused her to start a superstorm that killed more than a hundred people!"

Zeus was going to continue arguing, but then the throne room got to be unbelievably cold, and all three gods suddenly felt very threatened.

"Gentlemen, please," said Shin'en. "We are here to conduct business, not to quarrel. Zeus, you are a hypocrite; Hades, you are petty; Poseidon, you sit on the fence too much. There, you've all had your flaws pointed out, and now we can move on.

"Zeus, in return for saving your daughter's life, you will swear on the River Styx that you will, in no way, come after Poseidon's children, and that extends to any of your progeny doing the same. Poseidon, in return for saving your children, you're going to give Nico and Bianca all the protection and support you can give them-"

"What?" Hades broke in.

"Oh, didn't I say? I took the liberty of taking them out of the Lotus Hotel and brought them to Camp. Currently, they're being stared at by a curious set of twins who aren't sure what to make of them. With Poseidon's oath, they'll be cared for and protected against anything, so you won't have to worry about that. Yes, Zeus, you missed the children and only hit the woman…impeccable aim."

Hades glowered at his little brother, the shadows of the throne room bending and shifting. Zeus had the decency to shift in his chair.

Shin'en clapped his hands. "Well, those are my terms. Zeus swears to stay away from Poseidon's children, and Poseidon swears to protect Hades' children, and Hades can go to bed at night with the knowledge that his children are safe with their cousins. Now, if you can get to your ends of the bargain, all will be mostly right with world."

Zeus looked as if a pinecone was being shoved down his throat. "I swear on the Ri-"

"Stop," Shin'en said. "It just occurred to me that everyone in this family has a problem with oaths on the Styx, so let's make things a little more severe." The demigod's sheer presence magnified by a hundredfold, and the effect his power had on the space around created a mirage behind him, a mirage that took the form of bending shadows across the back of the throne room, shadows that bent and twisted into a distinct draconian shape, one with large wings, and thirteen heads. Where the eyes were, red lights flashed, daring the Big Three to do something.

" _Swear on Chaos."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en appeared on Camp grounds in a swirl of water. The gods had made the oath, and unlike the Styx, invoking Chaos' name had much worse consequences, consequences beyond headaches, beyond an indirect form of punishment, such as a harsh life for the children or your loved ones. No, to swear on Chaos was to invoke His power, and to try His wrath.

Break that oath, and you were erased from everything. Memories, texts, pictures, myth, carvings, paintings, _everything_. No one would remember you, as it would be as if you never existed. Not even Zeus was daring enough to try Chaos' power.

Shin'en exited this place's pitiful excuse of a war room, and entered the living room. There, he found the twins locked in a staring contest of curiosity against another set of twins, ones three years older than the seven years olds. In a universe of infinite possibility, one where the entity known as Percy Jackson can have a twin sister, it was also possible, in that same dimension, that the children of Hades could be twins, and both of them two years younger than the original Nico was at the time of Maria's death.

Multiverse.

Everything's a possibility.

 _Everything_.

When the di Angelo's eyes snapped the Shin'en, the Jacksons turned around, and they both vaulted over the couch and tried to pile drive Shin'en. What happened was that the 'son of Pontus' ended up with a couple of young children attached to his body.

"It is past both of your bedtimes."

The pressure from their little arms and legs increased.

"Why are you still up?"

Silence.

Shin'en's eye twitched. He looked at the dark-eyed children. "Your father sends his warmest greetings and his love to you. If you desire a bed to sleep in tonight, follow me. Elsewise, remain seated and await Chiron's instruction."

"Chiron? Like the centaur?" Nico asked. "The guy that can destroy your opponent's Spell or Trap cards by discarding one of your own Spell or Trap cards? The guy with 1800 ATK and 1000 DEF points? That Chiron?"

"The very same."

"Cool!"

"Nico," Bianca scolded. "That's a character from a card game, not a real person."

"Oh, have you got a lot to learn, child." Shin'en exited the Big House, the twins still trying to merge with his cloak. Dionysus was drinking out of a massive bottle of rum as he sat in rocking chair, staring out over the Camp. "I see you're enjoying your loophole."

"Quite. Are you taking them to Cabin 3?"

"Along with Hades' children as well, should they decide to follow."

"Old Bonesy broke the oath too, eh?"

"No. These offspring were born before the Oath was made. Zeus attempted to kill them and failed, so Hades used the opportunity to hide them away in the Lotus Hotel for these past seventy years."

"Ah. I remember hearing about Father blowing up a building back in '39. That's also how the Oracle became what she is today, yes?"

"Her punishment for saying the wrong thing to Hades in his moment of grief."

Dionysus cracked a sardonic smile. "We claim to be a superior being to you mortals, but in our moments of darker emotion, we tend to lash out with gruesome effect. When humans lash out, the worst that happens is that they are sentenced to prison, but us? No, we are forever justified and correct in our actions, subject to no reprimand lest our king feels like it."

"You should make a play and call it the Divine Hypocrisy."

The Wine God barked out a short laugh. "Divine Hypocrisy indeed…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The twins had fallen asleep against his body, and in their state of rest they had both locked their limbs around and refused to let go. Any attempts at relieving the extra weight was met with moans of protest, so Shin'en just gave up and resigned himself to spending the night with a couple of munchkins attached to his body.

The di Angelos eventually came to stay the night as well, although they took the bunk furthest away from the door.

The morning would come, and it might as well have been Christmas and their birthday rolled into one for all the emotion the twins displayed at waking up with Light sleeping beneath them. Cue the rudest (yet cutest) awakening Shin'en ever experienced, and that's including all the shenanigans that Yūwaku and Sukina ever pulled.

Breakfast came, and the twins sat with Shin'en at Cabin 3's table, with the di Angelos following shortly. Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke all sat at Cabin 11's table. Dionysus had a few words.

"Right, Taylor Gracie, Lerman Castland, and Annie Bell Charter all made it here last night due to the stellar protectorship of one Grover Underwood, so be sure to give him a clap on the back the next time you see him. Over at Cabin 3's table are a few more nuisances—I mean bright young minds that have made it safely here as well. The ones with the green eyes are Penelope and Perry Johnson, and the ones with the black eyes are Bethany and Nicholas el Diablo. The tall one refers to himself as Light. The Johnsons are children of Poseidon, and the Diablos are children of Hades—oh, and Taylor is a daughter of Zeus, which means there's going to be a power struggle sometime in the future that I'll have to deal with…yippee."

Chiron nudged the Wine God and whispered something too low for anyone to hear. Dionysus just nodded.

"My apologies. My centaurion friend erroneously informed me of our new arrival's names, and has now given me the correct list. From the top, we have Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan, Annabeth Chase, Persephone and Percy Jackson, and Bianca and Nico di Angelo. Light's name is still correct. Oh, and before anyone tries anything stupid, it should be noted that Light is a son of Pontus, the Primordial of the Sea. That is all. Now, go throw food into the fire…I like the way it smells."

Suffice to say, the demigods were utterly terrified of trying anything against Table 3, given the amount of power surging about over there, and it only got worse when the holograms popped up. Green tridents over the Jacksons, black skulls over the di Angelos, an electric blue lightning bolt over Thalia, a grey owl over Annabeth, and a light blue caduceus over Luke, much to his consternation.

The atmosphere brightened as the cabins greeted their new siblings, and Thalia, on her way to Table 1, cast a suspicious, curious, sideways glance at the occupants at Table 3, but a single look from Persephone had the almost-thirteen year old walking a bit faster.

Shin'en's proud smirk was hidden by the collar of his cloak.

True to his word, the 'son of Pontus' spent the day getting the twins settled in, showing them around the camp, giving them a training regimen that they would follow, complete with tips and suggestions on how to improve and make it more difficult so that their bodies and skills would continue to improve.

He had given them all the future knowledge they would need, about who to trust and who not to trust, who to talk to and who not to talk to. Little hints and vague foreshadowing about events and how to avoid them or capitalize on them.

The di Angelos opened up eventually, since it was clear they were going to be staying with their fellow twins in Cabin 3. They were deeply and highly confused over everything that was going on, but it was nothing a quick dose of Sharingan couldn't fix. Just like that, the children of Hades were not only caught up on major historical events, but also events of the future. Thus, a four-person conspiracy was started.

The twins, under encouragement from Light, told their story with straight faces, their emotional training showing as neither stuttered or broke down. The same could not be said for the di Angelos, as they were utterly horrified and thankful for small favors.

Lunch and dinner would come and go, and notable events were Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia formally introducing themselves to the quintet, inquires over abilities and identities and backstories (answers to which were half-truths, white lies, brutal honesty, and terrifying reality). It also put the twins in a certain light for the trio.

For everything bad that happened to them, these two had it much worse.

While friendship had not been made, it was a start, and Thalia wasn't yet sure what to make of her cousins, especially the di Angelos, seeing as their dad tried to kill her not 24 hours ago. But that was to be expected, honestly.

Other events included subtle uses of the Sharingan to skillfully set up the future, an episode at the canoe lake involving some over-the-top water manipulation, a lecture to Nico and Bianca about their power and how to maximize their abilities, just like Percy and Persephone were able to. The children of Hades would experiment for themselves later, and their fellow twins would offer advice where they could.

The evening came, and it was almost time.

Shin'en pulled the twins aside, into the forest. They could sense it, you know, the somber atmosphere, the dark air, the forlorn presence. The twins were acutely aware of what was about to happen, and the day's events had whittled away at their barriers. As such, when Light got down on a knee, they both rushed him and buried their faces into the crooks of his neck, and they cried.

Shin'en held onto them tightly until they were done.

"There's one more thing that I need to teach you," he said. "Lesson 100: Letting Your Emotions Flow…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryuk sat atop the lava wall of Camp Half-Blood invisible to all but one person. From his vantage point, he could see the entire property, but he wasn't staring at anyone or anything in particular. He was just staring off into space, his mouth parted in a serrated grin of jagged teeth. In the light of the scarlet sunset, his eyes glowed with the color of boiling blood.

He would not get to see the fruits of his labor, but he knew that it was going to be undeniably…

… _interesting_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Shinobi World_

 _December 25, 1014 A.S._

When Shin'en opened his eyes, he saw that he was back in the Uzumaki Mask Shrine, with the mask of Amaterasu in his hand. In a puff of smoke, the mask was Sealed away. The moon still hung in the same place, the night air, much cleaner than what he had been breathing for so long, was still the same, even the insects and animals hadn't moved from their positions, and Kisame was in the exact same spot as last time.

It appeared that, in his month-long escapade about the Multiverse, time here had not passed. How intriguing. However, these were not the things that Shin'en was concerned over. Time and moon and air and animals were not things that were on his mind. No, his entire being resonated with but a single thing: a raging battle of internity that demanded attention and action.

"So, this is your world," Ryuk said, eyes blazing in the dark. "Air's a lot cleaner than the Human World of those other places."

Shin'en's hair covered his eyes, and his mouth was set in a thin line. He spun on his heel, and his footfalls were silent against the old wood of the Shrine. He left, and Kisame appeared next to him in a blur.

"Wow, done already? It's only been a few seconds."

…

"You okay kid?"

…

"Shin'en?"

…

"Kisame…"

"Uh, yeah?"

"…run."

The Monster of the Hidden Mist didn't have to be told twice. That aura, the air, the very feeling of impending annihilation, devastation, destruction, and death was too great to be ignored. Kisame's chakra surged through his body with such intensity and speed that his cloak fluttered around him, and the air whistled shrilly. The shark man disappeared with such force that the solid rock beneath him buckled and splintered.

Kisame accelerated to speeds comparable to that of jumbo jets, going from zero to over seven hundred miles an hour. Almost the speed of sound. His legs were probably going to be sore later, and his chakra coils would probably be mad at him, but he knew that he didn't want to be anywhere near Shin'en when he dealt with whatever was bothering him.

Meanwhile, back with the demigod…

He was trying to keep it down, trying to keep it bottled and away from him, but it struggled and fought and clawed its way to the surface, demanding to be released. Shin'en's fists clenched and unclenched, his teeth grinded hard against themselves, his bottom lip curled up and down, and a few errant tears traveled down his face and disappeared beneath the collar of his cloak.

The stillness of the night became disturbed when the wind began to pick up, small pebbles on the ground began to dance, animals and birds fled in all directions, and the earth began to tremble.

Ryuk's eyes glowed as he watched this unfold, his grin widening. "They got in, didn't they?" he said slyly, pressing buttons that shouldn't ever be pressed.

"They got into that frozen heart of yours, burrowing their way in, and now you're never going to see them again. You got attached just as they did, and neither of you are ever going to see, speak to, or hear each other for until the end of everything. And how are you dealing with that? By fighting yourself. Wasn't it you who just told them about letting your emotions flow? Come on, kid, don't be a hypocrite. Let that grief and anger out, let the whole world know about that sorrow."

Blood leaked from Shin'en's right eye began to leak blood. He threw his head back, and the Dragon with Thirteen Heads roared. Ice snow erupted around the Dragon, centered around the right eye of its middle head, and the wave of white death exploded to encompass an area of thirty square miles. Everything within that radius was _frozen solid_ , the very atoms subject to temperatures so cold that they lost the energy to move.

Plants, animals, trees, people, structures, mountains, all frozen.

Then, with the wave dissipated, everything that was frozen was shattered, shattered into a quintillion tiny shards that glittered in an ethereal and dazzling light; the beauty of death. Where was once a great forest filled with life, where mighty mountains once stood proud and strong over the land, there was only nothing.

The white calmly swirled around Shin'en, the frigid temperatures not affecting him in the slightest. Instead of anguish or rage on his face, there was only serenity. A serenity that came with uncorking the bottle, and letting all the emotions flow.

Even among the agony that came with the realization the he would, in fact, most likely never see them again, there was also peace.

Peace in that he had made them strong, and they would make it to the end together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Wow, so that took forever. Job and all, but anyway.**_

 _ **Thus concludes the Twins mini arc, and this will be the last time we ever see the little tots. At least, that's how it is for now. It's subject to change, honestly. I might get bored one day and decide to do something, but don't count on it.**_

 _ **Next chapter is an interlude chapter, featuring Persephone's orientation to Goode, and interesting encounter with dear Rachel, some stuff on Naruko, and more goings-on about the Shinobi World. Then it's right back into the interdimensional fray.**_

 _ **Remember, twelve Shinto missions, three down, nine to go. The Twins was a Greek dimension contracted by the Fates, and doesn't count towards Amaterasu' deal.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atop the lava wall at Camp Half-Blood, the page of Ryuk's Death Note, the page upon which he had written down the name of Luke Castellan and the conditions of his death, had been jammed into a niche. With the departure of Shin'en and Ryuk, the conditions started, and the power of the Death Note took hold.

Amaterasu had said that outside the _Death Note_ dimension, the Notebook was only effective within a mile radius, and could only kill with heart attacks. That was true, as Ryuk had tested, but the Death Note was mind control at its best, and the Shinigami had discovered that you could still right certain conditions that lead up to the fateful heart attack, and that was all the god of death needed.

In the woods, Percy and Persephone stared at where Light had been before he vanished in a flash. The boy whispered two little words.

"Goodbye, Daddy…"

Persephone grabbed his hand and kissed his temple. "Come on," she said evenly. "It's time for the singalong. We'll get some smores, and it'll be alright."

Percy looked at her, and she smiled with such calm, such confidence, and such sincerity that Percy smiled back, although his smile was smaller. Hand in hand, they exited the woods and made for the amphitheater. They were intercepted by Luke.

"Hey, can I talk to Percy for a sec? Alone? It'll only take a minute or two, I swear."

The twins knew of Luke, and his part to play, but they also knew that certain circumstances had led to his part, and those circumstances were absent here. Light had told them to use best judgement when it came to Luke, and try to not let him go to the Crooked One. He had also said to give people a single chance and to trust more.

Maybe if Luke became their friend, he wouldn't be a bad guy?

Persephone allowed Percy to go with Luke, and she watched as they disappeared behind Cabin 3.

"So, what's up, Luke?"

Percy answer was for the son of Hermes to roughly grab him by the shoulders, and kiss him vigorously. Luke's tongue muscled its way into Percy's mouth, and the slimy thing violently probed every inch of the boy's little mouth. With his tongue occupied, Luke's hands found activity around Percy's little ass, groping and kneading the little flesh, before slipped down into his shorts for a more close encounter, before the fingers found entrance to an exit.

Percy, for his part, only stood there, terrified, petrified, because for all the work that Light had accomplished, all the therapy that had been done, Percy was still traumatized. Luke's actions triggered a thousand horrible memories, and a million more terrible nightmares. As these phantasms danced across Percy's brain, his mind regressed back to its first and last defense against the onslaught of trauma:

Complete shutdown.

Percy's eyes were glazed and dull as he was molested by Luke, who had become a puppet to the power of the Death Note.

Persephone meanwhile, was becoming just a tad worried. Her trust issues and deep-seated psychological protectiveness of her little brother were nagging at her, and her paranoia that arose whenever he wasn't near caused a hundred dark fantasies to play out in her head. All this combined in the synapses firing, making Persephone's legs move, one step after the other.

…

First came shock, then horror, then fury, then _blood_.

And then came the lightning bolt.

Before any of this unfolded, Annabeth and Thalia were Luke when he suddenly…froze up. Then he said he needed to talk to Percy about something, and ran off without further explanation. The girls shared a look, before running off after him. The problem was that he was a son of Hermes, and was incredibly fast—beyond Olympic runner fast, easily. The girl barely caught a glimpse of him disappearing behind Cabin 3, and the distance between the girls and him was so great, that they looked like ants in the distance.

The girl sprinted anyway, Thalia having to slow down so that Annabeth's smaller legs could keep up. About three-fourths there and closing, they saw Persephone disappear behind the cabin, so they both sprinted around the other side. They arrived just in time to see Luke explode in a shower of blood and entrails, Persephone's little hand extended in his direction, fury etched on her little face.

First came shock, then horror, then fury.

Thalia screamed in anguish at the murder of her friend, her brother, her _lover_ , as they had done it once, in an abandoned building while Annabeth had slept. Their hormones and puberty had taken control, and they just couldn't help themselves. Sensual touching, then kissing, and then the clothes came off.

Thalia's power responded well to her emotions, and from her body erupted a single bolt of lightning, clocking in at several thousand degrees Fahrenheit. The bolt struck Persephone in the chest, and, in a flash of light, a horror occurred.

Persephone was launched back by the bolt, and after that flash of light, her blackened skeleton, covered in burning fat and muscle, her clothes and organs having been disintegrated, clattered to the ground. On her head, amongst her smoking, empty eye sockets and blackened teeth, a few jagged sprigs of burned hair remained.

The air was filled with the rank scent of meat on fire.

Thalia stared in horror and what she had done. Annabeth stared in horror at what Thalia had done. Poseidon couldn't comprehend what his daughter had just done, and what had just happened to her. Zeus couldn't believe that his daughter had done that. Hades was wide-eyed and paler than ever at registering the soul that had just entered his domain.

As for Percy…

The bot stared at the smoking remains of his beloved big sister, his mind blanking out at what it had just seen. After almost three seconds, he began to slowly reboot, and he, covered in Luke's blood, tentatively crawled over to the skeleton. With wide, panic-stricken eyes, he examined the burning remains.

"Se…phy…?"

With those same eyes, he slowly panned his gaze up to Thalia and Annabeth. They met his eyes, and all three had the same look in the windows to their soul.

 _BA-BUM_

A heartbeat was heard, Percy's, and his mind fully caught up with what had just happened, the impact of what had just happened, the meaning of what had just happened. His mind recognized who was responsible for what had just happened.

Who was responsible, you ask?

Everyone on the planet.

Percy's screamed as his powers were unleashed, the powers of the Sea, the Earthshaker, the Stormbringer. The world was ravaged as the oceans rose, the land split, the volcanoes erupted, and the people within the immediate vicinity popped like bloody water balloons. The Underworld was flooded as souls poured by the hundred million, and the gods of all pantheons could only stand there, shell-shocked, as the planet itself became undone in mere _seconds_.

Percy's anger burned out, replaced by every synonymous word for anguished. However, he did not experience these emotions long as he cradled his sister's skeleton. Just like ingesting too much ambrosia and nectar caused a half blood to burn up and die, calling upon too much divine power at once had the same effect.

Percy's veins disintegrated, and the rest of body followed swiftly, just in time for the tsunami to swallow the eastern seaboard, erasing everything.

Persephone's skeleton, like Percy's ashes, were scattered into oblivion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Oops, almost forgot about what Ryuk wrote in his Death Note. Sorry about that.**_


	67. A Brief Interlude

_A Brief Interlude_

 _ **Okay, the key to Reviews is to ask a question, and to have a Shinigami cause world-wide destruction via some yaoi. We got over 40 last chapter, and I'm geeking out.**_

 _ **Yes, Shin'en will eventually find out about Ryuk's machinations, and yeah, there will be violence. However, that will not happen for quite some time, and I'm not yet done with the Shinigami. He's got a lot more writing to do before his end.**_

 _ **I'm thinking of a super crossover between my fics and canon…**_

 _ **Anyway, this chapter features more on Persephone and the rest of the Shinobi World, those that weren't seen last time, in Chapter 56. Go reread it if necessary, to refresh your memory.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO, Naruto, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She drew…every look here. Seriously, _everyone_ was staring at her. She wasn't surprised, of course. In fact, she expected it. After all, it wasn't every day that a fifteen year old girl strolled up to the front door of a prestigious high school dressed in a full-body black cloak with longer than average sleeves and a high collar, complete with red cloud motif.

Persephone liked to think the cloak was a gift from Percy, be it a Christmas gift or a late birthday gift…unfortunately, the real reason behind the cloak still being on her body was that he simply forgot it, but Seph liked to think positive. Besides, it made her feel warm on the inside to think that Percy gave her the cloak as a present.

After she got back from the solstice party and returned to camp for the rest of the Winter Break, she found the atmosphere to be drained, dark, somber and forlorn. And the majority of the Ares and Aphrodite cabins were missing.

Salina and Clarisse confronted Persephone about her brother, citing his actions upon their respective parents, before going on to explain that the missing campers had gone to Luke to get revenge…to which Persephone responded with the whole story of her mind-rape at the hands of Aphrodite and how Ares just stood there and watched. Then she swore it on the Styx for added proof.

The color had visibly drained from the councilors' faces as they learned that their siblings had gone on to defend rapists.

Ah, the beauty of not knowing the whole truth.

Other major events of the winter included Bianca attempting to joining the Hunters of Artemis, and a Christmas date/dinner between Persephone, Annabeth, Sally and her boyfriend, Paul.

Bianca's episode was a bit more hectic, since Persephone was enjoying some down time in her cabin when Nico literally busted down her door, cleaving it clean off the hinges. Her initial anger was replaced by frantic concern at the boy's tear stricken face.

"Bianca, she's…she's going to join the Hunt!"

Artemis had yet to take the Hunt out of Camp at that point.

Persephone, realizing just what exactly that meant to Nico (he would lose his sister, the last person on earth he could connect to), and she bolted out of her cabin across the camp to Cabin 8. Her own blood boiled at hearing this—hearing that a big sister was about to abandon her little brother for whatever reason. Seph didn't care what Bianca was thinking, she wasn't having it.

For whatever reason, she could only see herself and Percy in that situation, with her leaving her baby brother for immortality, and it made her feel sick and twisted. She could only imagine what Nico must've felt in this situation.

At a speed approaching forty miles an hour (demigod physiology was a great thing), Persephone pulled an Armored Titan and busted down the door to Cabin 8 with her shoulder, and she kept right on moving. With her demigod reflexes, she examined the entire cabin in an instant, taking in the bunks, the startled girls, the wide-eyed Artemis, and the even wider-eyed Bianca. The next instant, Persephone had sprinted forward, grabbed Bianca by the back of her neck, and then busted out the other side of Cabin 8.

She pinned Bianca beneath her.

"Are you insane!? How could you just up and leave Nico like that!?"

"Wha—I…?"

"He's your brother, and you were just going abandon him forever to live with the Hunters! What's _wrong_ with you!?"

Bianca regained her bearings, and her eyes hardened. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been taking care of him for all these years? Having to constantly take care of him and watch out for him? Do you know how many times I had to scour the entire Hotel to find where he scampered off to? Literal _years_ of my life gone making sure nothing had happened to him, years of my life that I could have been living for myself instead of him."

Persephone glared with such energy in her eyes that Bianca was afraid she was about to be vaporized.

"Living for yourself?" she said, dangerously calm. "You don't get it, do you? We're big sisters…we live for ourselves by living for our little brothers. There's no such thing as day off or a break. It's a 24/7 job that I guess not everyone can handle."

"Handle?" Bianca sneered. "You're one to talk about handling. You've only been with your little brother for a few days, and you couldn't handle him to save your life. Let's see you handle him for years on end, and still talk big after the amount of times he's run you ragged."

"So that's it? The mighty Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades, is too weak to keep up with a thirteen year old boy almost a foot shorter than she is, and so she's going to throw in the towel and take the easy way out. Okay then."

Persephone had angled her head to where her black locks shielded her eyes. She angled her head again, and Bianca gasped sharply, both in surprise and terror. In place of those sparkling green eyes, were twin stars of red.

"This is your future."

The stars reached supernova, and they burned Bianca's synapses, burning right into her memory, burning images and sounds into her soul.

Bianca saw she and Nico when they were younger. She was fussing over him after he got chocolate on his chin and refused to wipe it off. Then she saw themselves as they were a few years ago, as they were in the Lotus Hotel. She was standing off to the side, ever the watchful protector, as the boy played one of the games. Then she saw them now, back to back. Nico looked angry, shadows across his face and his arms crossed, while she was dressed in a Huntress uniform, her hair braided.

She looked sad.

Time passed. Nico had gotten over his grudge, overcoming his fatal flaw, and no they siblings were comparing heights. Nico was taller than she was now, and he was lording it over her with a grin. More time went by, and now Nico was undeniably taller, standing almost a head above his big sister. He looked to be in his later teens, while she was stuck at fourteen. They were both smiling and having a good time.

The next thing Bianca saw was the fray of battle. Nico was in his twenties, towering over his sister. They were back to back, with her bow drawn and his sword out, radiating shadows and darkness, both of them standing against an unknown enemy. Then Nico was a grown man, all traces of youth gone from him. He was crying, sobbing, on his knees, into Bianca's chest.

Will Solace had moved on from this world.

As always, time past. Nico was middle-aged, now old enough to be her father. His hair was scruffy, his face covered in a five o'clock shadow. He was well-dressed, with his pea coat, button down, and slacks. They were together in the park, enjoying each other's company and reminiscing of old times. Next, Nico was an old man now, his hair grey, his face wrinkled. It was almost his time.

The movie began drawing to a close.

Bianca was standing over her little brother, resting her youthful hand over his clasped, wrinkled ones. He was ancient, with his remaining hair now white as the gown he wore, white as the pillow his head rested on, white as the room around them. A nasal cannula provided him his final breaths. Tears fell from Bianca's eyes as she kissed her brother's forehead for the last time.

Her, young, beautiful, youthful…forever. Him, old, weak, wrinkled…gone.

Thanatos came silently and peacefully, but the calm of Nico's passing was shattered by the mortal machines screaming, displaying a flat line across their monitors. Mortal doctors rushed in and began resuscitation, causing Nico's once peaceful body to jerk.

Bianca had already slipped into the shadows, drowning in despair and sorrow…drowning in the memories of her fateful decision so many decades ago.

Drowning in regret.

Bianca was suddenly staring back up at Persephone's eyes, now back to their sparkling green, although they held a depth to them that scared Bianca. That's when she realized that the tears she had seen in that vision were no illusion, and she had to choke down a sob.

" _That_ 's what will happen if you do this."

"Sis…?" Nico hesitantly asked. A crowd had gathered; Persephone's shouting earlier and her even-more-earlier sprint having drawn all attention. Persephone got off Bianca, and offered her hand. Bianca took it, and when she was on her feet, Nico was being crushed against her body.

Suffice to say, Bianca di Angelo _did not_ become a member of the Hunters of Artemis.

Christmas had been a blast, as far as Persephone had been concerned. Paul was a great guy, and when Seph and Annabeth walked into the apartment, both of them in their Christmas best, and announced they were in a relationship…well, Sally's camera had been ready for action. See, Paul hadn't been told that his girlfriend's daughter had a girlfriend.

Of course, the best thing about that night (besides all the food and presents, duh) was that Paul wasn't homophobic. He was agnostic, which was probably what helped the most in his acceptance of the situation, so he wasn't all 'gays are bad!' like so many religious people nowadays erroneously spewed.

Paul had read the Bible a few times, and yes, it did say that homosexuality was a sin, but it also said that murder and lying were sins as well, and he went on to say that the Bible said that all sin was equally bad, no matter how severe. Basically, Paul said that, if the Bible were to be taken as the end all be all doctrine of the world, then everyone on earth was just as bad as everyone else, for everyone was a sinner, and that made everyone equally bad.

Which was part of why Paul was agnostic.

He couldn't fully get behind the idea that Hitler was just as bad a child lying about not doing their homework, but anyway.

Christmas had been a blast, and the rest of the year to the present had been largely uneventful, with only school and dates with Annabeth, dates in which they kept the true nature of their outings secret. To anyone looking, they were just a couple of girls hanging out and getting a bite to eat.

Persephone was reminded of that meme with that black guy pointing to his head and smirking, with the caption being:

Can't be prosecuted for being gay, if no one knows you're gay.

Annabeth had said that was the unspoken rule of humanity. Nobody actually cared you were gay, until you told them you were gay. Then they cared. It was the same with being a demigod. No one cared that you were the child of a Greek god, until you told them. Then you'd be looked at funny and subsequently hauled off by people in white.

Speaking of people in white…Persephone recalled what her brother had said at Solstice Meeting eight months ago, about the mortal government watching them. If that was true, the mortals hadn't done anything yet, but Persephone was under the constant feeling that she was being watched by something that wasn't supernatural.

It creeped her out.

"Oh, wow! Persephone, hey! Persephone!"

The daughter of Poseidon looked about the crowd with a bewildered look on her face as an unfamiliar voice called out her name. There could've been someone else named Persephone somewhere in the crowd, but seriously? Who else names their children after Greek deities besides those that knew of the Greek deities' existence?

From out of the throngs, a redheaded wonder emerged, the widest smile plastered on her face. "So you weren't lying about living in Manhattan, cool."

Persephone, after being with Annabeth for so long, had learned to appreciate the finer aesthetics of other females, and she would admit that this girl here was very cute, but not Annabeth-level cute. However, how hot this girl looked didn't matter, because Persephone hadn't the faintest idea of who she was, and it showed.

The girl's smile faded. "What, don't remember me? Hoover Dam, the bathroom, your awesome contacts? It's me, Rachel! Rachel Elizabeth Dare!"

While all of that was well and good, Persephone didn't ever recall going to the bathroom at Hoover Dam, and she for certain did not wear contacts—wait a minute.

"…was I wearing contacts that were red with a bunch of black commas around the pupil?"

"Yeah, you told me you got them from somewhere around here, but I haven't been able to find a place like that. Maybe you can show me the place after orientation's done?" There was the barest trace of suggestiveness in her tone, and it went sailing far over Persephone's head.

The sea princess sighed in frustration, which confused and slightly offended Rachel because she didn't have the full grasp of the situation.

"Or not, it's okay. You probably have plans for later. Sorry about that."

Well, Seph did have a date with Annabeth planned for later, so there's that, but that wasn't why she sighed. "No, it's not you. Back at Hoover Dam, it wasn't me that you talked to. It was my twin brother, Percy."

…

"…he's a really convincing crossdresser."

"Yeah, if you just arrange our hair differently, we're perfect mirror images of each other. It's a game we used to play when we were younger; we called it Switch. We'd just put on the other's clothes for the day and switch places. Even our mom couldn't tell us apart. It was awesome. Anyway, sorry about the misunderstanding. Percy didn't tell me he made a friend. My name's Persephone Jackson."

Rachel beamed. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Where is Percy, if you don't mind me asking?"

"In Japan as a foreign exchange student."

The redhead blinked. "That's really far away—how did that even manage to happen?"

"Oh, well, you see-"

"Attention everyone! My name is Kelly, and I'll be your guide today for freshman orientation! Follow me, please!"

And we all know how that turns out, and the author doesn't feel like covering the _Battle of the Labyrinth_ in any form or fashion. If there's anything to note, it's that on Ogygia, Calypso realized that she was bisexual, and she almost seduced Persephone, but she stopped herself and ran away crying both in shame and heartbreak as the daughter of Poseidon sailed away on the magic raft like so many heroes before her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Shinobi World_

 _Hokage's Office_

The storm outside perfectly reflected Minato's mood. Grey, subdued, somber, and melancholy.

It had been over a year since Shin'en's devastating assault, and it had been over a year since Minato had seen his daughter. It had been over a year since there had been any word or sighting of Shin'en, although there had been reports of strange phenomena in recent months.

The Blood Prison had been destroyed, cause unknown; the Village of Dreams had been destroyed, suspected cause being volcanic activity complete with heavy speculation; there had been something happening in the Land of Wind, but the only intel the Kazekage had to offer was something called 'Gelel,' whatever that meant—Gaara was just as lost as Minato on that one; Orochimaru was apparently dead, if the information provided by Anko and Sasuke was correct; the village of Mazushī Ōji had been wiped out, cause unknown; lastly, not even a full day ago, there was a report of a temperature drop so low that it set a world record, and many miles of land are now gone.

Minato had people working on finding out the cause of this phenomena.

Besides the goings on of the world, Minato received constant reports on Naruko. Simply put, she had gotten exactly what she had asked for. She knew of the criminal underbelly, the Underworld, the black market, prostitution rings, slavery, bribery, blackmail, everything. All that was dark in the shinobi world had been brought to light in Naruko's personal world, and it had the effect Minato had feared. She was jaded now, almost cynical and borderline nihilistic.

She had set out to find a solution to this broken world, only to be dragged down into its dark depths…at least, that's how Jiraiya put it.

Amidst all the reports of murder, assassination, subterfuge, theft, and Naruko's progressing skills in all areas, there were really only two instances that stood out: the first was back in the November of last year, where Jiraiya had fallen prey to a Sharingan genjutsu, one employed by a woman called 'Saeko,' and one so powerful that Naruko had to break him out of it after finding him at a brothel…Kushina didn't know about any of that.

The other part of the report was that Naruko had engaged an unknown assailant in the woods surrounding the town, and defeated them, but they escaped to lick their wounds hadn't been seen since. A would-be assassin? An aspiring ninja looking for fame? An ally of the Hidden Stone? Who knew, but the highlight was that Naruko and the Nine-Tails (who had a name, apparently, but she wouldn't tell Minato what it was) had a shared form of power that granted great amounts of strength and speed.

The second instance of greater note was that Naruko was having wet dreams. Now, that wasn't at all anything shocking, concerning, or worthy of note, in all actuality, as it was just a part of human biology and a sign of puberty, something that all developing boys and girls experienced. Minato recalled many of those dreams himself, and most of them revolved around his wife. He had even gotten to live out some of those fantasies, and somewhere in there Naruko had been conceived, but none of that was the point.

The point was that a wet dream typically revolved around someone in particular, someone that you had a physical and/or emotional attraction towards. For Minato, it had been Kushina, and there had been a few instances involving Mikoto, but still. Who was Naruko dreaming about?

Jiraiya had two theories, and both left a sour taste in Minato's mouth. The first theory was Sasuke, which made Minato feel strange because his daughter and that boy had grown up together, joined at the hip like siblings, and factoring in the relationship Minato and Kushina shared with the late Fugaku and Mikoto, Sasuke might as well have been their nephew. Further on Sasuke, the path that boy had fallen down in the wake of his clan's demise…to put it simply, Minato wanted _nothing_ to do with either of the Uchiha brothers.

The second theory Jiraiya had regarding Naruko's wet dreams was one that made Minato want to crush something in his fist: Jiraiya theorized that Naruko was dreaming about _Shin'en_ , the very same boy that killed _thousands_ of Hidden Leaf shinobi, killed _thousands_ of her innocent people, and cost her several billions in damages, ruining livelihoods and destroying infrastructure on a level not seen since the Nine-Tails Attack.

For Naruko to be in love with that menace—that scum—that monster—that evil thing that needed to be destroyed—was a betrayal to Minato, a betrayal to Hiruzen, a betrayal to all previous Hokages, and a betrayal to all those brave and loyal men and women that gave their lives to stop the boy from his rampage.

For Naruko to have feelings for Shin'en, feelings beyond hate and anger and a desire for vengeance, was a betrayal of the Uchiha clan, Yoshino Nara, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Inoichi Yamanaka, Hitomi Hyuuga, Hana Inuzuka, Neji Hyuuga, and so many more.

…

No, it was more than just betrayal, Minato realized with gut wrenching revelation. If Naruko truly did love Shin'en, it was not just betrayal…but **treason**.

With a heavy heart, Minato resigned himself to this course of action. When Naruko returned, he would confront her about this, and if his worst fears were confirmed, and his daughter truly was in love with the enemy, then he would have no choice but to take the appropriate measures for one guilty of treason.

Minato was the Fourth Hokage, and that required greater sacrifices for the family that was greater than his own. Just as he had been taught by Hiruzen, who had been taught by Tobirama, it was Minato's duty as Hokage to put the people first and above all others, even his own blood.

He was a father third, a husband second, and the Hokage first.

As the Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, it was his duty to punish any shinobi guilty of treason, even if that shinobi happened to be his daughter.

Of course, this was all hinging on whether Naruko _was_ having wet dreams of Shin'en, and loved him. Hopefully, this was all just a misunderstanding and Minato's baby girl was just going through puberty like any other girl.

Lightning suddenly illuminated his office, and Minato hurled a kunai at the sudden silhouette in front of him. There was nothing there of course, just a trick of the light and Minato's own exhaustion getting to him. Still, the force behind his throw was great enough to where the kunai obliterated the doors and buried itself into the wall, spider-web cracks erupting from the impact point.

The ANBU hidden about his office materialized with swords drawn just in time for the thunder clap.

Within the Seal, the Yin Nine-Tails smirked coldly and what he saw standing outside his cage. It was just a chakra imprint, but the whole impact behind the simple little imprint was great. The Nine-Tails knew it would've been easy to erase this imprint, but what would he have to gain out of that? Unlike his Yang counterpart, the Yin had no love for his container, and wanted out of here.

The little chakra imprint before him was probably his greatest chance at freedom.

With that in mind, the Yin Nine-Tails was perfectly content with letting the Abyss' genjutsu remain like it was, ready to infect and do damage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kushina wasn't a drinker. In fact, you could even say she hated alcohol. She never acquired the taste for the damaging liquids and much preferred ramen broth to anything else, but none of that stopped her from grabbing an entire bottle of sake for herself, and get a taste of Tsunade's lifestyle.

It had been over a year since she had seen her princess, and the letters told Kushina all she needed to know about her baby. The first few letters that came in were filled with exuberance, exclamation points, and words written in big letters. When reading them, it felt more like Naruko was actually standing there next to you talking. But then, gradually, the letters started changing.

The exclamation points disappeared, replaced with simple periods. The exuberance in the letters was replaced with calmness and it was a tossup between serene and subdued. The big letters vanished, and only simple written words took their place.

Naruko was changing, either becoming more jaded like all shinobi were past a certain age, or she was maturing into a young woman of nobility. Either way, the unknown surrounding this situation was scaring the red-headed Uzumaki matriarch…Namikaze was more appropriate, as Kushina had taken her husband's surname, as was custom.

From outside, in the backyard, Kushina felt a burst of chakra and heard the roaring of a Fire Style jutsu.

Menma.

Kushina recalled how the boy came to be a part of her family. He was an experiment of Orochimaru's, and Danzo probably had a hand somewhere in there, but that wouldn't ever be known for sure since both shinobi were presumably dead. Anyway, the boy was a mix between an Uchiha, and Naruko herself, not that she knew that.

The DNA of the Uchiha had been acquired sometime in the past, and Naruko's DNA had most likely been acquired during one her childhood check-ups. There was really no telling for sure. Basically, what Menma amounted to was an Uchiha Jinchuuriki. The power of the Nine-Tails combined with that of the Sharingan.

It was during a routine sweep that the ANBU stumbled across the hidden facility, and it wasn't even an hour later that Minato, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Might Guy, Kakashi, Asuma, Yugao, Hayate, and a handful of other A-rank ninja stormed the place. They found lumps of meat that might've once been human beings, some research notes of an otherwise sickening nature, and a little boy no older than four.

Yes, Menma was, for all intents and purposes, either Naruko's brother or her son, due to the nature of his conception, but the Namikaze spouses manipulated the situation to where Menma fit in as their son and as Naruko's sibling. Besides, Minato and Kushina were too young to think of themselves as grandparents.

There was another roar of fire from outside, and Kushina took a monstrous swig from her sake.

She would've been out there, helping him and training him, but Menma was stubborn like his sister, and wanted to do it by himself. He wanted to get stronger by himself. After the battle with Shin'en had ended, the ANBU, in their search for survivors and bodies, found those of Naruko and Menma, who had both been beaten soundly by the demigod and needed some medical attention.

It was greatly relieving to know that both her babies were alright, yet it was so confusing as to why Shin'en had left them alive. Naruko's answer was that he had changed, that something had happened to him that had leveled him out on an emotional level. Kushina knew her daughter wasn't a liar, but something about that didn't make sense.

She was once known as the Red Death, a shinobi with terrifying skill in kenjutsu; believing people had a change of heart in the middle of a battle wasn't something to just simply accept. Then again, Kushina had heard about how Shin'en had dropped in on the battle between everyone and the deranged Third Raikage, and lead the man out of the village, therefore saving a lot of people from certain death…

…then immediately after came the storm of the millennium, which, when taking in to account the other two storms from the Land of Water, meant that Shin'en was going through something.

The boy hadn't been seen since.

Anyway, the point of Menma training was because he had fought Shin'en, had been soundly defeated, and wanted to get stronger so that didn't happen again. It was cliché, stereotypical, and somewhat unrealistic, but who was Kushina to not support her son in anything he did?

Speaking of supporting anything, Menma and Konohamaru seemed to be spending a lot of time together…

Whatever, the average shinobi lifespan was 35; life was literally too short _not_ to get it on with whoever you liked.

Then again, Kushina was probably overthinking this and the real explanation was just that Menma and Konohamaru were just a couple of boys getting into mischief together. Hell, Naruko hung out with Ino, Sakura, and Hinata all the time, and Kushina was fairly certain her daughter didn't have the hots for any of them.

In fact, it didn't seem Naruko had the hots for anyone…except for one person.

As Kushina thought about the way Naruko spoke of Shin'en, her grip on the sake bottle tightened to the point that the bottle shattered and spilled its remaining contents all over the kitchen table.

She would _never_ allow her baby and that **monster** to ever be together, not for an instant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Hidden Mist_

Guilt did accurately describe what Mei Terumi felt; it didn't even come close. There weren't even words in the dictionary that accurately described how the Fifth Mizukage felt.

Everything that had happened in the world, the Hidden Leaf, the earthquakes, the tsunamis, the storms, the fires, the death, destruction, and carnage…could all be laid at her feet.

Yes, it was the late Raikage's plan to do this to the boy, but she was the one that had gone through with it. She had needed the boy, needed a soldier with power, lots of it. If she had her way, she would've put Shin'en on the front lines and watched with a bottle of whatever alcoholic drink she could find as the bodies started piling up, but no. The Raikage would only allow Mei to have Shin'en, if she put him with an assassination squad.

More specifically, Yūrei Squad.

On paper, a burned and destroyed one, they were under her command, but she honestly didn't know. They did missions for her, missions for Yagura, and missions for themselves, all in order to keep up the illusion that they were free lancers, scavengers, mercenaries, and on nobody's side but their own. Hell, Mei didn't think much of it at the time, since she just thought Shin'en would never get along with the assassins, but damn was she ever wrong.

And now the world suffered for it.

She leaned back in her chair, leaned back far enough to where she could see the Hidden Mist…what was left of it.

Shin'en was about twelve and a half when Yagura displayed Yūrei's heads in public and gave a speech about it, which meant that Shin'en was just twelve when he destroyed the Hidden Mist. Today was December 24, 1014 A.S., which meant that Shin'en fourteen-ish.

Two years later and the Mist Village was still rebuilding. Even with all the strength and stamina and speed that shinobi had, even with all the powers they had, they were still building, still cleaning up. It was unbelievable.

Mei wondered whose fault this all was.

Was it Shin'en's, with his power raging out of control? Was it all her fault, for putting Shin'en in that environment? Was it Ay's fault, for making Shin'en what he was? Was it Yagura's fault, for sending the squad on the mission? Was it Ameyuri Ringo's, for killing the orphans and the matron? Was it Kisame's, for reporting on the boy? Or was this all the fault of a higher power, the one that put Shin'en here in the first place…

Maybe Mei was wrong across the board. Maybe it was no one's fault that Shin'en had turned out the way he had, had done the things he had done. Maybe it wasn't a person, but a system. The broken system of shinobi, the broken system that Shin'en sought to eradicate and replace.

To that end, Mei wondered, to the end that this broken, corrupted, damaging system, this system that robbed children of their parents, that robbed parents of their children, that robbed thousands of their innocence, traumatized thousands, would be eradicated…

…was Shin'en truly the villain in this world?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Just some food for thought. So, how bout Minato and Kushina, eh? Getting in between our star-crossed lovers like that. And how about Minato himself, with his thoughts of being the Hokage first, and a husband and a father second and third. Was that OOC? Maybe, but just remember that canon Minato sacrificed his son to Seal the Nine-Tails, and then said that it was his duty as Hokage to make sacrifices for the people, even if that meant his own family.**_

 _ **There was also a little bit of controversy there at the top with Persephone. Go back and re-read if you don't remember.**_

 _ **Next chapter we're back with the crossovers, and I'm thinking we're gonna go**_ _ **Attack on Titan**_ _ **for our fourth dimension, and see first-hand just how powerful Shin'en's**_ _ **Susano'o**_ _ **really is.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	68. Susano'o on Titan

_Susano'o on Titan_

 _ **Sup guys. I was working literally all weekend, going in on Saturday at 3 and dint get off till 11 at night, and then on Sunday I went in at 11 and didn't get off till 8, and unlike other young people, I actually enjoy sleeping at night and not staying up for hours on my phone.**_

 _ **So yeah…zero time to write at all on the weekend.**_

 _ **Anyway, we're getting back on track with the interdimensional madness, featuring**_ **Attack on Titan** _ **.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Attack on Titan

 _ **P. S. Ryuk will get what's coming to him…a long way down the line**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _December 26, 1014 A.S._

 _Land of Wind_

In the desert, two figures in identical black cloaks and straw hats, ones that had streams of paper trailing down from the low brim, battled against the wind and the heat and the blowing sand. It could be described as a low-grade sandstorm, honestly, but such was common in the Land of Wind.

Shin'en and Kisame were here in this oversized sandbox looking for the Ruins of Rōran. Supposedly, underneath the ruins, was a source of ancient chakra known as the Ley Line. Shin'en intended to investigate this for himself. Also, if Pain asked why the Akatsuki Swordsmen were in the Land of Wind, they would say that they were hunting a rogue Sand-nin, a Puppeteer, by the name of Mukade.

Ryuk was still here, too.

"This place reminds me of the Sahara Desert of the Human World."

Amidst the flapping of his cloak, the dancing sands, and the whistling winds, Shin'en almost didn't hear the Shinigami, but he did agree. This place was hot, dry, and sucked. Kisame was some kind of fish creature, so this had to suck doubly for him, and Shin'en was a child of the sea; a desert was not a good place for him. The level of dryness and the lack of moisture here would've made Persephone collapse a long time ago.

Shin'en was stronger than his sister, and he could handle environmental extremes on a level rivalling Asteria's biology. Besides, the desert heat was nothing a light coating of Water chakra couldn't fix. Helped keep him cool, you know?

"Do you even know where we're going anymore?" Kisame said loudly.

"Yes."

"Where!?"

"Forward."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

Then everything came to sudden halt.

The sand stopped where it was in the air, the wind stopped blowing, Kisame's cloak froze where it was where Shin'en's settled calmly around him, the sand layers simply sliding down the cloak's fabric. It was an interesting sight, standing in the middle of a sandstorm with all the sand frozen in place.

Ryuk had some commentary. "Uh, I thought Amaterasu said it would be another month before we could start going on interdimensional vacations again?"

"Unless this isn't Amaterasu we're dealing with."

Then the two were standing in the Dimensional Hall, surrounded on all sides by white space and black doors.

"No, it's me. What I said about the 'cool down' was a lie. The Fates contacted me and said that it was urgent that you got to that dimension and fixed it. Now that it's fixed, we can get back to our deal."

While Shin'en didn't have the happiest look on his face at being told that the Fates had postponed his mission just for a side trip (granted, all that happened during said trip wasn't all bad), his mood was brightened slightly at being told he was about to go on Mission Four of Twelve.

"Where to."

Colors blurred and Shin'en found himself in front of a black door with a plaque on it that read:

 _Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)_

"Is there a planet or a moon called Titan and it's being attacked by someone or something?"

"Well, by Saturn, there is a moon called Titan, but this dimension has nothing to do with space."

Amaterasu opened the door, revealing the invertedness of the dimension. The walls and floors were now black, and the doors were all white. Shin'en and Ryuk entered. The colors blurred again, and the trio found themselves outside a white door marred with cracks.

The Sun Goddess put her hand on Shin'en, and downloaded all pertinent information. When she was done, the demigod looked at her.

"Ymir? How did a Norse god's name make its way into a Shinto dimension?"

"Izanagi lost a bet, and so Ymir got to have a hand in the making of a new dimension."

"I see. I also detected some lesbianism."

"Oooo, hot."

"Shut up, Ryuk."

"Yes," Amaterasu said. "Historia and the human girl, Ymir."

"Perfect. Nothing adds more fuel to a raging fire than gayness in a mainstream manga with millions of followers. Let the controversy roar."

"How do you feel about the gays?"

"If memory serves, I nuked a planet because of those people, and the world's inability to get along with them."

"But that was when you were trying to create a world of peace, and social division was a detriment to that, so you destroyed it. Now you are free from the burden of making a peaceful world. So, I ask again: how do you feel about gay people?"

Shin'en reached into his cloak and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with a small burst of Lightning chakra.

"The same way I feel about straight people. They'll both die when you cut off their heads, and now any valuables on them are yours for the taking."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Ryuk chuckled. "Only things gays are to me is a longer lifespan."

"Moving on from these sensitive subjects of conversation, what's wrong with this dimension?"

"Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, and Marcel never came across Ymir's buried Titan form, and so she never regained her humanity. Marcel still ended up dying, but it's Ymir's absence in this dimension that cause all the problems, although nothing detrimental happens until the events of Utgard Castle, where there's no Ymir to save the group from the Titans, and so they all die…which is bad."

"Indeed. So my mission is to save everyone during the events of Utgard Castle…please tell me you'll be dropping me off at the appropriate time instead of several days, weeks, months, and/or years before."

"No, you'll be arriving in a timely manner, I assure you."

"Excellent. If there's a bright side to any of this, it's that I'll get to test my Susano'o."

"Now that's going to be real fun to watch," Ryuk said. "Ain't nothing like watching a bunch of giants beat the crap out of each other."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Utgard Castle_

Things were not looking good for the survivors of the 104th Training Corp. Their Scout… _chaperones_ was probably the best word…had all been eaten (gruesome sight to be sure), and the castle tower upon which they stood was about to be toppled and all of them would be devoured.

Reiner, Bertolt, Connie, and Krista were all scared out of their minds, and the former three weren't entirely sure that Krista hadn't wet herself. However, weighing heavily on the two 'warriors'' minds was whether or not they should Shift to save themselves and then go after Eren.

There were many problems with this line of thought, and they all revolved around the two people that were with them.

Against all that they had tried, against all the barriers they had put up, Reiner and Bertolt had become friends with these people, and thoughts of simply leaving them for dead made them both feel sick, but…they had a mission to perform, and they couldn't very well perform that mission if they were dead.

They couldn't go back home if they were dead.

A Titan rammed its head into the tower's side, and the thing almost came crumbling down.

"Oh shit!" Connie screamed.

Krista just screamed, tears in her eyes.

Of course, the Shifters could do their thing and _save_ Connie and Krista, but neither Titan was welcome around here. Bertolt, the Colossal Titan, was responsible for Shiganshina being broken down, and Reiner, the Armored Titan, was responsible for the loss of Wall Maria and everyone inside. Revealing themselves to be those specific Titans would get them captured for sure…if not just outright gutted on the spot.

Unfortunately, neither of them could crystalize like Annie, as that was a trait specific of the Female Titan serum.

Another Titan tried its luck, and the tower began to list. Reiner and Bertolt shared a look as the tower began to fall. It was do or die, and neither felt like dying…not like Marcel had died. Not eaten and then slowly digested, only to end up in a flesh ball of body parts and mangled corpses.

Besides, they were the Armored and Colossal Titans, and Zeke was just over there. The Scouts were undoubtedly on their way, but they were just a bunch of humans. Bertolt and Reiner could take them. It might be hard, but they could take them.

With those thoughts in mind, thoughts that the life they had been living was now over, thoughts that Connie and Krista were about to be killed by their Shift, thoughts that they were about to betray the friends they had made…arcs of lightning began to spark about Reiner and Bertolt—

 _SHQUELCH_

A gigantic green arrow removed the head of a 15-meter Titan, and a geyser of red erupted from the stump. Where the blood landed, steam erupted from the heat of contact. Amazingly, the headless thing stood there, and it stood there in such a way that the listing tower found support in its motionless body.

The four cadets looked towards where the arrow came from. Up on Wall Rose, the Beast Titan looked towards where the arrow came from. The Titans turned their heads to where the arrow came from.

 _BUM_

 _BUM_

 _BUM_

The ground shook as heavy footsteps caused it to buckle and break. From out of the trees, a great specter emerged, one that was emerald green, and covered in armor. It was strange armor, old armor. Metal plates covered the shins, sandals adorned the feet, vambraces covered the forearms up to the elbow, the chest plate was carved to resemble pectorals and abdominals, segmented plates covered the shoulders, and this specter wore a kind of skirt to cover its extremities. The specters head was covered in a helmet, one that had three horns on it. The helmet's front was designed in such a way that the entire face was hidden, and the eyeholes lead down into an open slit. From the eyes, two narrow beams glowed.

All of this was the same shade of dark emerald.

The cadets and Beast Titan didn't know it, but what they were looking at was a Full-Body Susano'o dressed in the armor of an Ancient Roman, but with the helmet of an Ancient Spartan, minus the plume.

This spectral warrior was also taller and bigger than the Armored Titan…none of the cadets were mathematicians, and distance played a key factor in their depth perception, but they'd be damned if this emerald warrior wasn't _twice_ as tall as the Armored Titan.

That would put this giant at somewhere in the neighborhood of _30 meters_ , an unprecedented height of any Titan.

That's what this thing was, right? A Titan…?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A Roman soldier, huh? Shin'en mused to himself.

He was just full of surprises, like how his eyes still weren't causing him any pain, still weren't bleeding, and were still retaining their light. He had a theory for it, of course, as to why an Uchiha suffered from Mangekyou overuse but he didn't. However, now was not the time for theorizing.

Now was the time to test out this Susano'o.

In the distance, the Beast Titan roared, and the whole horde responded by charging Shin'en. The ground shook something fierce as it was subject to the stamping of 19 giant humanoids, all of them now propelled forward and into aberrancy by the Beast's powers over them.

After he was done here, Shin'en supposed he could go ahead and kill Zeke, Reiner, and Bertolt, as their existences would only go on to cause strife and chaos. Granted, their existence did serve as a subject of character development and crucial information-giving later on, but all of that was something Shin'en could provide to anyone important enough to do something about it, such as Erwin, or Pixis, or Zackly.

…

Maybe not Zackly. That guy had some screws loose. Seriously, the guy made a torture device that fed a person their own shit. Yūrei had done that before, among other sickening things, to gather information from otherwise stubborn individuals, but the difference between Yūrei and Zackly was that Zackly found psychotic glee in watching someone eat their shit, Yūrei did not.

But anyway.

The Susano'o's fist shot out with breathtaking speed, and the first Titan, weighing in at several tons, went _flying_ away. The second was knocked to the side, as was the third, and the fourth took an open palm to the chest that knocked down the ten that were behind it. The fifteenth was a little guy, and the  Susano'o crushed its body in its entirely under heel. The sixteenth and seventeenth were about the same height, and their necks were grabbed, then they were lifted off the ground and casually tossed aside like plastic dolls. Eighteen lost its head due to a large fist, and nineteen took a karate chop to the neck that left it decapitated.

Well then, that was certainly some impressive offensive capability, but what about defense?

Titans four through fourteen were back on their feet, and they were coming in all shapes and sizes. Shin'en allowed the first to come. It grappled the Susano'o trying to topple the monolith, and when it failed, it tried to bite. For all the power in its jaw, for all the monstrous psi it could generate, the stupid thing's teeth shattered like glass against the Susano'o's armor. The giant's fingers locked forward, and he speared the Titan through the chest and all the way through to the nape of its neck.

Shin'en threw the thing to the side. That was actually his second kill, since the others had all been taken down in otherwise nonlethal ways…for a Titan. Anything else would've been dead. Shin'en allowed the next lumbering thing to come for him, and it was only tall enough to reach barely above his knee. It threw a punch, and its arm exploded on contact with the Susano'o's knee.

It died shortly after.

Well, that was good enough for Shin'en. Strong enough to toss about several ton giants, and durable enough to shrug off any of their attacks. Granted, he would much prefer to battle the likes of the Armored or Beast Titans, because those two had some real strength…as did Eren and Annie, but Shin'en didn't feel like busting Annie out just to fight her, and Eren had self-esteem issues.

He also liked to bite himself.

Anyone that bit themselves was someone Shin'en didn't want to associate with.

…

Another thought occurred to Shin'en. Typically, the Susano'o came with two items of weaponry: a shield and sword, or a ranged weapon with either a sword or a shield. He knew he had a ranged weapon, a bow that he instinctually knew was the Epirus Bow, but he also instinctually knew of his other items as well, and they were just a tad cliché.

On the Susano'o's left arm, a massive, simple rounded shield formed, and in its right hand, a gigantic gladius sprang to existence. All of it was colored the same dark emerald, and neither weapon was impressive beyond their massive size. Simply put, Shin'en knew these armaments to be his own Aegis and his sword, while a gladius, was Ame-no-Ohabari.

The same name of the sword used by Izanagi to kill his own son, Kagutsuchi.

"Time to die," Shin'en intoned, his words falling on the unhearing ears of the mindless once-humans.

What followed next wasn't anything that needed to be covered in detail, just the demigod calmly slicing through body after body, bodies typically less than half his Susano'o's size, which made things really interesting.

By the time he was done meticulously stooping down to lethal effect, the sun was rising, and at some point the tower had finally come down, and the four cadets were safe and sound, surprisingly. The Beast Titan had also There were also some flares in the distance, which meant the Scouts were here.

"Well that was boring and repetitive," Ryuk said. "You gonna do something entertaining, or we just gonna move on to the next dimension?"

"I confess myself bored with recent happenings as well…let's spice this dimension up a bit."

"Now we're talking!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Surveycon Legiment saw the giant ass green thing from a mile away, and they all had the collective thought of 'we're fucked.' No one said that aloud, not Erwin, not Levi, not Hange etc., but that was the general thought. It looked big from a distance, so it was undoubtedly bigger up close…but that's where cadets/friends Reiner, Bertolt, Connie, and Krista were at, as well as several senior members of the Surveycon Legiment, and it was one of the principals of the Surveycon Legiment to not let any of their members die.

Barring excessive situations of dire hopelessness and/or obviously gruesome outcomes.

However, if there was a Brightside to this possibly doomed rescue mission, it looked like there was only a single Titan to deal with. Granted it was glowing green and stood taller than any Titan on record aside from the Colossal Titan and had unknown abilities and powers that were most likely going to cause the deaths of three-fourths of the people present.

Silver lining: there were about to be a lot of horses available.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eren blew the situation completely out of proportion immediately upon arrival. He assumed that this new Titan was going to eat his friends, and was simultaneously giddy for his first ODM kill. So, with a click and a burst of gas, the teen was in the air…as well as several other members of the Surveycon Legiment to provide the impending necessary backup.

Imagine the surprise of over a hundred men and women when Eren's blades shattered like the hopes and dreams of a child upon reaching adulthood when he attacked the emerald nape of this giant Titan. When he landed on the ground, the Titan slowly turned its head, and then slowly looked down at him.

Eren eeped.

The breaking of his blades gave the rest of the Legiment pause as they observed this new Titan. Despite its size, it was not threatening, nor was it attacking. It was just standing there. Erwin rode up next to the four survivors.

"Where are the others?"

"Uh, dead…sir," Connie answered in clipped words. He was still in shock.

Erwin nodded, having already predicted that. "And this one?"

"It just showed up out of nowhere and started slaughtering all the other Titans. It somehow made a sword and a shield, and things got messy."

That's when Erwin noticed all the decomposing Titan carcasses. Well okay then.

Then the Titan did something weird. The strange armor it was wearing dispersed, then its skin disappeared, revealing muscle. Then the muscle seemingly evaporated, leaving behind the skeleton, and then the entire thing disappeared…and a figure dropped to the ground.

The entire present populace blinked in surprise at the kid in the cloak, one that looked a few years younger than Eren.

Said child lazily raised a peace sign. "Yo."

Erwin chose to ignore his sense of disbelief and bewilderment and just took the development in stride. "My name is Commander Erwin of the Surveycon Legiment. May I ask who you are?"

"No," was the simple reply.

Erwin blinked. "Okay then…why are you here?"

"To save those four, and help speed the plot along."

"Uh…"

"Let's see, where to start, where to start…ah! That one's the Armored Titan, and the other one is the Colossal Titan. They're both from a place a few hundred miles that way called Marley. That's also where all Titans originate. Memory serves, Marley uses Titans as weapons of war. Reiner and Bertolt are here to take Eren back to Marley, because Eren's in possession of a power called the Coordinate. The Coordinate allows one to control all Titans. The first king of this place used the Coordinate to control a lot of Colossal Titans to build the walls. Grisha Yeager was an exile from Marley who came here and attacked the royal family, devouring the previous owner of the Coordinate, then he turned Eren into a Titan and allowed his son to eat him, therefore becoming the next possessor of the Coordinate—oh right, you ate your dad, kid. Good luck sleeping tonight. Well, I think that's all I feel like divulging. Ta."

"Wha-? Hey, wait!"

The kid vanished.

The Surveycon Legiment stared at where he just stood, and then everyone's heads went to two primary locations: where Eren stood, and where Reiner and Bertolt were being tended to. The latter two were pale and looked like deer caught in torchlight, and the former looked like he was on the verge of a crisis/mental breakdown.

Although a likely story, the way he casually said these groundbreaking things, the way he casually spilled what would otherwise be great secrets, it had everyone thinking and suspecting.

Bottom line: Shin'en just altered history.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That was great!" Ryuk exclaimed. "Reminds me back when I was human and I told all these people I had locked in my basement some stuff about how their lives would have been if I hadn't kidnapped them. The looks on their faces were gold."

"And how old were all these people?"

"Ages ten to twenty."

"Ryuk…were you a pedophile?"

The Shinigami barked a short laugh. "Nope. If I wanted some, I just went to the nearest bar and paid some bitch. Worked every time."

"Indeed."

"So…wanna go destroy Marley?"

"No."

"Awe, but why not?"

"Because now my boredom is satisfied, and it is time to move on to the next dimension. Amaterasu, get us out of here."

The light came down from the sky, just as the ground shook as something came out of it. A small Titan, one that was almost quadrupedal in stature, with a broad forehead and large head. All it needed was the jagged teeth, but this Titan was still identifiable with all its current traits.

The mindless Ymir growled at Shin'en.

"This one's mine," Ryuk grinned.

The Shinigami flapped his wings, and barreled straight into Ymir's throat…then he lifted her off the ground and into the sky. After a quick ascension to an altitude of 100 feet, Ryuk hurled the Titan to the ground, where she impacted with earth-shattering force, her body breaking under its own weight. She didn't die, in fact she was already regenerating.

Ryuk was there in a streak of black, and this time, Ymir went limp and stopped moving for good.

Shin'en watched with a passive gaze as his Shinigami companion came stalking out of the dust cloud, his form silhouetted and his eyes glowing red. "Being able to kill with my own two hands again is the greatest thing ever."

"Couldn't say. I've been doing it for eight years."

"So, where do you think Amaterasu is going to send us next?"

"Let's go find out."

Shin'en entered the light, and Ryuk followed swiftly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, this was going to be much longer, but then I remembered that it had been too long since an update, so here this is.**_

 _ **Shin'en's**_ _ **Full-Body Susano'o**_ _ **, not be confused with the giant**_ _ **Perfect Susano'o**_ _ **, stands at 30 meters…which is about a hundred feet for those that speak Freedom, which means that the**_ _ **Susano'o**_ _ **is about sixty feet taller than any of the anti-god giants like Porphyrion and Polybotes.**_

 _ **Its weapons include the**_ _ **Epirus Bow**_ _ **, for long range, the**_ _ **Aegis**_ _ **shield for defense, and**_ _ **Ame-no-Ohabari**_ _ **sword for offense. The name of the sword is derived from Shinto legend, and it is the same sword used by Izanagi to kill his son, Kagutsuchi the Shinto God of Fire, after his birth burned Izanami. I'm going to let you guess what special abilities the**_ _ **Ame-no-Ohabari**_ _ **has.**_

 _ **Anyway, next chapter involves a broken**_ **Soul Eater** _ **, and if I can stay on track, a strange**_ **Naruto-verse** _ **dimension.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	69. AN3

_Reading Of_

 _ **I forgot to put this in the last chapter.**_

 _ **Recently, an author by the name of zen-aku the spirit wolf has asked me for permission to do a Reading Of Backup Plan, and I gave them permission. The fic is already up, so please go support them and this Reading Of fic with everything you got.**_

 _ **Now, since we're on the topic of Reading Of fics, I personally didn't think I was that popular enough to where people would want to do Reading Ofs my stuff, but apparently I am. Since we're at that point, there are probably others that would want to do Reading Ofs all my stuff, and to that I say: please ask.**_

 _ **I've got no problem with letting you guys do Reading Ofs, in fact I find them quite enjoyable.**_

 _ **So, yeah, if you want to do a Reading Of fic based on my stuff, PM me. Also, I'm not putting a limit on how many people can do a fic, so multiple people can do their own Reading Of the same story.**_

 _ **With that said and done, I bid thee adieu, and await the responses (if any).**_


	70. Asura and Others

_Asura and Others_

 _ **We continue with the Reclamation Arc, picking up with**_ **Soul Eater** _ **.**_

 _ **Regarding future Reading Of stories, Wrath of the Sun Deity has talked to me about a Reading Of Leviathan. If they follow through, I'll let everyone know.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Soul Eater

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en and Ryuk were greeted by the sight of Amaterasu standing in front of a black door. Getting closer, the two saw that the plaque on the door read as:

 _Soul Eater_

"Ooh, this one sounds fun. Let me guess: people here have to consume other people's souls in order to get more powerful, right? And the world is drowning in constant strife because of this concept, but there's this one guy that's killed too many people and he became evil and then a bunch of young people that believe in the power of friendship came in and beat him, right?"

Amaterasu tilted her head side to side. "More or less."

She waved her hand, and knowledge was downloaded into Shin'en and Ryuk's heads. When the download was done, Shin'en remained passive, and Ryuk was frowning at this world's depiction of Death.

"I am insulted."

Playing across the Shinigami's mind was an image of a figure in a jagged garment with a stupid mask and a giant, blocky hand in a peace sign, yelling loudly. "YOOOOOOO!"

"I am very insulted."

"What's wrong in this dimension?"

"Many things. But there is one dimension in particular." Amaterasu opened the door, and suddenly the other two were standing in front of a white door marred with cracks. "In the final battle against Asura, Maka, Soul, Kid, Black Star and friends manage to off-balance him with a speech about bravery. Not so much here."

"So you want me to beat the Kishin?"

"Precisely."

"Oh, this shouldn't take too long."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Inside the Kishin's barrier_

One-sided annihilation was the best description for the battle, and it was a battle that had left Soul, Death the Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki broken and mostly defeated. Only Maka had the strength to stand, which was the root cause for Asura's failure to understand the situation.

Oh, and she also had Weapon blood in her; that was interesting.

However, while Maka borderline had Asura on the ropes, their little speech triggered something in the Kishin.

"Bravery…" he echoed. "Bravery…"

All three of his eyes were impossibly wide, and all three of his pupils were impossibly dilated. In another life, this talk of bravery would have caused him to have a complete breakdown, one that completely destabilized his psychosis and resulted in his death. However, in this life it was not to be.

Asura settled into a deadly calm, his wild eyes shifting back to a normal size. His mouth set into a neutral line, and his racing heart slowed to a docile beat. He levelled Maka with a quiet stare.

"Show me what your bravery can do."

Maka's green eyes hardened, and she charged into battle, her body drowning in bravery. One of Asura's bindings almost caved her skull in. Another strip of tape caused internal hemorrhaging. Another crushed her uterus. And one more shot around a piece of rubble, looping around, and came back to crush her spine at the area just above her ass. In short, Maka was in for a very rough life…if she received the proper medical attention in a timely manner.

Maka's green eyes went dull, and she collapsed to the ground, her body drowning in pain.

The Weapons' and Meisters' eyes widened at just how easily Maka was taken down, and at how brutal it was too. The Kishin turned his strange red eyes to them. "Well, that was certainly underwhelming. Anyone else care to try?"

"Kura Okami."

Asura didn't even have time to blink as his atoms were robbed of so much heat that they stopped moving. Then he shattered apart into billions of pieces that sparkled and shimmered, and then those pieces blinked out of existence one after the other. In less than ten seconds, the mighty and terrible Kishin was completely wiped from this earth.

Black Star stared in shock.

Kid stared in shock.

Soul stared in shock.

Liz stared in shock.

Patty stared in shock.

Tsubaki stared in shock.

Maka gurgled on her own blood.

The new arrival, a boy no older than any of them, put a cigarette to his mouth, and lit it with what appeared to be an electrical charge from his finger.

"I wonder what Ryuk's doing…" he muttered distractedly as the Kishin's barrier came down. "Oh, that's what he was doing."

 _Earlier, while Asura was beating Maka into a pulp_

Ryuk wasn't much of an egotistical person. He didn't have much of a sense of pride, or vanity, or even decency, but even so, there was something about this world's Death that rubbed him the wrong way. That cartoonish mask, those stupid mannerisms, that annoying voice…it was all so unbefitting of a god of death.

Ryuk felt compelled to rectify this blight.

While Shin'en was done in the dome thingy, the Shinigami calmly floated up to the hole in the side of this dumbass building. No one saw him, of course, because no one had touched the Death Note, and no one sensed him, because there was nothing of him to sense. He didn't have any 'Soul Wavelength' or shit like that. He was dead, first and foremost, or at least unliving (it was always a debate among the Shinigami over what their states of existence were), so he technically didn't have a soul in the first place.

But anyway.

Ryuk arrived just in time for soppy bullshit.

"Maka's greatest strength isn't some technique," the disgendered Crona put a hand over his/her heart. "It's something different, something in here—GUACK!"

"Like the cardiac muscle and a couple of ribs?" Ryuk grinned.

He tore his bloodied hand out of Crona's corpse with a wet SCHLICK. The blonde was nearby, so he went _ahead_ and swiped at the woman's neck, erasing vertebrae, muscle, veins, arteries, and others with a single stroke. The broad's horrified expression remained plastered on her face in death.

By now, the others had almost gotten prepared for combat, but Ryuk was fast enough to slaughter the redhead in the bandages, the big guy in the shorts, and the woman in the glasses. The zombie charged at Ryuk, most likely zeroing in on the bloodied hands. The Shinigami kicked the undead clear out the hole, and then he snapped his wing out and caught the guy wearing the stitched shirt in the face, which provided enough of an opening for Ryuk to spear him through the bottom of his jaw and all the way up into his brain.

Then he lifted him off the ground.

Ryuk's grin was full of jagged teeth as Stein's blood dripped down his arm and into his mouth.

With these people dead, that left only the monk, the mascot with the cane, and the insult.

"Do not worry Lord Death, I will stop whatever fiend this is!"

"Fool! You cannot defeat it alone. Use me!"

The mascot turned into a sword, and the monk took it in his grasp. Wings of energy immediately sprouted from the monk's back, and with a flap, he blitzed at Ryuk. The Shinigami grinned and chucked a corpse at the flying monk. His eyes widened, and he brought his arms up to block, which obscured his vision. Ryuk struck a 'paint me like one of your French girls' pose, and held his arm above him.

The monk flew right into it, and bisected himself.

The two halves skid on their faces, and when they came to a stop, all of their gooey insides came spilling out.

"Eww, gross," Ryuk said with a smile.

He got up and stalked over to the battered form of 'Death.' The cartoonish mask stared blankly at the ceiling.

"It's a shame you can't see me, otherwise I would've educated on how to be a real fucking Shinigami."

Ryuk brought his foot up and brought it down with monstrous force, crushing the cartoon's mask and face under heel, as well as shattering the ground beneath, sending dust, dirt, and debris flying in a small cloud.

"Wonder how the kid's doing." Ryuk looked out the hole. "Oh, he's done already. Sweet."

Shin'en materialized next to the Shinigami, and looked around. "…you made a mess."

"Whatever. The mission constraints were to kill Asura and prevent him from destroying the world. Asura is dead, and the Madness Wavelength is gone. Anything beyond that isn't our problem. Amaterasu, let's go."

The beam came shooting down, and the two disappeared inside it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amaterasu was giving them both a disappointed look. "Did you have to leave Maka for dead? Did _you_ have to kill everyone there?"

"No."

"Nope, but I felt like it."

The Sun Goddess sighed. "You two…I'm going to find a dimension in which you two are a couple, and show it to you, just to traumatize you."

"That mental image is traumatizing!"

"If you show me something like that…I will erase you from existence."

"Yeah, good luck with that, kid."

Shin'en's eyes narrowed. Amaterasu coughed. "Right then. Next dimension."

In a blur of whites and blacks, the Shinigami and the Abyss were standing in front of yet another door, and this one's plaque read:

 _Naruto_

Shin'en raised a brow. "I feel a strange sensation when thinking about going into this one."

During his time in the _Death Note_ dimension, when he had sent his 10,000 Shadow Clones across the world on a massive information hunt, he had run across the manga industry. How humans had learned of the Shinto Multiverse was beyond him, but to see his world, or at least the world he had been dropped off into years ago, be commercialized as entertainment for children and young adults was…insulting, in a way.

Although there was a sense of relief in the revelation that Shin'en had to deal with Naru _ko_ and not Naru _to_.

If he had to deal with a _male_ version of that blonde (insert choice word here), he would've killed him upon first contact.

"Yes, I suppose you would."

Amaterasu opened the door, and a huge space was revealed, a space bigger than any other Dimensional Hall Shin'en had seen yet. The floor space was a hundred times wider than that of _Fairy Tail_ , and the walls went too high for Shin'en's enhanced vision to see, and his eyes could see for a very long way. Seriously, the amount dimensions in this place was _absurd_.

Running some rough guestimates in his head, Shin'en calculated there was over 450,000 accessible dimensions here, and that wasn't counting any bleedover dimensions, and the ungodly amount of branch dimensions that spawned from each door. All in all, we were looking at something that truly had no end to the diversity.

There was also an uncountable number of cracked doors.

"Which one am I fixing first?"

Amaterasu chuckled hollowly. "This one…"

With another episode of vertigo-inducing color shifting, Shin'en and Ryuk were standing in front of a cracked white door.

"And what's wrong here?"

"You'll see."

The door opened, and Amaterasu shoved the two inside and slammed the door shut. Upon the door was a plaque that read:

 _Futanari_

The Sun Goddess shuddered in many things as she thought of the girls with dicks…and then she felt guilt as she thought of her daughter. Izanagi being bored? Okay, that happened before. Izanagi being bored and then deciding to rape a bunch of mortals in the _Percy Jackson_ dimension to alleviate said boredom? No, there was something wrong there, and Amaterasu blamed Jashin.

She shuddered and felt guilty again when she thought of the dong she created to hang between her legs, and the woman whose live she subsequently ruined, and the girl she didn't know how to deal with…at all. Seriously, she meets her daughter for the very first time, and instead of at least a hug, she asks the girl what eye pattern she wants.

Hmm, maybe after Shin'en and Ryuk were done wiping out the Futa world, she could get them to go to one of _those_ worlds and better raise Clair?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile, in the dimension_

Shin'en was in the Hidden Leaf. That wasn't necessarily the problem; the problem was all the kunoichi he was walking past. They all had something extra that they shouldn't have had. Namely, a penis.

Last he checked, women with dicks were either trannies, had a birth defect, or were a subcategory of female that existed for the sole purpose of erotic material and fetishes. Considering that every female with at least genin-level chakra was packing a pair, Shin'en was inclined to believe the latter, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle this.

Was he supposed to kill them all? Was he supposed to fuck them all? Was he was supposed to _be fucked_ by them all? Was he supposed to—

A letter appeared out of thin air.

 _Dear Shin'en,_

 _This a futanari dimension that based on femdom. All shinobi are subservient to the kunoichi, and are capable of bearing children. Shinobi are expected worship and obey any command by any kunoichi, from the lowest-ranked genin, to the Hokage. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to commit mass genocide._

 _Think of it as your drive from your youth, only this time you don't have to worry about holding back and hurting anyone important or otherwise undeserving of death._

 _With high expectation, Amaterasu_

Shin'en had stopped reading after 'Hokage,' because he looked up with a twitching eyebrow at the Monument, and saw that next to Minato's face was Tsunade's. Which meant that other than everything being so wrong, everything was also right. Right as in Kushina and Minato were dead and that Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage.

As for what he thought of this dimension…well, they say curiosity killed the cat, but Shin'en had to make sure of one thing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en stood above Naruto's apartment. Before Pain's assault. He was an interesting shade of green, and Ryuk was busy throwing up ecto plasm behind him. The reason for both men to be sick? Well…

"Oh, harder Hinata, harder!"

"As you wish!"

"Ohhhh!"

"Hey, careful Hinata, don't break him! I want a go at that ass, too!"

"Shut it, Ino-pig! I'm next because he's known me longer than you!"

"Oh yeah, Billboard Brow?"

"Will both of you shut up, already? It's annoying."

"You shut up, Kin!"

"Hey, Kin, how about I play my flute and get them all in a genjutsu, eh? Instant orgy while we wait for Hinata to get down?"

"Here…I…cum! Ah!"

"Uh, it's so warm…"

"Oh my, God!" Shin'en shrieked, his voice jumping a few octaves, repulsed beyond measure.

He promptly broke through the roof with a crash, and his sword was out and doing its do. Head rolled and blood splattered all over the apartment. In less than a full second after his impact on the carpet, all present kunoichi and one insult of a Jinchuuriki were dead.

Of course, now with Naruto dead, the chakra that powered his Eight Signs Seal was gone, and since this was before Pain's attack, the Seal was in its 'cracked' state, meaning that the Nine-Tails could let loose its chakra to empower Naruto when he needed it. However, with the Seal's function no longer active, there was nothing keeping the Nine-Tails in…and he let the world know that.

In an explosion of red chakra that came from the corpse's belly, the mighty Tailed-Beast took form in the broad daylight, right in the middle of the village.

" **FREE AT LAST!"**

As far as Shin'en was concerned, that was all that was needed for the Leaf Village, a sentiment only strengthened when the first Tailed-Beast Bomb erased the Hokage Monument and the Hokage Tower in a single explosion. The sentiment only got stronger when there was this giant poof of smoke, and Gamabunta appeared in the sky, blade pointed down for a piercing attack, and the Nine-Tails reacted by intercepting the giant toad midair, and hurled him clear across the Village, over the walls, sailing over the forest, before crashing into a mountain so far away the impact of the several hundred ton amphibian wasn't even felt.

Saying Kurama was pissed would be simplifying the matter.

"So, since he's busy…what are we going to do?"

"Blow up the planet."

"Whoa, you have the kind of power?"

"When I'm using Izanagi to heal my body to full strength, restoring my chakra coils to perfection…yes."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho, this'll be the most fun I've had in decades!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en, under the power of Izanagi, was standing on a paper-thin disc of water at about 20,000 feet in the air. With his body restored like it was, he could feel just how much more powerful he had become since this… _reclamation_ campaign started. Without even weaving the necessary Hand Seals, Shin'en wordlessly created a cumulonimbus cloud using the Gale Style: Gale Dragon technique.

With the roiling mass of chakra-laden storm clouds beneath him, Shin'en once more molded his chakra, created twelve Shadow Clones, all of them standing on their own discs of water. The clasped their hands out in front of them, their chakra molding as the storm picked up in intensity.

The Clones spread their hands, and arcs of chakra began to travel down in between the length. Shin'en's hand began to spark with Lightning chakra. The chakra between the Clones could no longer be contained, and the tendrils spread forward in front of them, before, like a lighter to helium, the chakra exploded into the chakra cloud. Twelve beams of pure Gale chakra straight down for the Earth. At the same time, Shin'en released the Lightning chakra pent-up in his hand into the cloud in tandem with the Reflex Cannons, and all his chakra, an extension of his will and therefore able to be controlled by him, was given shape.

On the other side of the chakra cloud, a beast like Kirin roared towards the ground, only this Kirin was made of white energy, and where it had red eyes and black sclera, it had only black voids. This Combination Ninjutsu struck the crust, and kept going unopposed down into the mantle before it reached the planet's Inner Core, and detonated.

The third planet from the sun exploded in a blasé of rock, fire, and light.

Such was the devastating power of Heavenly Reflex Kirin, a mixing of Gale Styles: Heaven's Laser and Reflex Cannon, and Kirin.

Such was the devastating power of the Abyss.

Shin'en's arm burned as the number there increased exponentially, going from over eight billion, to over ten billion. It seemed that, for all the populace on this side of the planet, there wasn't much left on the opposite hemisphere. After he was done in his own dimension, Shin'en might just go exploring, find out all that he just wiped out.

"All those people," Ryuk said. "All those innocent men, women, and children who hadn't done a thing to you, or even thought about being shinobi, and you just wiped em' all out. How does that make you feel, knowing about all the unneeded blood you just shed?"

Shin'en looked at Ryuk with eyebrows raised.

"Unneeded?" he said. "Unneeded is a false description for what has been done here. I am on a mission to reclaim my full power, and to do that I must complete six more interdimensional mission of otherwise Shinto origin. To that end, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done as fast as possible, so if that means destroying an entire planet as opposed to meticulously killing every kunoichi on the planet, then so be it. If it's required that I slaughter an entire army's worth of toddler and babies, then so be it. When it comes to what I want, there is no line I won't cross, no obstacle I won't remove, and nothing I won't do. I have no limitations."

"Heh, so if you were offered right now your full power back, at the cost of being my bitch for a night, slurping all over my dick and taking it up the ass, you would do it?"

"Yes," Shin'en answered instantly. "And when my power is back, I would peel your teeth out of your jaws, flay the skin from your body until only muscle remained, and then I would pour salt and lemon juice upon your wounds. I would then let you lay there in agony for three days, before returning with a power drill. I would then proceed to drill holes into you, holes that I would use a needle and thread to sew through. After I am done sewing, your body would then be stitched into a pose I find most fitting. To finish off, I would start cutting off small chunks of your flesh, starting at the feet and working my way up until you are dead. What I will then do with your body parts is sell them on the black market and make a little money for my troubles."

Ryuk was paler than a sheet after hearing that.

A chunk of continent went floating past them and into deep space.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Dimensional Hall_

"Right, so after those first three Shinto realms, you had to go to one of yours?" Shin'en nodded stiffly, his eyes darkened. Ryuk fought down a cackle. "Yes, well, the Fates have need of your services in a certain crossover, one between a dimension of yours, and a dimension of mine."

"Which dimension?"

"The _Claymore_ dimension."

A brow was raised. "This should be interesting."

Amaterasu snapped her fingers, and suddenly Shin'en was standing in a cul-de-sac room. A room with many doors, and many plaques.

 _Green-Eyed Ghoul_

 _Son of Jashin_

 _Roanapur's Sea Devil_

 _Assassin's Creed: Transcendence_

 _Xenomorphic_

 _Twins of the Pit_

 _Wires_

 _Evangelion: A Demigod Pilot_

 _The Underworld Syndicate_

 _Son of Saturn_

 _Third Espada_

 _Hellsing's Demigod_

 _Heir to the Dark Side_

 _The Second Triumvirate_

 _Wheelchair-Bound_

 _Phantom Troupe's Destroyer_

 _Backup Plan: Unseparated_

 _Leviathan, Ziz, and Behemoth_

 _Return of Kira_

 _Third Son of Sparda_

 _Chaos War_

 _Leviathan_

Shin'en read all these plaques, and he remembered most. "I have been here before. _Xenomorphic_. Asteria. These are all other dimension of me, dimensions that have bled through into others."

"Mostly," Amaterasu said.

"There are more than there was last time."

"Yes, humans are fickle like that; coming up with _more_ as time progresses."

Shin'en's eyes lingered on the door with the plaque that read:

 _Chaos War_

"Which one is that?"

Amaterasu looked at the door, and her fiery eyes narrowed. "One that is…under construction. It is still developing."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"…it is a melting pot of these dimensions, all of them, and more. The time will come for that door to be open, but not yet. When it does open, the Multiverse will know a crisis that it hasn't seen since the awakening of Kami Tenchi."

"Scary," Shin'en deadpanned. "What do I have to fix here?"

The door to _Leviathan_ swung open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **You can consider next chapter fanservice, since I know all of you have been**_ _ **dying**_ _ **for Shin'en and the Leviathan to fight.**_

 _ **If you can't guess, that cul-de-sac room is what I like to think of as my own personal space within the Multiverse. Chapter 28 was its first appearance, and this is its resurgence. If you compare then and now, you'll notice additions. Feel free to guess what's happening in each one.**_

 **Chaos War** _ **is my ultimate project, one which all of my Percys come together in a single broken PJO dimension, and they have to fix it together. It would be like the super Reading Of fic, filled with reactions and shattered perceptions out the ass, as well as subjects of controversy, giving the extreme dynamics and character conflicts between each Percy. Anyway,**_ **Chaos War** _ **won't be out for a long time…maybe.**_

 _ **So, at full power, Shin'en is capable of planet-busting techniques that drain about %15 of his chakra, meaning that he could destroy six planets and still have enough to chakra to go a few rounds with Kakashi and Guy. Argue that all you want, but that is the standing of Shin'en's power.**_

 _ **Which is what's going to make next chapter so much fun for everyone.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	71. The Abyss and the Leviathan

_The Abyss and the Leviathan_

 _ **It's been a long time coming, and fans have been dreaming about since the idea's inception, but here it is: Shin'en vs. Perseus!**_

 _ **The Slayer of Yagura vs. the Slayer of Priscilla!**_

 _ **The Ghost vs. the First Number One!**_

 _ **The Abyss vs. the Leviathan.**_

 _ **Now, remember that the Multiverse is a realm of infinite possibilities, and I have an infinite playground at my disposal. Anything that I want to go wrong, can and will go wrong. Knowing this, the world of**_ **Leviathan** _ **can be screwed six ways to Sunday. However, we all know that this is just going to be a glorified beat down between Goku and Black Goku.**_

 _ **I'll let you figure out who's who.**_

 _ **I was once asked what the power scaling between all my Percys was, and I said:**_

 _ **Leviathan**_

 _ **Shin'en**_

 _ **Tobi (SoJ Percy)**_

 _ **Asteria**_

 _ **Kraken**_

 _ **Then it gets iffy with Transcendent Percy because he has God.**_

 _ **Anyway, let's see if it's believable that Shin'en can beat Leviathan.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Holy shit," Ryuk said. "You're a fuck-mothering god here, and you've killed a lot of people to get that title, and you deserve being called such. Damn."

"Ryuk, he's killed fewer than a hundred thousand people. I've killed over eight billion. If your basis on being called a god is kill-count, then I'm the god here, and he's the peasant."

Ryuk just grinned.

Shin'en looked at the clear blue sky. "Amaterasu, what is wrong here?"

' _The Organization created Teresa using the flesh of a different Asarakam than the one they used to create Perseus. Therefore, the moment they first locked eyes, Perseus lost control and attacked. He slaughtered the gathered Claymores at Rockwell Hill, and, with her current level of power, Teresa was barely a match for him. He killed her, and absorbed her Yoki. Without Teresa, Priscilla, made from that same Asarakam, would eventually become the Number 1, and would also fall to the Leviathan. Along with Irene, Noel, and Sophia. Perseus then launched his war too early for Hera's plan to work, and the corresponding_ Percy Jackson _dimension fell into ruin._

"The universe that I was born in is named after me?"

' _Yes. Anyway, I've managed to send you here to a point that's after Perseus' battle with Priscilla, but before he starts his war. Actually, he's on his way to rally the troops as we speak, coming down this road. Your mission is to kill him. The Twin Goddesses will take care of it from there…no pressure.'_

"Indeed."

"Ohhhh, this is going to be great!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't take long for a child in a white cloak to crest the hill, and said child froze when he saw the figure in the black cloak with the high collar. The low brim of the straw hat shrouded all of the figure's face but his nose. The child's hood pushed his black-tipped hair across his face, leaving only his mouth and some of his own nose visible.

The child made an O with his mouth. "Wooooow! You have a Yoki aura almost as big as Rigaldo's, but you feel a lot stronger than he does! Are you suppressing your aura? Are you something the Organization made to kill me?"

"You're halfway correct. I'm not from the Organization, but I am here to kill you."

"Good luck~!" Perseus sang cheerfully. Then he leapt up, and the bottom of his cloak was cut off. _'Huh? But he hasn't moved from where he's standing…illusion, maybe? Or just really fast? No, he's not fast enough to where I couldn't track him. This guy's fun!'_

' _I have a Yoki aura, he said. I suppose that answers what Satori's power is, because it for sure wasn't chakra. Now that begs the question of what Satori itself is. Legend says it's a demonic spirit, a youkai, from before Hagoromo, but if its power is Yoki, then that means it's either somehow from this world, an Awakened Being that somehow crossed dimensions, or all youkai possess Yoki aura…which begs the question of just what in the hell the Asarakam is. Eh, theories and questions later; fight now.'_

In the air, unable to alter course or trajectory, Shin'en calmly made his sword elongate towards the Leviathan at nothing short of Mach 1. With a loud boom, the blade was zooming up. To the Abyss' annoyance, the little menace was able to twist out of the way, but his cloak did get nicked by the sword, so small victories.

Gravity took hold, and the child came falling down. Shin'en jerked his sword to the side, but the Leviathan caught it between his fingers and locked his body out, making it to where the sword pushed him to the side. Shin'en retracted the blade, and the speed with which it shrunk acted like a speeding rope to the Leviathan's hands, sheering layers of tissue off his little fingers.

The child landed deftly, everything beneath his knees visible. He was staring at his hands in awe.

"Wooooow…I can't remember the last time I saw my own blood-whoa!"

He ducked as a sword from nowhere almost took his head off, and then he began flitting about as an invisible blade continued to slash at him. Compared to some Claymores, the slashes were only decently fast, but it was enough for Perseus to realize that whatever he was dealing with clearly had some skill and power.

Skill and power that was being well suppressed, because Perseus could only sense a level of Yoki rivalling Rigaldo's, but it wasn't even being tapped into, which meant that when this guy finally used his Yoki in conjunction with his current level of ability, things were going to get fun!

Speaking of this guy, he still hadn't moved from his spot.

Perseus got curious and instead of jumping out of the way of this next invisible attack, he just angled his body out of the way and struck. He hit something solid, and suddenly he was splashed with water…water that surged for his head, most likely in an attempt to drown him.

Which was hilarious because Perseus didn't need to breath, just like every other Yoma and Awakened Being. Their blood was purple for a reason.

Anyway, Perseus didn't feel like seeing where this was heading, and instead went for the proverbial jugular. Moving with speed beyond the surging water, he made for the cloaked man, and went for the literal jugular; with his teeth. The Leviathan's teeth clamped around flesh, and then his mouth was filled with water.

Shin'en's plan worked perfectly.

This alternate version of himself could sense Yoki auras, that much was obvious and not at all a secret, and because he could sense a Yoki aura inside him (Shin'en), that meant that Satori had Yoki…somehow. However, it was clear that when making Clones, this supposed Yoki was not dispersed among them like chakra was.

With this in mind, the Abyss made several Water Clones using the atmospheric water droplets in the air and the correct ratio of chakra. Then he performed his genjutsu and made them invisible, and subsequently placed them in certain positions with the idea being a swift sneak attack to end this, but the ultimate goal was to get the Leviathan to attack him directly, which he just did.

From there, it was a simple liquefication to nullify all physical damage, and, with the child this close, a simple swing of the sword. Partially solidifying himself, Shin'en caught the Leviathan with his throat, and slashed upward, slicing the little heathen in half at the heart. The two slabs of body fell to the ground in a heap of purple blood.

Ryuk frowned. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

"I was not in the mood for something akin to a fair fight."

Shin'en spun around with a swish of his cloak. He didn't get three steps in before he heard twitching behind him, and felt the water become tripped and disturbed. The Leviathan was literally pulling himself back together.

Regeneration and healing factor, even after the heart was severely damaged. Shin'en wasn't surprised, just vexed.

"Well, now that's just annoying."

The child bounded to his feet, now completely naked on account of his cloak being cut to ribbons. Instead of a look of anger or anything hostile, Perseus was all grins and smiles.

"That was cool, mister! I haven't been surprised like that in years! What else can you do? Or is that it? Because if that's it, and that was your whole plan to kill me, then I'm going to kill you now!"

' _If he can regenerate after being cut in half at the heart, then it stands to reason that he'll be able to reattach and/or regrow limbs with ease, even his entire head. If that's the case, then there's no point in wasting time with strategies and experiments. Ninjutsu won't work on him because he's too fast, kenjutsu won't work on him because any cuts will be healed, genjutsu won't work because there's no chakra or Mist here for me to use; if I had the time, I might've been able to experiment with Satori's Yoki and my Sharingan to create a new genjutsu formula. Knowing all this, and knowing just how powerful this alternate me is, there's only one way to go about this…'_

Shin'en calmly dropped his hat, and unbuttoned his cloak, revealing his face to his counterpart.

"Whoooooaaaa~. You look like me, mister. Are you a fan? Because if you are, that'd be awesome!"

"No, I am not a fan. If anything, I'm one of a short list of people that can kill you, and I've been sent to do just that."

"Oh? Who sent you?"

"A couple of gods."

Perseus snorted. "You religious nuts always make me laugh, with your stupid ideas about gods and higher powers."

"Oh, how much you'd be surprised. A-hem, anyway."

Shin'en unrolled the bandaged on his right arm, revealing the discolored monstrosity hidden underneath. Two of the eleven red eyes were closed, leaving nine still open. That was 108 minutes of full power, which meant completely unrestricted access to all his chakra, all his physical prowess, and all his might without fear or worry of a heart attack or extreme pain.

"Ooh, that looks fun."

"Let's just say that unless you want your ass handed to you immediately, and you receive so much damage you can't recover from it, you'll go all out starting now. I don't intend to hold back against someone like you."

"Noted," Perseus chirped happily.

Wordlessly, Shin'en activated Izanagi just as Perseus let his Yoki flow. In two tremendous explosions of power, the surrounding area for 30 square miles was reduced to a field of ash and glass. Anyone within this radius was atomized.

Standing where Perseus had been was a great, humanoid beast that was four meters tall, packed with lean muscle, and covered in black plates or shiny armor. Sea urchin-like spikes rose from his head, and all were angled backward. Crab leg-like appendages stuck out from the shoulders, six each, and there were protrusions on the knees and elbows, and twelve on the back, six on each side of the spine. Around the waist were seven long spikes that got longer as they moved to the middle, with the seventh and final spike almost touching the ground. In between each spike was dark purple webbing.

Surrounding the Awakened Form of the Leviathan was a twister of calmly raging sea-green Yoki the same color as his iris/pupiless eyes.

There wasn't much different about Shin'en compared to Perseus. His cloak had been shredded in the chakra blast, leaving him in just his blue pants and sandals, white sash with pouches on the back, and white leg warmers. His skin was pure red, his eyes were pure red, and his hair floated around him. His body was almost emaciated due to all his fat being burned away, but this left his body highly sculpted, causing muscle to be the only thing visible. Around him and surrounding him was a black, mist-like aura, and around his body as a whole was a layer of crackling, emerald lightning.

"If this form were to have a name, it would be Eight Inner Gates Formation: Body-Activated-Lightning-Armored Mode…but that's a mouthful. We'll just call it Alpha Mode."

The Leviathan cracked a lopsided grin, revealing his Angler Fish teeth. **"I look forward to this with more anticipation than you can possibly imagine. Finally, I've found a suitable creature to battle! Here's to the fun not ending too quickly!"**

In spite of himself, Shin'en grinned right back. "It's not often I get to cut loose like this…I'm going to enjoy this more than I should."

Then, with all the effort us normal people used to walk, these two _gods_ clashed, moving from their respective positions with such great force that massive hunks of earth were displaced from the backlash. They met, and a sound like the detonation of an atomic bomb rang across the Continent as the land was split asunder.

The sun had been blotted out by a sheet of black clouds long ago as the inherent powers of the Stormbringer found in both mighty sons of Poseidon responded well to their respective outputs of power. In addition to the foreboding skies, the weather soon began to rage out of control in tandem with trembling tectonic plates, the power of the Earthshaker rearing its head.

Despite being much taller than his foe, the Leviathan found himself being held at bay, their fists kissing knuckles. More than that, the armor on his fingers, armor enforced by Asarakam/demigod Yoki aura, armor enforced by the Yoki of so many Number 1 Claymores, so many lower ranked ones, and the Yoki of those upstarts Teresa and Priscilla, _that_ amor…

…had been **cracked**.

In this one single instance, this lookalike of his had done more damage in microseconds than all three Abyssal Ones had done in a century.

Oh, yes. A most enjoyable battle this would be indeed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **So, this is short. This also the result of about five hours of work, and my own volition. This chapter is short for two main reasons:**_

 _ **One, it's been too many days since the last update, and I don't like long breaks between the action.**_

 _ **Two, I'm going to milk the shit outta this mini arc. LET THE HYPE TRAIN ROLL, BITCHES!**_

 _ **I'm talking explosions, super punches, ultra speed, craters, death, mass destruction, instances of overwhelming power, god-like feats of strength and impossibility, power scaling—**_

 _ **Speaking of.**_

 _ **Currently, the Leviathan in which Shin'en battles only has the added Yoki of Priscilla, Teresa, and a whole bunch of former Number 1 Claymores, heaping helpings of not-Number 1 Claymores, Yoma, and the odd Awakened Being, but**_ _ **not**_ _ **any added divine powers, such as chronokinesis from Kronos, anti-magic from Clytius, and extreme geokinesis and other divine abilities from Gaea. He also doesn't know how to merge his internal energies with his Yoki to create a more powerful form.**_

 _ **So no planet-busting here.**_

 _ **However, in Shin'en's corner, he has the Eight Gates, the Lightning Armor, the Body Activation Jutsu from his Dark Chakra, and, if he gets worked up enough, Awakening. And it's already been shown that this level of power—just using the**_ _ **Izanagi**_ _ **—is capable of blowing up planets. Granted, this planet-busting required four individual jutsu to be active at once in order to be of proper magnitude, unlike in DBZ where Goku only has to sneeze to blow up a galaxy.**_

 _ **Bottom line: who's more powerful?**_

 _ **Teresa/Priscilla/Claymores/Yoma/Awakened Beings Leviathan?**_

 _ **Or Eight Gates/Body Activation/Lightning Armor/**_ _ **Izanagi**_ _ **/Possible Awakening Shin'en?**_

 _ **In the words of the Outsider from**_ _ **Dishonored**_ _ **: "I expect a good show."**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_

 _ **P.S. feel free to add any musical number of your choosing to this and coming chapters, for it may provide a more epic experience.**_


	72. The Abyss and the Leviathan: Finale

_The Abyss and the Leviathan: Finale_

 _ **We're back with more beatdown! More explosions! More carnage! More landscape altering strength! More sound barrier breaking speed!**_

 _ **More OP-ness!**_

 _ **Whew, anyway. Lots of people asking/wondering/wanting Shin'en to absorb Leviathan's Yoki…no. That is not going to happen. Ever. That would create levels of so much power it would be unmanageable without deus ex machina.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite all that was happening, Shin'en couldn't help but find some humor and some irony in this situation. Here he was, doing the polar opposite of a shinobi, engaging in direct confrontation with the target. Here he was, doing the polar opposite of what he hated; this was basically a middle finger to the Shinobi Way. And yet…he felt off.

Like what he was doing wasn't right.

Kind of like how someone felt when they shoplifted for the first time; that queasy feeling of knowing what you were doing was wrong but you were doing it anyway.

He supposed it had something to do with all the subterfuge he had partaken in, in recent years, along with his illusion style of fighting, clashing horribly with this brutal beatdown against the Leviathan. However, he had done the same with Atlas, and he hadn't had this feeling. Perhaps it was because with Atlas he had been hellbent on revenge.

Really, he should've just blown this rock to kingdom come and moved on, yet something compelled him to delve into a fistfight with a veritable god…one that actually had some power. Perhaps it was some drive to rise above this counterpart, some primal engine to dominate another powerful man and cement himself as the alpha among the multiverse…

…there was something wrong with that line of thinking.

Anyway, Shin'en supposed the counter to his planet-busting plan was the slim chance that the Leviathan might have survived, and there would've been many problems following that. So, logically, he was justified in his battle with his counterpart. Best to kill him with his own bare hands and make sure the job is done.

Although, with the amount of punishment the Leviathan had already taken, Shin'en was about to just go ahead and blast this entire planet to hell.

The Number 1's bulk inhibited his reaction to Shin'en's greater agility, and was therefore on the receiving end of many hits. Not that they did much damage, all things considered, what with his regeneration. It was terribly annoying, truth be told.

The continent was in ruins, but that was a given when gods battled on the mortal plane. Lava spilled from many cracks, the winds howled and raged, the lightning and the thunder danced in synch, and the earth trembled and shook. It probably wouldn't be long now before the planet collapsed in on itself.

All this due to some shockwaves and a couple of demigods.

Their battle had taken them across the entire landmass, including Staff, Alfons, Mucha, Lautrec, and Toulouse. There were skirmishes with the Awakened Army, skirmishes that were basically Shin'en becoming Saitama and blowing apart Awakened Beings with a single blow. Not even the Abyssal Ones were spared from the shinobi's might.

Speaking of might…Shin'en had made a startling realization.

In the not-too distant future of an alternate timeline, Might Guy would use all eight of the Gates to battle Six-Paths Madara, and would almost come out on top. Shin'en was currently using all Eight Gates to battle the Leviathan, but beyond even that, he had Dark Chakra and the Raikage's Lightning Armor. Might Guy did not have Dark Chakra, and he did not have the Lightning Armor. Essentially, the realization was simple:

In Alpha Mode, Shin'en was stronger than Six-Paths Madara. On a side note, that also meant that the Leviathan, even this younger and less powerful incarnation, was also stronger than the Uchiha.

Let that sink in.

…

Done letting it sink? Good.

Another thing was the Izanagi. Shin'en's usage of the technique lasted twelve minutes. Since this battle started, and all things that had happened since the first punch, only five minutes had gone by. Just five minutes since this planet started experiencing catastrophe, since the Awakened Army was devastated, and the population of this continent was reduced to fewer than 50.

And that's not counting the weather about the rest of the planet.

The growing death toll was massive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With yet another punch to the face that made him go hypersonic despite his weight, the Leviathan turned another mountain into rubble. If he had to give a ratio for how many hits he took compared to how many hits he delivered, he figured it would something like 100:1.

This damn person was good.

And yet, despite being on the technical losing side of this fight, the Leviathan _had never had this much_ _ **fun!**_

Still, current events were not good. His army was gone, the Claymores were probably gone, Staff was history, which meant that his war could not start. The mainland was probably looking just like this continent, which meant that any life on this rock was dead or dying. All in all, it seemed like any opportunity left was gone for this world.

And the person responsible was one the Leviathan was having just a wee bit trouble beating.

He needed more power, more speed, more reflex, more agility, everything…well, his durability was higher than it ever had been, so there was that. It was all thanks to this challenger, for he had, in one instance, entered a level of speed so great that even the Leviathan could not wholly follow, and as such, all he could do was defend against an onslaught of a thousand punches every second on every square foot of his body.

The strength behind the blows was enough to crack his armor, splinter his bones, and shred his muscles. But, for all the damage he took, he healed just as fast, and for anyone who knew that bare basics of bodily regeneration, in that what was broken was mended back stronger than before, that meant the Leviathan now had a _seriously_ strong body.

Stronger than what he would have ever achieved through combat with lesser opponents, that was for sure. However, durability was not helping him win, so much as it was helping him simply stay in the game. Simply put, the Leviathan needed _more_.

More, more, more, moremoremoremore _moremoremoremore_ _ **MORE!**_

And he found it.

In the distant future of another life, he would find himself being outmatched the Primordial Tartarus, and so he would look inside himself and find the chronokinetic powers he stole from Kronos. He would then proceed to combine his Yoki with this Titanly orb of energy, and enter a new form with the power capable of outmatching the God of the Pit.

However, in this current timeline, the Leviathan did not have chronokinesis. Instead, all he had was his hydrokinesis, and it was _much_ bigger than the power taken from Kronos. The comparison, several moons ago in the year of 2016, was that the chronokinetic orb was the size of the moon, the hydrokinetic orb was the size of the sun, and the Yoki orb was the size of VY Canis Majoris, and the combining of the moon and the hypergiant resulted in Primordial-level strength.

Here, the Leviathan combined his hydrokinesis and his Yoki.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From space, any observer would have seen a blinding light of green swarm up from the surface of the planet, a light as big as the entire western hemisphere. The explosion of power was actually so great, that it knocked the Earth almost twenty feet out of orbit, before the Sun's gravitational pull steadily yanked it back in place.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en had a look of annoyed irritation on his face as his counterpart took a page from the oldest book, and pulled a sudden power-up. Perhaps it wouldn't have so much of a problem, except for the fact that the Leviathan was now just several counts higher on the power scale. His appearance hadn't changed, only the tips of his spikes and claws, as well as the small chinks in his armor, all glowed with sea-green energy.

"Well if that's the move you want to make, I'll raise."

Then, just like his counterpart, Shin'en pulled a cliché power-up.

He had discovered the secret to Awakening, to activating Demigod Mode, and it wasn't hard, just emotionally painful. See, every time he had Awakened it had been due to great emotional stress; his orphan brothers and sisters being killed in front of him, Yūrei's heads being mounted on pikes for public display, and then learning that the reason for their deaths had been his own mouth and the Third Raikage's machinations. Simply put, to enter Demigod Mode, all he had to do was relive those moments.

And relive them he did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once more, there was a hemisphere-sized eruption of energy from the planet's surface, only this one was dark emerald, in contrast to the previous one of sea green. Once more, like the previous burst of power, the planet was knocked out of orbit, but was pulled back into place. Only, instead of twenty feet, this eruption pushed the Earth out twenty- _three_ feet.

Just a tad bit more than what the Leviathan accomplished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the worlds in which they existed, the 'gods' were less than stellar beings. In fact, you could even call them pathetic, insulting, atrocious, horrendous depictions of what a god should be. Therefore, based on that logic, calling the Leviathan and the Abyss _gods_ was almost an insult.

Almost.

With the level of power these two now had, power beyond Tartarus, power beyond Madara, _god_ had never been more fitting.

The Leviathan, with the combined Yoki of Teresa and Priscilla added to his own, along with the Yoki of over a hundred Claymores of all ranks, and all of this Yoki combined with his divine hydrokinesis, was at a level of strength _vastly_ eclipsing that of the incarnation that defeated Tartarus. This was a level of power rivalling the incarnation that had soundly beaten Gaea.

Perhaps a small scaling was in order:

Chrono-Leviathan was more than Tartarus could handle. Hydrono-Leviathan, the form that was Yoki, hydrokinesis, and chronokinesis combined, was more than Gaea could handle. Hydro-Leviathan…was somewhere in the middle. More powerful than Chrono-Leviathan, yet not as strong as Hydrono-Leviathan.

In the other corner, was the Abyss. Through the Izanagi, he had combined the Body-Activation Jutsu granted through Dark Chakra with the Hidden Cloud's sacred Lightning Armor jutsu, the Eight-Inner Gates Formation, and his fully healed body, which, through Satori, the Power of the White Snake, the Zero-Tails, and the Three-Heads, created levels of physical and mental energy that _tripled_ his normal chakra levels. Then, on top of all this was a power that, on its own, rivalled all of the aforementioned things by itself:

Awakening.

The Abyss' divine power brought out to its fullest and mixed in perfectly with his God-given chakra to create a level of power that surpassed even that of the fabled Sage of Six-Paths. If this current form were to have a name like its precursor, Alpha Mode, then this current standing, this Awakening _and_ Alpha Mode, would be simple:

Omega Mode.

However, amidst all of this, Shin'en still had a glaring advantage over his counterpart, and that came in the form of the reality altering jutsu dubbed Izanagi, after the Shinto patriarch. It was a genjutsu that twisted the caster's personal space and time, giving complete authority over themselves, and, to a limited degree, the area around them. The Uchiha used this technique to cheat death, Danzo used this technique to falsify any injury (which cheated death), and Shin'en used it to restore his body.

But these were all limited uses, and it was something Shin'en only just now realized.

The uses of Izanagi were _infinite_. Well, they were infinite in the same sense that the Multiverse was infinite. The Multiverse was infinite in that it had a constant stream of ideas and decisions flooding into it that constantly created more and more dimensions. However, when mankind ran out of things to think of and all originality dried out, the Multiverse would stop. In that sense, the  Izanagi was infinite until its user ran out of ideas to alter their reality with.

"You once said there was no such thing as gods…still believe that?"

" **HA! With how powerful the two of us are, I think I'm beginning to convert. I think I'll call this new religion 'Leviathanism.' But you know how it is with religions: there is only one true god, and what I see before me is a rival to my throne."**

"And there's the difference between us. You think I'm here to rival you; I'm just here to kill you."

" **If you could have killed me, you would have already done so."**

The Abyss smirked without any humor on his face. "Before we begin, I just want you to know that I can end this any time I want to."

" **Ooh, then I guess I better finish this quickly before that whim of yours disappears."**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And with that, they were off across the surface of the planet. The sonic shockwave followed about three whole seconds later, and the kinetic backlash left a crater in the ground the size of Rhode Island.

Just like when his future self fought Tartarus, the Leviathan and the Abyss streaked across the Earth with such tremendous speed that their auras became like the tails of comets and crisscrossed about the planet in an intricate tapestry of sea green and emerald light. When they clashed, the energy release was that of nuclear detonations.

Across the planet at disturbingly high intervals, bright flashes rattled the planet, and each one brought with it a visible wave of expanding energy that carried far and wide. These bursts split apart the clouds and sent tons of rock into the air.

These two gods were unravelling Earth at the seams.

Then, in one massive flash of dual-colored green, the planet _splintered_. Tectonic mass and the molten blood of Earth spilled into the vacuum. Amongst the several trillion tons of rock and other stuff, the gods were there, continuing their battle.

Shin'en created a hundred Shadow Clones in an instant, and all of them were in single file, with twenty feet of space between them. They were all soon shrouded by the ethereal armor of the Susano'o. The Leviathan speared through all hundred in less than a second, and was met with a punch to the face hat sent him through a chunk of earth roughly the size of Manhattan, and the Leviathan responded by digging his claws into nearby rocks the size of the Twin Towers, and throwing them like they weighed nothing.

Considering they were still caught in the planet's gravitational field, they still weighed a considerable amount.

Shin'en swiped his arm, and the transcendental wave that erupted from him reduced the incoming projectiles to dust, and sent that dust hurling through deep space. The Leviathan appeared, a raging force of light and power. The Ghost of the Hidden Mist dodged by a hair, and slammed his foot in the massive chest of his massive opponent, and sent him shooting into the wave of magma.

Not that it did anything besides send him straight through to the core.

The _liquid_ core.

The heat of the molten rock didn't mean a damn thing to the First Number 1, and the resistance of said rock meant even less. No, what happened in mere _seconds_ was that Shin'en struck the Leviathan with such force that he sent the beast through the bleeding Earth and all through to the other side of the quickly dying rock.

The momentum carried him through almost into the opposite stratosphere, and he would've kept going if he didn't snap his wings out and halt himself.

Well, the fist fight had been wholly enjoyable, but it resulted in the death of the planet—his planet—and while he didn't need oxygen, making the vacuum of space a nonfactor to his survival, the next nearest planet wasn't exactly down the road. Oh well, problems for later and it was time to end this. Now, just how to do that…

The Leviathan grinned.

What epic battle didn't end in a struggle of giant lasers?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, in the new asteroid field, Shin'en sensed the build-up of energy several thousand miles away, and frowned. He was not in the mood for a beam struggle, but he had the bright idea to kick his opponent clear to the other side of the rock. Bit far for a Substitution, and rather far for a hike.

Beam struggle it was then, but there wasn't enough time to set up a Heavenly Reflex Kirin, nor a Heaven's Laser, so Shin'en went with the next best thing.

"Gale Style: Reflex Cannon."

The chakra laser exploded out like a star from the Abyss' outstretched hands, and it bulldozed through rocks, flowing magma, the bleeding outer and inner cores, and then it met the energy of the Leviathan. The instant shockwave was enough to erase the rest of the planet, which left only literal mountains of rubble and some quickly freezing planet blood.

Shin'en only had a minute of Izanagi left, and so he invoked its power to simple effect: make him stronger; the results were instant.

His Reflex Cannon practically tripled in size, making its dimeter greater than Mt. Everest, and its magnitude completely overwhelmed the Leviathan's attack, pushing the energy back without resistance, and this caused a pair of sea green eyes to widen considerably.

No, the Leviathan was not atomized by the beam, but he was burned…for all of ten seconds before his regeneration kicked in and the smoldering plates were shed and replaced. And now he was mad, and when he got mad, he did what any being with power did when they got mad and weren't bound by something so trivial and inane as laws: they removed that source of anger with lethal intent.

With a roar not heard since he Awakened, the Leviathan tore through the planet's residue and was at the Abyss in less than three seconds.

Shin'en had less than fifteen seconds left with his Izanagi, and with his opponent now within range, he invoked the ocular jutsu's power for the last time in this instance. For the Leviathan, the greatest thing ever happened to him. A terrible thing, but _great_ nonetheless.

His Yoki, all of it, was suddenly gone, and he instantly reverted back into a human child, one devoid of anything besides basic humanness.

"I told you I could end this any time I wanted to."

With seven seconds left, the Abyss swiped his arm, and with strength increased through the Lightning Armor, the Body Activation Jutsu, the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Izanagi, and Demigod Mode, he reduced the child to a fine _red_ mist. No purple blood, red blood.

Just like that, the Leviathan was ended, Earth was destroyed, and many billions were dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well," Ryuk said when they got back to the dimensional hall, "that was highly entertaining, but that ending didn't make any sense."

"With enough chakra, one can extend the range of Izanagi's effect. All I did was increase the range to a dozen feet, and use its power to turn fantasy into reality. The fantasy in question was simply to remove all his Yoki, and the Izanagi turned it into reality. Without his Yoki, he was nothing compared to me."

"Uh-huh. And how many of those eyes do you have left?"

"Seven."

"Right. So…do you think you're more powerful than he is, at his full power?"

"With the Izanagi, how much power anyone has is pointless. All it takes is to think that I'm stronger than my opponent, and it is so. It's not a fair power, at all, but when it comes to my victory and my goals, nothing will stop me from winning, least of all foul play."

"Spoken like a true shinobi."

Shin'en stopped midstep. Ryuk's eyes gleamed.

…

"If you ever say something like that again, I will throw you into a black hole."

"Sorry, just slipped out. Anyway, do you think you could've beaten him without Izanagi?"

"It was the same principle behind by battle with Acnologia: if I didn't want to fight him, I would've simply had a Shadow Clone or a Water Clone use Kura Okami. The Leviathan could not sense them, and he would have never seen it coming. It would've been simple."

"You fought Acnologia using Satori because you wanted to test its power. What were you testing against the Leviathan?"

"…can a man not simply do something because he wants to do it? Does everything need a deeper explanation?"

"I suppose not, but not having a decent reason for doing something makes it seem inane and kinda removes any depth from the situation."

"You stick to wisecracks an unneeded commentary, and I'll stick to the higher thinking."

"Gentlemen," Amaterasu broke in. "While the destruction of the planet was not necessarily intended, it still got the job done, so thank you, Shin'en. Moving on, would you like to continue, or would you like a break?"

"Continue, please. Only four more dimensions to go."

"As you wish."

In a blur of blacks and whites, the Death God and the Abyss were standing in front of a door whose plaque read:

 _Bleach_

Shin'en raised a brow. "There's a Shinto dimension named after laundry detergent?"

"I do not know myself why it is called thus, and I have not put much though into it."

The black door opened, and all three entered to see the standard inversion of white doors and black everything else. In another blur, the trio were standing in front of a cracked door.

"Right, now for the info dump."

Amaterasu put her hands on Shin'en and Ryuk, and downloaded all the necessary information. When she was done, the hovering Death God in drag was deeply frowning.

"I am insulted," he proclaimed.

"I understand," Shin'en said. "What happened here?"

"Kisuke wasn't able to get his Kido trap in place on time, and the Hogyoku didn't reject him, so the end result is Aizen winning and laying waste to everything that he wanted to."

"Mm, and when are you sending me in?"

"To a nondescript time before the Invasion of Hueco Mundo, when Aizen is plotting by his lonesome inside Las Noches."

"Kill him?"

"At your discretion. Be warned: the Espada and Numeros are present, and they will fight if the alarm is raised."

"Consider me warned. Let's go."

The door opened, and Shin'en and Ryuk entered. Before they vanished in the light, Amaterasu heard Ryuk say this:

"You know, your nickname is the Abyss, and that other guy's nickname was the Abyssal Lord. With that, that technically makes you his bitch."

"And yet I am the one who is still alive."

"Because you cheated."

"Unfortunately, history will not see it that way."

"Ha! As if history would record something so small in the grand scheme of the Multiverse. Just goes to show that everything that happens in this ever-expanding plain of existence is pointless because somewhere else the opposite has already happened and all that you've accomplished is for naught."

"See, Ryuk, saying things like that brings out my inner nihilist, and that's not good."

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me want to find Earth Prime, destroy it, and watch as everything that is, was, and will be is wiped out."

"And what will that accomplish?"

"It'll be the only decision that has any true value, because, as you say, anything we do is undone in an alternate reality. However, if there are no more realities, then there is no more pointlessness to the Multiverse."

Amaterasu could practically feel Ryuk's mad grin as the door shut.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, so the modem in my house went out, and we've without internet for the past week, which is why this took so long to get out. Anyway, next chapter is Shin'en taking on Aizen in a battle of wits and strategy, and I'm thinking we'll give**_ **Evangelion** _ **a visit. Probably something along the lines of Shinji killing Asuka when Gendo activated the Dummy System. Still thinking about that one.**_

 _ **Then, after those two, we'll be moving into the fucked up world of**_ **Xenophobic** _ **, an alternate**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **in which things are terribly wrong.**_

 _ **I got a story to tell, if you don't mind reading.**_

 _ **As I've said before, I have a job. I work retail in a grocery store, at the cash register. Somehow, for many nights now, my pan has been short what it should be, either because there's a system glitch, the person counting can't count—or is stealing—or I can't count change correctly even though the computer tells me how much to give back. Or maybe it's because bills are getting stuck together.**_

 _ **Anyway.**_

 _ **On top of being short, I've also been running into problems, like the screen blanking out, things not scanning correctly, customers not knowing shit, etc., and somehow it's all my fault, and it's making me look bad, terrible, and incompetent, even though I've never run across these things before.**_

 _ **Well, on Sunday, yesterday, ten minutes before my shift ended, one of my bosses was stocking the shelves and I was standing in front of the lane, close to him.**_

 _ **He asks me, "DelayedInspiration, do you think you'll ever amount to anything in your life?"**_

 _ **I said back enthusiastically, "Yes sir."**_

 _ **Then he has the balls to say to my face, "I don't think you will."**_

 _ **All that was coming from errors regarding scanners and money counting. I just brushed him off and laughed, saying, "Oh, you wound me sir!"**_

" _ **Well, I don't want to sugar coat it," was his response.**_

 _ **The point to all this is that when I look at my fics and I see that they all have several hundred Reviews, and those Reviews are saying that they look forward to updates and that I've helped them through hard times by giving them something good to read, all I can think is:**_

 _ **Well, motherfucker, I think I've amounted to something already, so you can suck my ass and lick my dick. In that order. You may talk to a couple hundred people a week, but I talk to several thousand, and you're here stuck as a grocery manager for the rest of your short life, while I've got the ideas for several original books, so after I've got my money and you're still here, I'll drive my fucking Bugatti through the front door and pay for repairs, damages, and insurance.**_

 _ **So thank you, ladies and gentlemen that read my fics. Thank you for the support you've given me in these past two years.**_

 _ **But enough of that. How's the chapter? The fight? The ending? The logic? The next steps? What's good? What's bad? What're you looking forward to the most?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and don't forget to leave your answers in the Reviews!**_


	73. Illusion Masters and Giants

_Illusion Masters and Giants_

 _ **Right, so we have Shin'en fighting Aizen, and the reveal of the**_ _ **Perfect Susano'o**_ _ **to fight the Angels/Eva's.**_

 _ **After that, we're ending the chapter with a preview of what**_ _ **Xenophobic**_ _ **will be like.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, Death Note, Bleach or Evangelion

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Las Noches_

 _Hueco Mundo_

 _Aizen's throne room_

The man himself was lounging in his chair—formerly Barragan's—reveling in his soon-to-be victory. He had the army, he had the plan, he had the brains, he had the power, he had the Shikai, and most importantly, he had the Hogyoku.

Victory was assured.

Aizen blinked when a boy a few years younger than Kurosaki walked out behind a curtain. The scariest part was that Aizen, for all his prowess, could not sense any Spiritual Pressure from the child. Nonetheless, Aizen put on his suave smile, and initiated conversation as he usually did.

"Greetings. I am Aizen Sousuke, ruler of this land. Might I ask whom you are?"

"I am the person who's going to kill you."

Aizen continued to smile. While he could not sense any Pressure at all, this child had been able to sneak into _his_ throne room without being detected by any of the Espada, Numeros, and the other ravel he tolerated. The boy had skills, for sure, and might be of some use during the coming war. However, this notion of 'killing him' would have to be quashed before anything else, and Aizen was the veritable god of quashing.

"I see. To make such a claim, you are either overconfident or ignorant of whom you threaten. Regardless…Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

To anyone watching, nothing happened except for Aizen's brown eyes gaining a gleam to them. To anyone watching, he continued to smirk in his throne, but in reality, he was standing behind the trespasser. Sword drawn, he stabbed forward, aiming for the spine.

He hit nothing but air.

Aizen's ever-calm façade broke for the briefest of instances, especially when the boy before him faded away like a dream. All of a sudden, the former Captain was alone in his throne room, a false image of himself sitting in the chair. And there was an unseen threat hanging about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en couldn't believe how easy this was. Then again, he wasn't engaging in a straight fight. No, he had just gotten done fighting, and he wanted to do something a little more laidback and easy on the body.

Using his vapor illusions, for instance.

As powerful as Aizen was, he was also predictable, and his Shikai was always the first thing he brought out. Wasn't a bad strategy, and Kyoka Suigetsu certainly wasn't a tool to be left on the shelf. It was just that the problem was that Aizen's power worked with Reiatsu, and Reiatsu was an energy that Shin'en didn't have.

He had chakra, and was therefore immune to Aizen's Shikai.

However, even if he wasn't immune, Kyoka Suigetsu only affected the five senses, and Shin'en had this magnificent little sixth sense that let him feel out water all the way down to its molecules, which mean that he could sense not only the water in Aizen's body, but the water in the air that Aizen disturbed with the movements of his body. It was the exact same principle behind his immunity to genjutsu.

On the flipside, where Shin'en could hide himself with all the skill beyond that of an ANBU and could sense his opponent with ease, Aizen could not do the same.

Sousuke was not attuned to chakra, and Shin'en's abilities in stealth were by far superior to that of anything Sousuke had ever come into contact with. Soifon's little ninja club didn't hold a candle to how effective Shin'en was, and as such…

…was it too surprising when the Ghost of the Bloody Mist sliced Aizen vertically in half without a fight?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"NO! After a boring-ass fight like that, we are _not_ just going to up and leave! There are so many more things we can do, and I for one am not leaving until I can show one of those dumbass 'Soul Reapers,' what a real God of Death is like!"

"Well," Shin'en said, eyebrow raised at Ryuk's stance in this, "if that's how you feel about it, I guess I can play at Aizen for a bit."

"HELL YEAH!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaname Tousen knocked on his Lord's door, and calmly waited for the permittance of entrance. It came shortly, and blind man entered and bowed in the presence of his Lord.

"Yes, Kaname?" came the smooth voice of Lord Aizen.

"My Lord, I was hoping you could provide me with some insight on something."

"Of course."

"My Lord…what do you think justice is?"

"Justice…?"

Unbeknownst to Kaname, his 'Lord' was having flashbacks to a universe in which notebooks were more deadly than nuclear weapons.

"Justice, Kaname, is a fickle thing that is subject to many interpretations. Justice is in the eye of the beholder, and is more a thing of philosophy. For example, a murderer being given a life sentence instead of death is justice to many, but to the one who was in relation to the murdered, this could very well be an _in_ justice. Likewise, the one in relation to the murdered killing the murderer themselves can be seen as justice, just as it can be seen as _in_ justice. However, I am dodging your question and I apologize.

"I think justice, in the hands of the falsely powerful, is but a paltry excuse to defend their pathetic actions, their pathetic actions being getting rid of threats to their standing and power. But, in the hands of the truly powerful, such as you and I, justice is what we make of it…justice, Kaname, the only real justice in this world and any world, is decided by the whims of those with _real_ power."

"I see…so what justice is and isn't is determined by the truly powerful. Thank you, my Lord. Your words have reached me, and I will carry them henceforth."

With another bow, Tousen exited the throne room.

…

"How much do you want to bet that guy's sucked Aizen's dick before?"

"Shut up, Ryuk."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the Soul Society, the sky split open in a manner resembling a set of jagged teeth widening, and the inside of this mouth was a swirling void of black and purple. Alarms blared and Soul Reapers armed themselves for battle, all of them rushing to their respective positions in times of crisis such as this.

The Garganta shut, and it appeared nothing had come out of it, which left many a confused black-garbed individual. There was no foreign Spiritual Pressure, no signs of Hollow or Arrancar, nothing. Many were beginning to think it had just been some kind of prank, some illusionary Kido spell, or the enemy was playing games. That was becoming the general thought of all…

…until Zaraki's head went flying off his shoulders.

"Kenny!" screamed Yachiru.

Mayhem ensued as men and women left and right were torn apart by an invisible force, but after about twenty bodies' worth of blood had been spilt, the general shape of some kind of specter was visible. It was a strange one, taller than the average man, spikey, wild hair, the same kind of hair seemingly sprouting from its shoulder, and a lanky, hunched over stature.

It had also had claws that were dripping red.

Realizing that close combat was ineffective, several Soul Reapers began launching Kido spells out of their asses, and the resulting blast cloud from all the explosions obscured much of everything, and all was silent until the screams started up again as bodies were ripped to sunders.

Then a diminutive Captain showed up. "Sit upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

The Bloody Specter was seemingly crushed by the incoming ice dragon, and all was calm yet again, until Toshiro yelped when something grabbed his foot and hurled him all the way back down to the earth. His impact was great enough to cause a cloud of dirt to explode around him. The something dove down after him with enough air displacement to scatter the cloud and create an even bigger crater.

"CAPTAIN!" Rangiku roared.

Then she was speared through the gut on her rapid descent. Coughing blood, she looked into the Bloody Specter's eyes, or where they should've been. "What…wh-what are you…?"

She slipped off her impalement before she got her answer, not that anyone present would ever be able to hear said answer. Still, that did not stop Ryuk from proudly proclaiming with a serrated grin:

"A real fucking Death God!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Dimensional Hall_

"Have fun, gentlemen?"

"A fucking blast!"

"Can't say I did."

Amaterasu nodded at Ryuk's and Shin'en's answers. It was what she expected. "Would you like to continue, or take a break?"

"Continue."

"Then us depart for the tenth dimension."

Blacks and whites blurred together until it all came to a stop in front of a door with a plaque that read:

 _Evangelion (Rebuild)_

"Rebuild?" Shin'en asked. "As opposed to what?"

"Neon Genesis," Amaterasu answered. "But that's a whole other can of worms that doesn't need opening."

The door opened, and the trio entered to see the ever-familiar white on black circular climb that was the interior of a Shinto dimension. Compared to other dimensions, there weren't that many doors here, but there were still several thousand.

All three of them rose at vertigo-inducing speed, and suddenly stopped at a cracked door.

"And the problem here would be…?"

Amaterasu snapped her fingers and downloaded all relevant information. "Yes, during the battle with Bardiel, the Angel that possessed Evangelion Unit-03, piloted by Asuka, Shinji refused to fight it in fear of hurting his friend, so Gendo activates the Dummy System. Usually, the end of the battle simply results in Asuka being injured, yet alive. Here…she died. Which is bad."

"Of course."

"Use every method and technique you have, but do not kill anyone, not anyone important anyway, not even Kaworu."

"…am I to expect the same courtesy?"

"Not at all."

"Mm-hm."

The cracked door opened, and Shin'en and Ryuk disappeared into the light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beyond knowing that his friend was being possessed by an Angel and he was being forced to fight her (and hurt her), Shinji did not know what was going on. He especially did not know what was going on when he heard grinding and mechanical things going on behind him, before some strange contraption was blocking his view and had locked his hands into the controls, but he was aware of moving and the sounds of fighting.

Knowing that he didn't know anything, Shinji was even more panicky and confused when he heard rhythmic, tremendous banging that was progressively getting louder and louder, kind of like a really big something was getting closer.

Briefly, Shinji thought it was another Eva coming to help him out of this mess, but all the comm chatter he was getting said otherwise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

NERV was laying an egg at what they were beholding on their screens.

It was big, bigger than an Eva— _towering_ over an Eva. The mechs clocked in at an average of 120 meters, this thing was looking like it was at least _200_ meters. And it looked _mean_.

It was tengu-like in appearance, with a pointy nose and wild hair. Its lower face was hidden by a smooth plate that ended in a point past the chin, and it reached around to the ears, hiding anything below the nose. The eyes were narrow and slanted, making it perfectly clear that this thing knew it was at the top of the food chain, and it was daring anyone to challenge that. The eyes burned with a strange emerald fire, and those in the command room could practically feel the heat from here. On its forehead was a plate adorned with thirteen horns, and in the middle of this plate was a hexagonal jewel.

Its body was covered in a robe, its legs covered in baggy trousers that were sealed below the knee, and its feet had pointed sandals covering theme. On its shoulders were armored plates, and on its back was…something. Folded wings, maybe? Or deformed arms? Either way, within these unconfirmed appendages appeared to be something eerily reminisce of sheathed katanas.

The entire thing was dark emerald in color.

Perhaps the scariest thing about this whole situation was the fact that this thing's eyes were looking straight at the control room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Eva's themselves heard the approaching monolith, and they abandoned their choking contest in favor of looking. They looked just in time to see a couple of very large hands reach down and grab their heads…before hurling them in opposite directions by a fair thousand feet each.

The Eva's crashed down with crater-inducing force, kicking up a healthy amount of dust and dirt. The mechs didn't stay down for long, and Unit-01, in Berserk Mode, and Unit-03, possessed by Bardiel, both found a common enemy to battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir! Should we do something!?"

"No," Gendo answered, calm as ever. "Let them fight."

Then his private phone began to ring, and he answered it quickly.

" _We're sending Unit-06 down. Whatever this thing is, it presents a threat to Instrumentality, and that cannot stand."_

"Should I have Unit-00 and -02 ready as well?"

" _Yes."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With twin roars, the Eva's charged the Perfect Susano'o, looking very much like children rushing an adult. They reached their mark at the same time, and instinct compelled them both to leap and aim for the head, where they were intercepted by their torsos and slammed together with jarring force, even for their massive bodies.

They crumpled to the ground, both of them highly damaged but alive, as well as the pilots. However, Unit-03's ordeal was not yet finished. It opened its eyes to see a foot the size of its head raised to strike, and so it activated its AT field.

The Perfect Susano'o's foot crashed through the field, through Bardiel's head, and all the way into the ground beneath even that obstacle in a shower of shimmering particles, blood, and debris.

Unit-01 had shut down, the Dummy System having run out of power.

The battle was seemingly over, but many things happened.

First, a spear came soaring down from above, aimed at the emerald monolith's head. It was intercepted with ease, and the difference in size became all the more apparent; where this weapon was a spear in the hands of an Eva, it was little more than tee ball bat in the Susano'o's palm. Second, the fortress that was Tokyo-3 rearranged itself to allow Eva Units-00 and 02 access to the surface; Rei and Mari had entered the fray. Thirdly, Unit-06 gently lighted upon the Earth. Fourthly, and finally, within Unit-01, Shinji was experiencing a sense of fury he didn't know he was capable of feeling.

In his mind, he had just watched this emerald thing _kill_ Asuka.

And he wanted revenge.

Unit-01 roared to life, responding to its pilot's rage. It stood, eyes red, green plating turning red, a halo of red appearing above it. The ground shook as this mighty creature reached its full height. It hissed, mouth gaping and showing nothing but an ocean of scarlet energy within. Kaworu, within his Eva, smiled serenely as ever. Rei watched with as much detachedness as she ever did. Mari had never seen anything like this, and was tightly gripping the controls of Unit-02.

There was no preamble to the start of this battle.

Shinji went full-throttle, eyes blazing red within the dazzling lights of the Entry Plug. Unit-01 let loose a blast of pure energy, one which, in another life, would have sent the Angel Zeruel scraping across the landscape after shattering its AT field, but in this current instance, against the Perfect Susano'o, the laser impacted and detonated. Its only effect was to create a cloud of smoke and cause a loud sound.

The emerald giant hadn't budged an inch.

Tokyo-3 moved yet again, providing Rei and Mari with a couple of Gatling guns…big ones. Grabbing them, the female pilots let loose everything within the magazines, prompting Units-01 and -06 to move. The car-sized bullets hit with pinpoint accuracy, and soon another cloud of obscuring haze filled everyone's viewports.

Shinji wasn't having it, and charged right into the smoke. He was drop kicked with enough force to crumple Unit-01's entire torso, and the shock of such tremendous pain put the young boy into a coma. The Evangelion promptly shut down.

Rei watched this, and her response was simple, "I need a missile…"

Mari saw this happen, saw a berserk Eva go down with a single hit, and immediately knew that drastic measures would have to be taken. So, without consulting anyone or asking permission to do anything, she launched into her command sequence. "Invert mode. Secret code: the Beast!"

Unit-02 underwent agony.

Inside Unit-06, Kaworu wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, he looked pissed, very pissed, and it probably had something to do with his Shinji being hurt by the emerald giant. A halo appeared above the helmet of the special Evangelion, and its eyeholes glowed brighter red. Kaworu hefted his Spear of Cassius, ready for battle.

Rei got her missile, and charged. Mari's eyes turned green in the sea of red that she had enveloped herself into. Kaworu was murderous in the face. All three charged at once, seemingly not paying attention to what happened the last few times this strategy was attempted.

Rei jumped and slammed her missile into the Perfect Susano'o's face, Kaworu went for the heart (of which there was not within the chakra construct), and Mari, in her berserk state, went for the jugular.

The spear snapped in half, the teeth shattered, the missile exploded and did no damage except to the Eva's, and sent all three hurling backwards. For all the strength behind Kaworu's assault, his weapon was broken; for all the brutality in Mari's attack, her teeth were destroyed; for all her ingenuity, Rei had only gotten her allies hurt.

The Perfect Susano'o stood tall and strong. It hadn't even budged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, his Perfect Susano'o's defense was, as modern teens put it, 'on point.' Evangelions were by no means a weak creature, and their strength was enough to rival, if not wholly surpass, that of the Norse jotuns, and here he was, shrugging through everything they could throw at him. Berserk Mode, giant bullets, otherwise divine spears, missiles.

Now if he could just test his offense, that's be great, except he couldn't kill anyone important to the plot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir! Systems are showing that the Tenth Angel is approaching!"

Gendo hurriedly put his glasses back on his face before anyone could see that they had fallen askew.

"Let it come. We have three Eva's in the field already, and the Angel will attack this unknown threat. A battle such as that will tire out the winner, and we'll simple move in to clean up whatever is left. Tell the pilots to vacate the area and await further instruction."

"Yes, sir."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en regarded the Tenth Angel, technically the Fourteenth Angel, but that was a different continuity.

This incarnation of Zeruel was much bigger than an Eva, standing closer to his Perfect Susano'o in height, but still had the same bulky appearance and stupid face, albeit its body was hidden underneath its outer tentacles, making it something of a mummy.

Anyway, Shin'en didn't care which Angel it was, only that it was an Angel, and that meant something he could wail on without worry of consequence…not that he was particularly worried about consequences in the first place.

Instead of giving Zeruel time to attack or do much of anything besides raise its AT field, the Perfect Susano'o leapt into the air, sailing a monstrous two thousand feet. Midair, it drew its mighty blade, and the power behind the simple draw very nearly cleaved the continent in half. As it stood, Tokyo-3 was separated by a chasm several miles deep and subject to tremendous amounts of destruction as skyscrapers and gun turrets were erased from the Earth.

Zeruel put more layers into its AT field.

The Perfect Susano'o fell back to the ground, and with force generated by its descent and its own other-worldly power, it cleaved straight through Zeruel's several-layers thick AT field like it was made of butter, and through Zeruel itself with cataclysmic might. The shockwave from the blade spread out to the sides, flattening mountains, skyscrapers, and everything in between. Units 01 and 06 were caught in the raging gale, and were tossed away like ragdolls.

As for Shin'en himself, he was pleased. His Perfect Susano'o could shrug through attacks of multiple Eva's, all of them armed with some manner of weaponry, and could slice through the AT field of one of the more powerful Angels, and the Angel itself, with disturbing ease. Never mind the destruction unleashed afterhand.

Welp, this dimension could figure itself out from here, because Shin'en's mission was done. Save Asuka, kick ass, don't kill anyone important. Zeruel was technically important, but it was an Angel, a thing, not a person.

Therefore…yeah.

You get the picture.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Dimensional Hall_

Amaterasu had a look on her face that Shin'en didn't particularly like.

"That look tells me that you are about to burden me with information that will undoubtedly bring me great annoyance."

"The Fates have need of you in one of your dimensions."

The demigod's eye twitched. "As satisfying as it is being correct in most instances, there are times when it is more negative than anything. What do the Fates want now?"

"I trust you recall _Xenomorphic_?"

"The dimension in which my gender was forcibly switched, my DNA forever altered, and am more than likely a bisexual creature, given the existence of my genetic clone possessing pheromones and the like that make me attracted to them on a biological level all the while having a desire to copulate with the same sex for the sole purpose of a science experiment to see how that experience goes? Yes, I recall quite well."

Ryuk blinked. "Holy shit. We need to go back to this place."

Amaterasu coughed. "Yes, well, like all dimensions, there are variants and deviations to the Source dimension, spawned from Probability and the Human Thought Process. One such dimension has been given the title _Xenophobic_ , for the soul reason of it having the same root word, and it sounds cool."

Shin'en looked at the Sun Goddess.

"The Fates' description, not mine. Anyway, it is a godless dimension, fitting under subcategory called 'Mortal High School AU.' AU stands for-"

"Alternate universe, yes, I know. I learned many things during my tenure in the world of _Death Note_ , the intricacies of the fandom being one of them."

Amaterasu nodded. "The Fates need you to intervene."

"Intervene how?"

"As you inhabit this dimension, you will discover the answer."

"I don't like-"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Xenophobic Dimension_

"-cryptic answers. Well, fuck you too."

"Aw, lighten up, buddy. Now we're in a world of pissants and fleshbags. We are like, _literal gods_ here! Let's go have some fun!"

"No, Ryuk. Let's go figure out what's going on here so we can fix it and get out of here all the faster. I don't want to spend any more time in this godless dimension than I have to. The air is dirty, the sky is cluttered with pollution, and frankly, there's something inherently wrong about being in a dimension that's branching from one with gods, yet doesn't have gods. It just feels wrong."

…

"Can we at least kill some people?"

"Ryuk…something tells me we're going to kill a lot of people."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that's that.**_

 _ **Shin'en did Aizen in with breath taking skill, and then impersonated the man for a time, having a deep conversation with Tousen about justice, the idea behind which came from a reviewer whose name escapes me. However, they know who they are. Then we had Ryuk indulging in his favorite pastime: slaughter!**_

 _ **After that, the stint in**_ **Evangelion** _ **was little more than me showing off the power of Shin'en's**_ _ **Perfect Susano'o**_ _ **, which is still taller than Madara's, Sasuke's, and Indra's respective avatars. Shin'en's a demigod for crying out loud, it's been my excuse from the first chapter to make him OP, and I'm not stopping now.**_

 _ **OP**_ _ **Perfect Susano'o**_ _ **for the win!**_

 _ **Anyway, we've now reached that point I've been talking about for a long time now.**_

 _ **Months ago, I said I was going to binge**_ **Backup Plan** _ **until I got to a certain point, and here we are. After this mini arc, it's back to all the other stories before returning here, by which time school will have started up, and updates will get tremendously sparse.**_

 _ **I've said before that**_ **Xenophobic** _ **is going to be fucked up, just not in the blood and guts and torture kind of way. Like I said up at the top, this chapter will end with a preview of what**_ **Xenophobic** _ **will be like, so without further ado:**_

 _ **Ladies and Gentlemen, your preview…**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fourteen-year-old Annabeth Chase sat in her desk by the window of her boarding school, thinking about how she could teach this stupid math class better than the inane drone at the front of the class teaching these morons how to factor quadratic equations…she was also internally panicking, because there was a certain someone sitting behind her, someone that Annabeth wanted to avoid at all costs.

Not three feet away from the neglected youth sat the most infamous girl on the face of the earth, and self-proclaimed mind reader: Asteria Jackson.

Infamous due to her parents, self-proclaimed mind reader due to situations that made Annabeth scarce whenever the deadly girl with the green eyes was near.

She was infamous because her mother, Sally Jackson, was the widow of a Naval officer by the name of Poseidon 'Don' Olympia, and her mother, Marian Janssen, was the CEO, Director, owner, founder, and ruler of Itexicon Pharmaceuticals. Yes, Asteria, in the wake of her father's passing ten years ago, was the step-daughter of a lesbian marriage, which in and of itself made her famous.

Marian Janssen herself was the subject of worldwide controversy…and scrutiny. It went without saying that a conglomerate like Itex had many dirty secrets and juicy skeletons in their closet—it made sense; one did become as powerful and wide spread as Itex without a few dirty deeds here and there, and there were several groups, all deep web-based, who sought to expose them.

Allegedly, the Umbrella Corporation from _Resident Evil_ is based on Itex and some of their products, to which the company denied, of course.

Anyway, Marian was a world-wide figure both for her company and her wife. She was the spokesperson, leader, and president of several tolerance groups dedicated to the LGBT cause, and, on the side and lesser known in scale, anti-religious sentiment. She had been on talk shows, hosted rallies, funded movements, everything.

To many, she was an icon. To many, she was the antichrist. To Annabeth, she was the most dangerous person on this planet…next to her step-daughter.

Annabeth didn't know if Asteria could read minds, but there had been…instances. In the blonde's extensive memory, she recalled three distinct cases in which she had witnessed firsthand that terror that Asteria was capable of. There had been two girls and one boy, Clarisse La Rue and Drew Tanaka, and Octavian Augustus, who had wanted to give Asteria crap about having two moms.

In each time, it had been in a public setting with massive throngs about, and very conspicuous, and each time…there was that grin.

That terrible, horrible, impish grin that split across Asteria's face, that grin that caused her eyes to go from the color of the sea to the color of venom. And after that grin came the verbal killing. What she said didn't matter, only that Asteria's retorts were personal, scathing, and damning. So damning and humiliating, for these were dark, personal secrets, that Clarisse and Drew had both fled the state for elsewhere, and Octavian had committed suicide.

His parents had tried to press charges, but that's when the first inkling to Marian's dark power came about. Even though there was firm grounds for a case to be made, even though the law permitted such a thing to happen, no prosecutor or judge was willing to make it happen, either because they were on Itex's payroll, or they were too scared to try anything. Eventually, Octavian's parents attempted to murder Asteria themselves, coming to the school armed.

The cops arrived and put lead into them.

Allegedly, Ms. Jackson barely even flinched when she had a gun to her head.

But, you might be asking why Annabeth was so afraid to be this close to Asteria when she truly had nothing to be afraid of. She never talked to the girl, had never provoked the girl, hadn't even done anything to her at all besides maybe a quick wave in the hallway.

Well, it was because Asteria had proven herself to be very hostile, and had access to otherwise sensitive, secret, and personal information. Emphasis on secret. And Annabeth had a very big secret.

She blamed her parents for the way she was, well, her own step-mother and biological father. Her biological mother had disappeared shortly after she had been born, and her father never gave her to an orphanage. Anyway, after her twin half-brothers had been born, Annabeth had been swept to the side.

It hurt, unbelievably so, to suddenly be abandon by your father like that, and it left a void in Annabeth's heart, a void she had filled herself with the stupidest thing she could've ever possibly filled any void with. See, when Annabeth was six, just three years after the twins were born, she had been doing menial homework in her room, which was across from the nursery.

Her door had been left open, and the nursery had been left open, and the views lined up to give Annabeth a front row seat to the biggest psychological impact of her life.

It was a diaper change, something simple and routine for toddlers that for some reason hadn't started their toilet training yet— "They'll start when they're ready," step-mother had said. It wasn't the change itself that had grabbed Annabeth's attention, but all that had happened during it. Both of her parents, not twenty feet away, just _pouring_ over the twins, absolutely _gushing_ with love and affection as they wiped their asses.

In three minutes, Annabeth had witnessed her brothers receive more care and affection and attention than she had three years, and that moment had been branded into Annabeth's memory, and it was the source of all her problems today, because her six-year-old self, with her juvenile, inexperienced, hurting mind, had somehow made the brilliant connection between her parents' attention…and diapers.

Pull-ups, actually, but still.

The following night, Annabeth had slipped into the nursery, and, with a cold, almost murderous look to her face, grabbed a diaper and made way for the bathroom to put it on, to see for herself what was so _great_ , so _wonderful_ about these things that made her idiot brother so much more important than her.

From that point, it had been…a spiral. Not a downward spiral, and certainly not an upward spiral either.

The next time a trip to the grocery store was made, Annabeth excused herself to the bathroom, not that her parents even heard her or noticed she was gone, and made way for the baby aisle. After a heavy internal debate over the pros and cons of shoplifting, she grabbed the closest pink package she could reach, tore it open, grabbed one out, stuffed it under her shirt and into her shorts, and made way for the bathroom, heart hammering against her ribs.

Annabeth remembered it being Huggies, the 3T-4T size, and how it had fit her comfortably, like a snug glove. Of course, considering her panties were all two sizes two small on account of her parents forgetting to buy her bigger underwear, the trainers were doubly more comfortable.

She went to the checkout aisles after that, and found her parents about to leave without her, not even noticing she had left or even returned. The funniest part about that whole episode was that she walked in on an interesting conversation between her parents. Apparently, they had been to the baby aisle after her.

"Can you believe that? Someone stealing diapers?"

"I know, honey. It takes a sick degenerate to do something like that."

There was no way they could have known it was their daughter, but the words cut deep, and that was the birth of Annabeth's ruefulness. Oh, so she was a sick degenerate, was she? Then you were both pieces of matter lower than pond scum for abandoning your daughter. Yes, whenever Annabeth thought of that moment, she did so with dark justification.

Anyway, Annabeth had gotten bigger, and the Pull-Ups and the Easy-Ups no longer fit around her, so she simply moved on to the Goodnites…and that's where all her problems lie. Because of her parents, she was a thief. Because of her parents, she filled the void they created with pull-ups. Because of her parents, she was an infantilistic freak with problems.

If there was a bright side to this, it was that it wasn't a fetish. She didn't find anything sexual in her pull-ups, all they were to her were a form of comfort and security, just another pair of underwear to choose from in the morning. Most girls woke up to a choice of thongs, bikinis, hipsters, and boyshorts, Annabeth woke up to all that and pull-ups. They were just underwear to her, plain and simple.

That, and she used them for her periods, but that story was best summed with sixth grade, having protection from bleeding through her pants and all over the seat of the desk, and that she was a heavy bleeder.

So to sum up, Annabeth had abandonment issues and what would otherwise be considered a sick fetish in a world that growing increasingly tolerant towards one man fucking another man's hairy ass.

Which was why Annabeth was terrified of where she was sitting. If Asteria _could_ read minds, and she found out about all this, then Annabeth was certain her life was over. So when she was tapped from behind, and turned around to see the impish grin of Asteria Jackson, her heart froze, and then shattered when the demoness spoke in a little jingle.

"I see London, I see France…" those venomous eyes gleamed. "Unless you want people finding out about your padded secret, you'll follow me after the bell rings."

She leaned back in her chair, smirk plastered.

Annabeth turned back around, pale, sweating, eyes wide, and now certain she was going to die in the next few days via suicide. How did she find out!? Annabeth's shirt was down, her pants pulled up, and there was no bulge, at all! Just… _how!?_

The rest of class passed in slow agony, and when the bell rang, the blonde was not stupid enough to challenge Asteria, and so she obediently followed. Followed all the way to the office, all the through the office, and all the way into the private lounge of the principles.

All the way there, Annabeth was mentally calming herself, and running through her excuses. She had prepared for this. She had been in a car accident when she was younger, and now she was incontinent. Her parents were punishing her because she got into a fight with her younger siblings. She had lost a bet, and this was the outcome. There were a few more, but the two girls entered the lounge, interrupting a meeting.

And that's when Annabeth learned how powerful Asteria Jackson was. With a jerk of her thumb, the heads of the boarding school _quickly_ vacated the room.

Then Asteria lead Annabeth to the private bathroom in the corner of the lounge, and locked the door behind them. She turned around with that same impish grin, and Annabeth knew she wasn't going to like this.

"So, kid…diapers? How'd that happen?"

A hard swallow. "I was in a car accident when I was younger…now I'm incontinent. And they're pull-ups, not diapers."

The grin became teasing. "How long have you been waiting to use that little lie?"

Annabeth played her defensive card, and got offended. "Excuse me? How dare you say that to my face? Why would I lie about this?"

"Lots of reasons. But let's take a moment to talk about your others lies, hm? Being punished, lost a bet, performing a social experiment, doing a class project, and my personal favorite: modelling for a diaper-making company."

Annabeth was white as a sheet. "You can read minds…how…?"

"Let's just say that not every project MKUltra tried was a failure. Anyway, I apologize." Annabeth blinked at this sudden shift. The smile was gone, the gleam was gone, and everything about Asteria's posture screamed disarmed and genuine. "That was rude of me, exploiting you like that. I blame that bitch, Janssen."

Annabeth blinked again at the coarse language and how the most powerful woman on earth was just described.

Suddenly, that impish grin and those venomous eyes were back. "Well, I know your secret, so I guess it's only fair that you know mine."

Without so much as asking, Asteria grabbed Annabeth's hand, and brought it to her crotch. For a second, for the blink of an eye, for a single, fleeting iota of a moment, Annabeth thought she was about not feel the padding of a diaper, or something like it. For the briefest of nanoseconds, Annabeth thought she was about to come into contact with someone like her, someone who wore something out of the ordinary.

Annabeth recoiled as if burned when she touched between Asteria's legs.

That grin was now rueful and evil, those eyes dark and menacing, that posture now vengeful and hostile.

The blonde's entire perception of the world was shattered.

"Y-Y-Y-You—"

That silky hair, those delicate features, those sparkling eyes…

"You-You-You —"

Those wide hips, that thin waist, those athletic arms and legs…

"You're a—you're a—"

That angelic voice, those mannerisms, this entire image of femininity and grace…

"You're a _boy_ …?"

"Well, given just how pretty I am and how many boys look at my ass, I don't think boy is a good way to describe me anymore." At the lost look, the step-daughter of the antichrist continued. "Let's just say that my life isn't as great as the media make it out to be. My real name's Percy Jackson, and I want to take you out on a date tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **For a reason I can't explain with words, I am terribly excited about this devious creation of mine. We're looking at lesbianism, forced transgenderism, LGBT, religion, ABDL, neglect, conspiracy, corruption, and a couple of gods.**_

 _ **So is it the sickest thing you have ever read, or can you not wait for more?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	74. Xenophobic: Story of Sally

_Xenophobic: Story of Sally_

 _ **Honestly, this could've been its own standalone story, but I've decided against doing that.**_

 _ **Either way, since I'm going more into detail with this than I am with the other mini arcs, I feel that world building is required. Now remember: this is based on**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **, so there will be elements from that fic. You've already seen some, if you were paying attention.**_

 _ **Moving on, as the title suggests, this will be Sally's story in all of this.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _May 4, 2000_

 _Cemetery_

Rain softly fell as the heavens wept, and the denizens of the earth protected themselves with black umbrellas. They wore the clothing to match.

In the middle of this somber gathering was an open hole in the ground, and suspended above this hole was the dreadful box that was the symbol of what all men feared most in life. Within this box rested an officer from the United States Navy, a captain by the name of Poseidon 'Don' Olympia.

Supposedly, he had siblings and nieces and nephews that were also named after the Greek gods of old, but where they were was anyone's guess. They certainly weren't here, that's for sure.

Amidst all these tears, only two sets truly mattered. These sets belonged to blank-eyed six-year-old Percy Jackson, and his mother Sally. Just why the widow had never taken her husband's name was anyone's guess, but none had pried then and none were going to pry now.

Percy had shut himself off, burying his emotions down into a place seldom reached by anyone, but that didn't stop the few drops from leaking out of his eyes. His mother was the opposite, as she was freely sobbing as she held her son close to her leg.

How Poseidon had died was a mystery, one NCIS couldn't solve. The official ruling was suicide, but that was something no one was buying, not even the people who had made the ruling. There was just so little evidence to anything else. The only upside was that everyone unanimously agreed that Poseidon had not taken his own life, there was just too much for him to still for.

A wife, a son, a crew, a country…no. It was not suicide.

But that still didn't answer the crucial question: Who killed Poseidon Olympia?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _May 10, 2000_

 _Grocery store_

Sally's eyes were blank as she idly threw things into the basket, only a vague recollection of what had been on her shopping list running through her mind.

"Excuse me," a kind voice gently broke into the widow's mind.

Sally turned to see the most beautiful woman she had ever met in her life. Honey blonde hair that was neatly cut and well maintained, warm, chestnut brown eyes that glowed with only the purest and gentlest of intentions. She wore designer jeans, simple yet obviously expensive designer boots, a white button down with a brown leather jacket over it. To finish her gentle look, she wore a pair of teacher's glasses,

Sally did not know who this was, but she felt an attraction to this woman that she couldn't explain beyond that she only felt this way with Poseidon.

"I'm sorry to intrude but…I saw you shopping and I had to say something."

The woman stepped closer, and Sally's knees almost buckled as an intense wave of euphoria washed over her. The woman saw this, but took it as something else.

"Oh my, are you okay? Here, come sit down." She grabbed Sally's basket—and her hand—and led her to a nearby bench inside the store. This close, for a reason unknown to her, Sally felt like a warm puddle of mush. She leaned in to the woman, enjoying the warmth.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, I wanted to at least ask you on a date before any of this happened."

"A date…?" Sally said in a daze. "No…this is fine."

The woman gently brushed her hand across Sally's chest, igniting her nipples, and then she brushed against Sally's inner thigh, and calmly slid further north, giving that sacred area just the barest touch, but it was enough. Sally quivered in the woman's arms, a blush on her face and a haze in her eyes.

"Would you like to come back to my place? We can talk more there."

"O…kay…"

The Director smiled warmly as she gathered the woman in her arms, and gently led her out to the Ferrari. Some men would get the groceries and pay for them, as well as get Sally's car, and take both back to her apartment. The ankle biter could survive on his own for a few hours while Marian worked her magic.

In the car, on the way to her mansion, Marian continued her ministrations, with one hand on the wheel, the other between Sally's legs. The poor woman probably hadn't felt release since her husband last went on duty, and so this was all probably the most wonderful thing to her right now.

Of course, the Director was cheating, but that wasn't important.

Upon arrival to the mansion surrounded by the trees, Marian gently led Sally inside, where she got the woman a cup of coffee, and one thing led to another, and the moment went from the kitchen to the bedroom, and in the afterglow, some papers were signed, and some hypnotic preps were set up.

Sally didn't need to know that the Director was wearing an odorless aphrodisiac that targeted females specifically, and triggered more strongly when the target was aroused, and effectively rendered them into a very suggestive, very horny mess.

Itex was a pharmaceutical company after all, and this latest gem was a field test. Vials would be sent out to the military tomorrow for female interrogation purposes.

Sally also didn't need to know that Marian Janssen was a vengeful woman, a woman out for blood, a woman who was out for everything that Poseidon had, and more. His wife would be Marian's wife. His ship would be Marian's ship. His crew was steadily being brainwashed and otherwise convinced to be her agents. And his son…well.

Marian had great plans for Poseidon's son.

She had had always wanted a daughter, put it that way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sally was nervous about what she was doing; how do you tell your son that just ten days after you buried his father, you were getting married to someone new, a _woman_ at that? Last Sally checked, this was the year 2000, and same-sex marriage was highly frowned upon, even among family.

And the only family she still had was her six-year-old son.

Taking a deep breath, the woman engaged to a woman decided to bite the proverbial bullet, and gently rapped on her son's door. Opening it slowly, she saw him busily tapping away at a Gameboy. For all his fervor, his eyes held nothing but the bright reflection of the screen.

"Sweetie…Mommy has something she needs to talk to you about."

He paused his game and his eyes flicked up to meet hers. They were so empty.

Sally sat down next to him. "Mommy met someone, sweetheart. A special someone."

"Like Dad?"

"…yes, like Dad. And we…and we decided to get married."

Silence enveloped Percy's room for a time longer than Sally could count. Then,

"Does he make you happy?" the child asked softly.

Sally smiled a tiny smile at the innocent misconception. " _She_ does, Percy. She makes me very happy."

Her son looked at her with bewildered eyes. "She?"

This time, Sally smiled warmly, eyes glowing with joy as thoughts of her future wife floated through her. "Yes, sweetheart. I…I fell in love with a woman."

He stared at her, searching and assessing for something that Sally couldn't place, but she never lost her smile. Finally, Percy just placed head in the crook of her neck.

"Okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 6, 2000_

 _Church_

Sally thought it went against every pastor/minister's holy vows to marry two of the same sex, but this particular pastor didn't have those qualms. If anything, he seemed thrilled to marry two women, something about 'progressing forward into a new millennium, spreading the love of the Lord to all.' Sally just smiled and nodded her head. She herself was not religious, and didn't really care about the pastor's views, but it did make her feel better to know that there wasn't any prejudice here.

What Sally didn't need to know was that the pastor wasn't even a pastor, and this wasn't even a church. Just more theatrics from the Director.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Sally was holding back tears at the dress she was wearing, the same dress she wore during her first wedding. She had put it in the closet, in a plastic protection sleeve, and then put that in a box. It had been in there for six years, and Marian was more than happy to have it freshly cleaned, laundered, pressed, and ironed.

What Sally didn't know was that her original dress had been burned to ashes and what she was wearing was simply a perfect replica.

The wedding was small, but Sally wanted it small. She didn't invite anyone, and she asked that Marian didn't either. Her wife-to-be was famous for her position at Itex, and the last thing Sally wanted was paparazzi and tabloids and journalists and reporters and all other manner of riffraff around, shooting film, asking questions, and badgering her and Marian on their special day.

It was also to protect Percy.

The world was already hostile enough to gays, the last thing Sally wanted was for her son to come under attack, or for some organization/group to either kidnap him, or use him as a tool to gain support for both pro/anti-gay sentiments. He was her son, not a media plaything.

Because the wedding was so small, there was no one to give Sally away, not even her father-figure from the last wedding, so she would be walking the aisle by herself…well, actually, no. Not by herself. The wedding was small, yes, so that meant that there was no flower girl…until Marian had an idea.

It was purely out of fun, of course, and it was all up to Percy whether he wanted to do it or not, but the boy had said yes. When Sally asked why he would do such a thing, his responded with, "Because it'll make you happy…and I want you to be happy today." So when the music started playing, Sally did indeed walk the aisle, a smiling boy in a white dress walking next to her casually throwing out a few petals here and there.

What Sally didn't know was that the smile was false, and behind the mask was roiling hatred directed at the smiling woman in the suit, playing at being the man in all this.

What Sally didn't know was that her wife-to-be now had a direct line of control over her son, and could now make him do anything she wanted him to do…because anything the Director told Percy to do would make Sally happy, and Percy wanted nothing more than to make Sally happy.

This wedding day was the day that a once happy family was wholly destroyed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 1, 2002_

 _Underground lab beneath the mansion_

Two years into their marriage, and Sally was loving every moment of it. Marian was just the nicest person on the planet, and she loved her job, she loved her workers, she loved the people, she loved Sally, and most importantly, she loved Percy like a daughter.

Yes, daughter.

Playing at flower girl that day had changed something in Percy, and it was a change that both shocked Sally, and filled her with a strange warmth. He had come to her one day, nervous and fidgety, and asked to learn how to apply makeup. Blinking, Sally obliged, and what followed next was probably the strongest bonding session she had ever had with her baby.

From that moment, it was simply a rising action of more makeup tutorials, more bonding, a few trips to the salon, the boutique, the mall, buying some girl clothes, having a few outings, and enjoying this new experience, before Sally finally popped the question to her seven-year-old.

"Percy, do you want to be a girl?"

What Sally didn't know was that the Director's hypnotic preps were doing their thing, and Sally was subconsciously nudging her son to embrace his new feminine side. What Sally didn't know was that the hypnotic prep was subconsciously making her desire it more than anything, and where she wanted to be happy, Percy would want to be happy.

"I think it would be great, being mother and daughter," Sally said wistfully, eyes glazed over and dreamy as she stared at the fantastic blue sky. "We could do each other's hair, experiment with makeup, have fashion contests, talk about cute boys…"

Sally didn't know it, but her child's face fell and fell with each passing fantasy, before that happy mask came about, and with a vibrant voice, Percy declared:

"I would love to, Mom!"

Marian, being the director of the world's largest pharmaceutical company, had easy access to top-of-the-line hormone supplements, surgeries, doctors, therapists, councilors, and trainers, all of which were ready and happy to assist the world's newest transgender child.

What Sally didn't know was that her wife couldn't believe how easy her plan was going.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Percy was nine, _she_ , now having taken to using female pronouns, and _her_ mother were having a girl's day out. On their way from the wall to a restaurant they both liked, they were involved in an accident. Someone not paying attention to the traffic light and kept on going, right into Percy's door.

Miraculously, she lived through the event, as did Sally, but the offending driver died when he came flying out the windshield due to not wearing his seatbelt. Sally spent only a few hours in Marian's private hospital inside Itex HQ, but Percy had to spend over a week to make sure everything was okay with her.

At the end of the ordeal, everything was not alright, because Percy reported to hearing voices, but they were coherent voices, like people talking. And each voice was different and distinct, and for the people that Percy heard speak aloud, she matched up the voice in her head with _that person_. The professional conclusion was that the accident had unlocked telepathic powers.

Sally wanted that to be kept secret, so Marian kept it secret. The unspoken threat was that if anyone talked, you and your families would be shot, and then shot again if they lived. The Director was not a woman to be crossed, and so everyone made it a priority to not cross her.

Sally was by her daughter's side all the time, helping her through this new stage in her life. Percy eventually learned how to control her telepathy, describing it as deciding whether or not she wanted to open a book and read it. It was also during this time that Percy started showing signs of hostility towards Marian, and Sally loved her baby first, so she confronted the Director about what could have made Percy so snappy and biting with the woman.

That was when Sally learned of the few skeletons that Itex had in its closet. Experiments gone wrong, military munitions being used in the past and present, the government commissioning Itex to construct bioterror weapons, etc. While not lies, none of this was what made Percy hostile, but this is what Sally assumed the truth was.

Percy had read the Director's mind on accident, discovered the bits about lives lost, and now felt justifiably hurt and betrayed, so Sally confronted her daughter about this.

"Sweetheart, you can't blame her for variables going wrong during an experiment, and you can't blame her for doing what the government told her to do. It's not fair, and you know it."

Her daughter, at nine, was a very pretty child. Soft, silky black hair that fell to her nape, sparkling eyes the same color as the sea, a natural tan, a toned body, and a delicate face that was already attracting boys. Through the hormones and the odd surgery, Percy was developing very nicely into a young woman. It sent Sally's heart over the roof knowing that her daughter was happy in her decision to become trans.

Percy's face contorted in what Sally made out to be irrational anger. Her eyes were haunted and mad, staring at something that couldn't be seen by anyone but her. "Life's not fair, but we still get mad it. So I can be mad at her for getting innocent people killed, even if it's _not fair_."

Sally smiled sadly and saw a losing battle here. She kissed her daughter's temple. "Get some rest sweetheart. School starts in the morning."

Sally left, and Percy stewed in her fury.

She knew the truth, knew that all this, this new body, her mother being taken from, was all the Director's plot. Why was that evil woman doing this? Because it amused her. No other reason. She was bored and wanted something to do, and so she decided to destroy a widowed mother and her son.

Of course…Percy was still wrong. Her latent mind-reading prowess was simply the pure machinations of the Director to spice things up a little. Besides, the Director wouldn't give someone the results of a successful MKUltra experiment unless she had the counter ready to go. Anything the little freak got out of Janssen's mind was only what Janssen allowed.

No, what was happening here was that Janssen was causing a schism between the mother-daughter pair, straining the relationship by pitting two sides together, feeding them both different sets of information, so while Percy acted this way for one reason, her mother took it as acting that way for a different reason, and so Sally would address the problem with the wrong tactics and handling, which would create friction between them as Percy desperately tried not to break her mother's heart by revealing the awful truth, and Sally desperately tried to play the go-between, ignorant of the Director's admittedly evil machinations all the while trying to save what is, in her mind, a steadily breaking family.

The funny thing was: there was no family here at all.

There never had been.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Percy was twelve, she decided to change her name. Her logic was that sense her body was changing, steadily developing breasts, then her name should change too. Sally wanted to protest that, but a firm hand from her wife and a reassuring smile convinced her otherwise.

"Let her have her identity, honey. She's gone through a lot, and I think she's entitled to have her own name."

Sally didn't like it, but she couldn't argue with her life, not when her daughter's happiness was the subject of debate.

From that day on, Percy went by the name of Asteria, after the Greek Titaness of Falling Stars. When asked why that name, she replied, "It sounds cool."

The Director saw the symbolism, and she knew why her step-daughter chose that name. That's how she saw herself, that's how she embraced her self-loathing for what she had become, for what she had let her mother become. A fallen star, once shining brightly in the heavens, now burned up by the Earth's cruel fire.

It brought a smile to the Director's face every time she thought about it.

How fitting that the little freak saw herself like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the year of 2005, Marian decided it was time to come out. She determined that the world was ready as it ever would be, and that now was the proper time to announce to the world that one of its most powerful women was gay. The world reacted as one would expect, with the LGBT movement swelling with support and members as a leading icon came out and made a speech.

The mindset of the people joining the sudden 'coming out movement' was that if she's brave enough to come out, then I can too. If she can be proud and gay, then I can too. If she can be gay, then I can too.

The flipside was massive backlash. There was boycotting of Itex products, rallies, protests, people leaving the company, religious groups getting up in arms, even attacks on employees for simply working for a company that had a gay CEO, which lead to lawsuits out the ass, trials, and more people in jails for hate crimes than there had been during the Civil Rights Movement.

Sally didn't know it, but this whole mess was orchestrated by her wife to simply churn the waters, make the world dance, and to get the prisons full, because no one made for better test subjects than men and women in orange jumpsuits that had thrown their lives away and were now less than human. Ah, the brilliance of Marian Janssen.

There was a saving grace in all this.

As far as the world was concerned, Asteria Jackson was the adopted daughter of the lesbian couple, which was, truly, a tragedy.

Poseidon Olympia was forgotten in this world, his marriage forgotten, his crew now slaves, and his superiors on the payroll. Percy Jackson was a fading memory in Sally's head, being steadily replaced with hypnosis, hypnosis telling her that it had always been her Little Star. Asteria was accepted as female, and only female; no one questioned that, and no one questioned how she was merely _adopted_ by Sally and Marian.

Yes, the tragedy here was that Percy had been robbed of his identity in its entirety.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 18, 2007_

At thirteen years, Asteria was a thing of beauty. At thirteen years, on her birthday no less, she and Marian got into a _vicious_ argument, one that Sally was sitting there and watching. For the first time in her memory, Sally raised her voice at her child, yelling even, heavily scolding her for her actions.

While Marian played the card of hurt very well, Sally took charge of the relationship and situation, exercising a degree of power that she didn't know she had until now. The end result was that the atmosphere was too thick with tension and hostility, and it was deemed that a detox was needed for Asteria's blood to cool.

This detox came in the form of boarding school for her seventh and eighth grade years.

When Asteria was glad to leave, Sally felt wounded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 1, 2011_

Sally's story would come to an end at the beginning of her daughter's last summer vacation, right after her senior year. Everything had gone horribly wrong, and she didn't know why. She didn't where things and gone wrong, and she never would.

Staring down the gun barrel, the woman pleaded with her daughter one last time.

"Aster, please don't do this. I'm your mother…! Please, put it down, and let's talk about this…"

For a moment, Sally thought her words got through to her baby, but she made the mistake of looking from the silencer to her daughter's eyes. They were so empty.

Sally barely heard the firing of the bullet, and she barely felt it bite through her head, and she barely heard it burry itself into the mattress behind where she kneeled. She swayed and landed on her side, but death was not instant. No, she lingered just long enough to hear those heartbreaking last words.

"My mother died years ago."

As darkness encroached upon her vision, Sally saw _him_ appear behind her baby. He was taller than her, his body hidden by his black cloak, and his lower face hidden behind a high collar. Upon his black cloak were several clouds of blood. It was his eyes, though, that were Sally's last sight.

Those scarlet supernovas that burned and burned without end, without pity, without anything.

Sally's last sight before she died, killed by her own flesh and blood, were of bleeding stars.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Like I said, world-building.**_

 _ **I have work for the next three days, so don't expect an update until next Tuesday, and then the Tuesday after that will be the second day of school, so there's that.**_

 _ **Next time on**_ **Backup Plan:**

 **Xenophobic: Story of Percy and Asteria**

 _ **Don't miss it!**_


	75. Xenophobic: Story of Percy and Asteria

_Xenophobic: Story of Percy and Asteria_

 _ **Whew, haven't seen that low of a Review count since the first few chapters. I'm curious as to why, but whatever.**_

 _ **I finished this a lot faster than I thought I would, so here it is: Percy/Asteria's side of things up until the ending of the preview.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From the first moment he met her, Percy _hated_ Marian Janssen. He hated the way she looked, the way she talked, the way she intruded on his and his mother's life, the way she thought she could fill in the gap left by Dad, and the way she stole his mother away from him and Dad's memory.

Yes, Percy Jackson hated his step-mother with a burning passion.

When the wedding day came, and that thing joked about making him the flower girl, putting him in a dress, and having him toss petals off to the side, he was ready to hear his mom defend him and tell Janssen that was a ridiculous idea…but it never happened.

Instead, she went with the idea, making it take off and soar. She asked him if he wanted to do it, to play dress up for a little bit, and that's when he started suspecting that there was something very wrong with this whole situation, a wrongness that went beyond a woman marrying a woman. Percy started suspecting that Janssen was doing something to his mom.

Anyway, when she asked if he wanted to be the flower girl, and he saw the hope in her eyes, the joy, the happiness and the prospect…he couldn't say no. _How_ could he have said no? The only upside to that day was that he saw his mom smiling happily the entire time, and he at least didn't have to wear girl underwear under his dress.

Small favors.

Things were fine for a little bit, life carrying on differently since Dad's passing, because now they were rich, loaded, and wealthy. Until Janssen came to him in his new room, and spun a tale about how bored his mother was, and how he could cheer her up. She gave a list of things and ideas, but it was pretty clear what she wanted.

Swallowing a heavy lump in his throat, Percy had made his way to his mother's room, and asked her how to do makeup. She had beamed, smiled, and glowed for so long during and after that, that Percy couldn't find it in himself to deny her happiness, and he kept coming back for more.

His worst mistake he had ever made.

Makeup evolved into hair, hair evolved into clothes, clothes evolved into outings, and outings evolved into a nightmare. A nightmare that begun in public, with a simple question.

"Percy," his mother started, "do you want to be a girl?"

 _NO! NO, NO, NO,_ _ **NO!**_

He did not want to be a girl, he did want to wear makeup and jewelry, he did not want to wear sundresses or nighties, he did want to put on skirts and panties, he didn't want anything to do with anything feminine for the rest of his life! What would Dad have said if he could see them now? His son dressed like this, his wife acting the way she was?

Percy wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, throw a tantrum, tear off what he was wearing, have a fit, be rebellious, and tell Janssen that she could fuck off, but then he saw the look on his mother's face as she began dreaming about what he never wanted.

"I think it would be great, being mother and daughter. We could do each other's hair, experiment with makeup, have fashion contests, talk about cute boys…"

Percy felt himself dying on the inside with each word, dying at what he saw on his mother's face, in her eyes, what was in her voice. Just before he died completely, a false fire ignited inside him, a false fire that made him falsely happy, falsely enthusiastic, falsely everything. But…living on this false fire would make his mother happy.

And so he put on a false smile, and said with false truth and false elatedness, "I would love to, Mom!"

He might as well have signed his death warrant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days before he turned nine, Percy looked in the mirror and saw a stranger. All of the hormones and therapy he was taking had done their work, and would continue to do their work, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

In the mirror he saw his sister, or someone that could've been— _should've been_ his sister. She was a pretty thing, even his almost-nine-year-old self could appreciate that, with her soft lips, big eyes, smooth hair, and slim body…there was just one glaring issue with this feminine picture, and this issue glared up at the world from between this girl's legs.

Percy's eyes darted from his genitals to his face in rapid succession, the godlike contradiction in images causing his first of many identity crises. He saw a girl with boy parts, he saw boy parts with a girl's face he saw a girl with boy parts he saw boy parts with a girl's facehesawagirlwithboypartshesawboypartswithagirl'sface— _!_

Percy grabbed his head as his knees buckled, a great pain stabbing about in his skull, unyielding in its ferocity as he continued to battle with himself.

Himself.

 _Her_ self.

The pain ceased when Percy thought of himself—the pain returned, and he barely was able to correct his thought process. The pain ceased when Percy thought of _her_ self with female pronouns.

That day, Percy altered herself forever as she started to always refer to herself as a girl.

And she hated herself for it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days after she turned nine, she and her mother had a girl's day out, and so for all of that day did she let her false fire blaze wildly within her. She let it blaze all the way up until she was broadsided by a speeding car, and everything went black.

The next time she woke up, it sounded like a hundred people were talking at once.

When she got her new powers under control, she realized that people were terrible creatures, and that she could now find out anything she wanted about anyone. So, naturally, the first thing she did was dive straight into Janssen's head in search of the damning evidence she needed to get her mother out of this hell.

She found something as equally heartbreaking as it was infuriating.

Janssen's whole reason for destroying her and her mother was because she was bored and wanted some amusement in life.

There was no way Mom would ever believe that, so Percy settled for being rude, snappy, and hateful in the hopes that she could get her mom to start prying for the truth or she could get Janssen to snap and reveal everything herself. Well, she got her mother to start prying, but the following conversation was not what Percy had ever wanted.

"Sweetheart, you can't blame her for variables going wrong during an experiment, and you can't blame her for doing what the government told her to do. It's not fair, and you know it."

Percy's scowl was so deep that no light would have ever been able to shine there. Her sea green eyes were murky and dark as she glared at the unseen force that was the influence of Marian Janssen. The influence that her mother was drowning in.

"Life's not fair, but we still get mad at it. So I can be mad at her for getting innocent people killed, even if it's _not fair_."

You know what else wasn't fair? Everything; everything wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her mother was now a drone, it wasn't fair her father was dead, it wasn't fair her step-mother was the Devil, it wasn't fair that she looked like a girl, it wasn't fair that she _sounded_ like a girl, it wasn't fair that she was even like this in the first place…but did any of that matter?

No…

Mom gave her a kiss on the side of the head, and Percy had to resist the urge to pull away. "Get some rest sweetheart. School starts in the morning."

She left.

And Percy fumed.

School? What a joke. She was a telepath who had been surrounded by some of the brightest minds on the planet, and she had soaked up terabytes of mental data. She was smarter than her mother now, and she for damn sure was smarter than any third grader. God, they still pooped in their pants.

But these thoughts of school and its inanity were all just self-made distractions from what Percy was really feeling.

She was hurt, she was cold, she was betrayed…and she was alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Percy was eleven, in 2004, she learned of her vicious side. On the playground, she had been accosted by a redhead by the name of Rachel. She was an eccentric child that colored on everything. If Percy couldn't read minds, she would've thought the child autistic, but anyway.

Rachel had been in an argument with her parents that morning, and she was looking for someone to vent her frustrations upon, and the first thing her sights landed on was Percy. Target locked, she went in for the kill.

In short, Rachel wanted to be a bully.

She chose to bully the wrong person.

Percy just stood there as tirade went in one ear out the other, and for a reason she couldn't herself explain—maybe she just wanted to vent some hate herself—she returned fire, only with nuclear weapons laced with bioterror agents as opposed to Rachel's basic artillery shelling. Percy targeted insecurities, vulnerabilities, and the redhead's deepest secrets.

Her voice never rose, and no one heard her but Rachel, and that was what made the delivery so effective. The calmness, the uncaring nature, the quiet brutality, the sheer effectiveness, and the lazy tone. Percy tore Rachel down like she was a flimsy house of cards with all the enthusiasm as one walking to the electric chair.

Percy had been so uncaring in her verbal butchering of Rachel, that the redhead had started soiling herself in terror before she ran away screaming and crying, but since Percy had quickly vacated the area and fell in with a group of children playing tag on the opposite side of the sprawling playground and subsequently played dumb when Rachel implicated her in the case of her crying but was nowhere near the scene, all Rachel accomplished was making herself look like a liar and was making up a sob story to better explain her accident more than that she simply didn't make it in time.

Long story short, Rachel poked a sleeping dragon, and was eaten alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In 2005, at the age of twelve, Percy looked in the mirror again, and had another identity crisis, this one stemming from her expanding chest and slimming figure as puberty set in, and her ever-present genitals, the stark reminder of who she used to be and what she was supposed to be.

It was during this crisis that she changed her name to one better suiting her changing body.

Thus was the birth of Asteria.

Marian got a kick out of it, allowing her thoughts to be broadcast so that the newly dubbed Asteria could hear all of them. The Director made it perfectly clear that she thought she was winning this little game, and Asteria made it perfectly clear that by choosing this name she was defining herself as someone and something that couldn't be controlled by the Director.

The woman just smiled easily enough.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in that same year, Marian went public with her marriage to Sally, and that was the final straw for Asteria. It wasn't a move towards tolerance for gay people, or a step in a progressive direction, it was a power play against Asteria.

It was a show that said 'this is what I can do to your mother, and now that the public sees what we are, anything you do will be seen as negative.'

That's when Asteria conceded the battle, but not the war. Marian could have Sally, she could have her drone and her puppet; Sally was dead to Asteria, a lost cause, and it took her six years to realize that. Janssen's claws were too deep, and prying them out would leave mortal wounds that would either bleed out or become infected.

The mother was lost to the daughter, but the daughter turned her attention elsewhere.

Janssen would pay for this with her life…one day.

The other thing to this whole episode was that in lieu of the Director's coming out, the media saw Asteria Jackson as the adopted daughter of Marian and Sally Janssen…the _adopted daughter_.

No longer was she Sally's son.

No longer was she even biologically related to the woman.

No longer was she a boy in any sense, according to the media.

No longer was she Percy Jackson.

Now she was simply Asteria, adopted daughter of the world's most famous lesbian couple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On her thirteenth birthday, Asteria decided that she needed some breathing room, and so she started an argument using the God-honest truth as her arguments. Sally didn't believe her, duh, and Marian played it all off very well, but the result was exactly what Asteria wanted.

Time away from this nightmare.

Granted, her egg-carrier taking charge of the situation was indeed something unexpected, but not wholly unmanageable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _2006_

Asteria couldn't believe there was a biological girl with balls this big. Clarisse La Rue had just asked her, to her face, in front of everyone in the hallway—practically screaming the question—if she licked pussy as well as her mom…both of them.

While she didn't give a single iota of care for those two, the blow to her personal self would not stand, and that vicious side of her made itself known. Her face twisted up into a lopsided grin found on malicious imps and her eyes seemingly changed color, going from sea green, to venomous green. The air thrummed with danger.

"Licking pussy…yes, you would know much about the art, wouldn't you? Your father makes you lick his frequently, so I am told. Oops, sorry, yours left. He took one look at your revolting body and promptly left in search of a woman who could give him a much more aesthetically pleasing child. I did some research, and it turns out that your father is currently living in Tennessee with a young wife and two growing boys. There's not a picture or a mention of you anywhere. But back to pussy licking, isn't your mother the only pussy you can get?"

Now, none of this would have been nearly as scathing if not for the simple fact that all of it was true. Clarisse's father had indeed left her and her mother, moved to Tennessee, and was currently paying child support while also raising twin boys with a Southern broad, while back at home, Clarisse's mom had been rendered depraved, and used her daughter's face as a sexual stimulant.

As all of this hit home, and touched very sensitive buttons, Clarisse La Rue ran away from the scene, openly crying.

The crowd dispersed, all of them muttering among themselves.

Asteria melted into the throngs. She still had world geography she needed to get to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It seemed that word failed to carry to two other individuals, because Asteria had to put down a girl by the name of Drew Tanaka and a boy by the name of Octavian Augustus, only with Octavian she wasn't feeling any sense of pity or remorse, and broke out the big guns from the very beginning, and the lanky teen ended up committing suicide.

Not that Asteria cared. Little shit tried to get in her pants by spinning the situation so that the only to prove she wasn't gay like her moms was by giving up her virginity to him. The only highlight to this anecdote was that Mr. and Mrs. Augustus tried to press charges, only for Asteria's help to turn them down.

The trans girl hardly spent her every waking moment in the confines of her boarding school, and Google searches yielded all information that she needed regarding nearby judges, sheriffs, police officers, and the school board. How convenient they all had something to hide, and were willing to do anything to keep it hidden.

The Augustus's, after being denied all basic rights to trial, took matters into their own hands.

Which was why Asteria was being held at gunpoint by angry parents.

She didn't show any fear, she didn't even _feel_ any fear. She even made it easy for Mr. Augustus and put her forehead to the barrel of his shotgun. "Come on, lardass. You gonna be a pussy like your son and chicken out of life? Just know that when you two get to Hell, I'll be there waiting for you."

Then she gave her impish grin.

"Any words for Satan you feel like sharing? I'll be sure to relay the message."

The man and his wife were horrified by the girl's words, and their moment of Delay was their downfall. The door to the classroom they were in was knocked down, SWAT units at the door. Questions were not asked nor were any words shared. Bullets flew, and the walls were treated to a new red paintjob.

Did Asteria care as she indirectly caused the deaths of two people? A little…their blood was on her face, and that was gross.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _2007_

Asteria sat behind the only other smart person in this entire boring boarding school. Annabeth Chase was her academic rival, and they would be tied for first instead of being stacked as they were, for the simple reason that Annabeth had a 99.6 in this math class because she had once offended the teacher by teaching better than she did, and said teacher refused to round the grade up.

So, where Asteria sat with straight 100s, Annabeth had 100s and a single 99, which put her at Number Two, and Asteria at Number One.

Speaking of Numbers 1 and 2, and their urban dictionary definitions…sweet Christ this girl had one hell of a thought process.

Asteria sat transfixed and staring at Annabeth's head as the girl's head went wild with recollections, memories, speculations, thoughts, and theories. But the most interest thing running through those synapses was thoughts about Asteria reading her mind and finding out about her secret attraction to diapers…or pull-ups.

Oh, the irony.

Still, as much as she was trying to figure out just how she felt about knowing Annabeth's dirty little secret, there was one thing in that head of hers that struck a chord, and that was her standing with her parents…or lack thereof. Asteria saw in front of her a kindred spirit, one that had been slighted by the world and her genetic material donors, and instead of whining and complaining about it on Tumblr and Facebook, she hardened her heart and moved on, even going so far as to add an extra middle finger to the world's face by adopting a quirk as odd as Asteria herself.

A diaper-lover and a tranny…sounded like the beginning of a joke.

Asteria mulled over what she could do with this, and she decided that she couldn't let this pass. She couldn't let this girl, this one person who might be able to understand and help her in her war against Janssen, slip away. This was their last year of junior high, and there was no telling if they would end up in the same school next year, so any foundation had to be laid now.

Just how to do that though…

…Asteria hated herself, but this was the only way she could really get Annabeth's attention. She tapped the girl, and when she turned around, Asteria whispered a little jingle that had the desired effect.

"I see London, I see France…" she even put on her vicious face for added hostility so the cute blonde would get the message. Now for the part that sucked—but only in this case—blackmail. "Unless you want people finding out about your padded secret, you'll follow me after the bell rings."

She leaned back in her chair with a victorious smirk, but on the inside, she was kicking herself. She only used blackmail against people that she needed under her thumb, but she didn't want Annabeth under thumb. She actually wanted the blonde as an ally, something of a friend, even.

Huh, if this went over well, Annabeth would be Asteria's very first friend…

The bell rang, and Asteria lead Annabeth to the office, through that, and eventually into the teacher's private lounge where, with a jerk of her thumb, she sent all these people, these mongrels with affairs, fetishes, illegitimate children, etc., packing for the hills. All the while, Asteria was reading Annabeth's mind, and felt just a little guilty at the mental turmoil she was putting the girl through.

In the bathroom, after locking the door, Asteria literally had no other idea how to handle this situation, so she put on her vicious look, and went to town the only way she knew how when it came to social interactions.

"So kid…diapers? How'd that happen?" Of course, she already knew, but she wanted to know if Annabeth was dumb enough to come clean right off the bat and truly expose herself, or if she would put up a fight like a smart and strong person.

"I was in a car accident when I was younger…now I'm in continent. And they're pull-ups, not diapers."

Technically they were Goodnites, but anyway. Asteria felt that she needed to do more prodding, and her impish grin became teasing. "How long have you been waiting to use that little lie?"

Annabeth's grey eyes hardened as she went on the defensive. "Excuse me? How dare you say that to my face! Why would I _lie_ about this?"

Asteria was almost over the moon with this girl's will to remain strong in the face of overwhelming humiliation. Even when she knew she was caught, she was still coming up with ways to get herself out without incriminating herself as a diaper-lover. Still though…how well did she handle crushing defeat and blatant exposure.

"Lots of reasons. But let's take a moment to talk about your other lies, hm? Being punished, lost a bet, performing a social experiment, doing a class project, and my personal favorite: modelling for a diaper-making company."

And there it was. The wide eyes, the pale face, the open mouth…the face of shock and defeat. Now, Asteria was ready to defend herself from a verbal and physical onslaught, but she also wasn't surprised by the broken speech.

"You can read minds…how…?"

Now that the testing was out of the way, Asteria let her honest side show and felt that now was the time for the beginning stages of a friendship, and nothing worked better than the truth…or most of it.

"Let's just say that not every project MKUltra tried was a failure." Asteria learned the cause of her telepathy some years ago during a routine dive into the Director's head, which is probably where that vicious side of her originated. Mental melding of personalities, maybe?

"Anyway, I apologize. That was rude of me, exploiting you like that. I blame that bitch, Janssen."

Oh yeah, Asteria blamed that bitch for many things, her entire life being one of them. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, a terrible one that would either bring Annabeth in or send her packing. The very thought of this unknown outcome brought a strange thrill to Asteria, and it made her impish grin return in exhilaration.

"Well, I know your secret. It's only fair you know mine."

With that, the step-daughter of the Devil grabbed her potential friend's hand, and brought it to her genitals. This was it, the ultimate show of trust that Asteria was capable of. The only people that knew of her own secret were Sally and Marian, and now Annabeth was going to be added to that list. It was make it or break t right here, and even though her eyes were wild and her grin devious, on the inside she was a wreck.

' _Please…please don't hate me!'_

Annabeth's hand made contact, and she jerked away immediately. She was shocked and wide-eyed, and her thoughts were incoherent and wild, but she wasn't running…not yet, anyway. Instead, she was simply confused and struggling to make sense of what was happening around her. Asteria didn't blame her; hell, if she was in her position, she would be shocked too to learn that the prettiest girl in this school was packing heat downstairs.

"You're a _boy_?" Annabeth finally managed among her stuttering.

Asteria honestly didn't know if that was true anymore, but she played it off like she did with anything else.

"Well, given just how pretty I am and how many boys look at my ass, I don't think boy is a good way to describe me anymore." Once again, she blamed that bitch, Janssen. At Annabeth's silence, Asteria continued, "Let's just say that my life isn't as great as the media makes it out to be. My real name's Percy Jackson, and I want to take you out on a date tonight."

' _That way, I can finally open up to someone that I trust.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that is how Asteria's story goes. Notice how I did not tell you how it ended. Telling would be spoiling you guys, and so many of you do not like spoilers.**_

 _ **The next chapter will be Annabeth's Story, detailing her upbringing and her development, as well as her date with the most dangerous girl on the planet.**_

 _ **No idea when that will be out, maybe sooner, maybe later.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	76. Xenophobic: Story of Annabeth

_Xenophobic: Story of Annabeth_

 _ **To everyone asking why there is such detail and attention to a side-arc, when the apparent ultimate ending is mass-murder, I will tell you this:**_

 _ **There are reasons.**_

 _ **One, I'm trying more of a narrative/dramatic author style, focusing more on day-to-day problems and the stark reality of the current time to see how it goes, before mopping up any potential mess with Shin'en Ex Machina. Two, I want to, simple as that. Three,**_ **Xenophobic** _ **is an idea I've had for a while, and here's an opportunity to water it down. Four, and finally…there are certain individuals that know what**_ **Xenophobic** _ **is and what it stands for, and if they feel like dropping a Review or meticulously PMing everyone about it is up to them.**_

 _ **Just know that there's a reason for**_ **Xenophobic,** _ **and depending on how well it goes, I will reveal that reason.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annabeth only vaguely recalled her birth mother. A distant conversation, jumbled words, a blurry image…but there was one thing she remembered with clear distinction, and that was a pair of eyes. Grey eyes.

Her own eyes.

No, Annabeth did not know anything about her birth mother; there were no photos, no mementos, nothing about the house that even hinted at there being a mother in this house. Hell, one could've been forgiven for thinking Annabeth had simply appeared out of thin air. But even so, even with zero knowledge of what to expect from a maternal figure, Annabeth knew from Second One that Erin Stacy was the Devil incarnate.

Bleach blonde, manicure, pedicure, taste for the finer things in life, and worst of all: air-head on the outside, complete douchebag on the inside. Erin had Frederick wrapped around her finger, and testicles deep in her anus, esophagus, and uterus.

All at the same time.

Annabeth was just a few weeks beyond two years, and she could speak in coherent sentences and had enough understanding of her current situation to know that she was screwed out of her decent life. Decent as in her father never said 'I love you,' but he didn't throw her out and provided her with the basic necessities of life.

However, everything truly went straight to hell after the twins were born, Bobby and Mathew. Annabeth was three when those inbreeds were dragged out of Erin's cooter, and she would've been just fine with them dying in that shriveled up womb.

But anyway.

Being forgotten gave Annabeth time to grow unrestrained. While her parents were busy changing diapers and fixing bottles, the little blonde was memorizing passages out of dictionaries and encyclopedias, combing through Wiki after Wiki, digesting and soaking up exabytes of knowledge without end. And yet, even with her rapidly increasing intelligence and steadily growing maturity, she was still a six-year-old girl that shared something with all six-year-old's:

A desire for the love and recognition of her parents.

After not getting for all her life, her psyche moved on to the most idiotic thing it could have ever chosen.

At six years, she was sitting atop her decaying excuse for a bed, her door wide open, making notes in a WWII history book, when she saw something that made her sick and jealous…and sick at herself for feeling jealous.

Across the hall was the twins' room. At three years old they were still glued to diapers because they didn't want to go through effort of potty training, and Erin was content with whatever decision her baby boys made, especially if it kept them as baby-like as possible for as long as possible. It didn't help that Frederick had read an article about a study that said it was detrimental to a child's mental health and stability to rush their potty training, to which Erin just bobbed her head, seeing that as the perfect excuse to keep the scent of baby powder fresh and strong within the house.

All Annabeth smelled was dirty diapers.

Speaking of dirty diapers, Annabeth was currently watching an episode of those things being changed. No, she was not jealous of her half-brothers wearing diapers; no, she was not jealous of the fact that they had zero care in the world; no, what Annabeth was jealous of was all the fawning and love they were getting in six minutes than she had in six years for the simple fact that they were getting their diapers changed.

Because they were so stupid and moronic that they couldn't control their own bodily functions, that garnered them affection beyond anything she would ever receive?

…

The thing Annabeth hated most in all this was the fact that she was jealous of those inbreeds at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that same night, Annabeth was so mad at herself for what she was doing that if she saw a clone of herself in that exact moment, she would've killed it with unrestrained violence. The Chase girl crept into the twins' room, careful not to make any noises that would register on the monitor or wake the toddlers. Little inbreeds were still together in a singular crib.

Although it did leave Annabeth with much breathing room.

The funniest thing about this room was that while there was one crib, there were two changing tables. Whatever, it made things easier. The way the tables were made was that underneath the mat was an open space for immediate supplies with cabinets underneath that for the bulk of everything. The design made it easy for Annabeth to grab one of the diapers and slip out of the twins' room and into the bathroom where she shut the door and locked it.

She didn't turn on the main light, but was content to let the nightlamp illuminate the bathroom. It wasn't like she needed much light for what she was doing.

Annabeth examined the garment in her hands. It was primarily white, but was decorated with depictions of Mickey Mouse and little shapes. It was the biggest size Huggies offered, but it longer from top to bottom than Annabeth's biggest pair of underwear. She unfolded the diaper, and its scent wafted into her nose unbidden, and with it came revulsion at herself for even going that far with this.

Annabeth ran her finger along the inside, noting the soft texture. Of course, it was soft—it was supposed to go around a young child's _gluteus maximus_. For a fleeting instant, Annabeth wondered what it would feel like around her own bottom, but she squashed that little thought bunny before it could get any bigger.

What was she even doing with this, Annabeth raved to herself. This is for children barely old enough to walk, let alone someone as intelligent and mature as she was.

 _But then why are you up this late?_ A traitorous voice whispered. _Why go through the trouble of stealing this knowing that it can't be put back as you found it, knowing that running water into it and then putting it in the trash will be noticed? What…are you jealous of the babies? Do you want to put it on yourself so Mommy and Daddy can give you all the wove and affection you crave? Does widdle Annie wanna be a baby again?_

Annabeth caught sight of herself in the mirror, and if she didn't feel how her facial muscles were clenched, pulled, and arranged, she would've thought she was looking at a beast. She was snarling, her teeth bared and her nose wrinkled, all like a wolf. Her eyes had become such a dark grey they seemed black in the low light of the bathroom. The nightlamp cast a shadow across her face, one that only accentuated her animalistic features.

It looked like she had just murdered someone in cold blood, and was infuriated enough to kill again and again until she was put down like the raving beast she looked like.

Annabeth looked back at the diaper, schooling herself. The anthropomorphic twat was just smiling widely at her, inviting her to put it on. Honestly though, other than a serious blow to her pride and ego, what would it cost to wear this thing for a little bit? What was the harm in getting just a tiny piece of that life that she would never have?

As she pondered this and came to a decision, Annabeth locked eyes with her reflection one more time.

"I'm out of my mind…"

Annabeth dropped her sleepwear from her waist, and brought the diaper between her legs.

During the whole process, she felt the most intense self-loathing she had ever felt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annabeth supposed this was the greatest testament to her parents' inability to pay attention to her. Against all pretense telling her not to, Annabeth wore the diaper through the night, into the morning, through the next day, and into the next night, where she filled it up with lemonade made from a water bottle and flavored powder, and a wet, crumpled piece of cardboard that resembled feces.

The cardboard in question was actually an empty toilet paper roll taken from the mall bathroom. The thing was almost empty anyway, so it worked out in the end.

Annabeth then calmly disposed of the 'dirty' diaper in the dark of the night. The morning was trash day, so one more diaper in the pail wouldn't be noticed by the groggy Frederick Chase as he took out the trash.

During this whole time, Annabeth flew under the radar, completely incognito, and her taboo underwear a simple anonymity. Her parents didn't notice, the public didn't notice, and hell, after a while, Annabeth barely noticed she was wearing a diaper either.

And the scariest part?

She enjoyed it. She enjoyed its snugness, it softness, the way it fit—all of which was leagues beyond the too-small pairs of panties she battled on a daily basis. It made her sick to think that she liked wearing diapers because they were a better option of underwear compared to her current cloth garments, but that was the truth of the matter.

Then again, how bad of a reflection did it cast on her parents to where their six-year-old daughter found baby diapers better underwear than the ones they bought for her…two years ago.

Something changed in Annabeth, that day. Something psychological, something about her psyche. Something changed in her head that day that would redefine her entire being and would resound within her for years to come. Perhaps something in her died that day as well. Perhaps it was the last vestiges of any hope she had for living a happy life of recognition and attention, but who knew for sure?

To put it in a metaphorical sense, the fire Annabeth had for that phantasm of a happy life had burned itself…no, it hadn't burned out. It had been murdered, killed, and consumed by another fire, one far bigger and more powerful.

This new fire would drive Annabeth to become a shop lifter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It would be the following weekend that Annabeth committed her first of many acts of theft, and her reasoning behind her crimes would be experiments. Diapers were juvenile and designed for babies, and while Annabeth would be the first to admit what she was doing was retarded and stupid, she wanted to save a little face and move a little higher on the totem pole.

Granted, training pants weren't much better, but still.

Experiments. See what was better than what.

Even with her cause in mind, that still didn't stop Annabeth's heart from hammering against her chest. Upon entering the Walmart, and then proceeding to go the complete opposite side of the store from Annabeth's destination, she put her plan into action.

"Frederick, Erin, may I go to the bathroom?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure…"

That was her sperm donator, and he wasn't even paying attention. His wife was busy checking the ingredients of different hair shampoo. They didn't even notice they were called by name. Annabeth felt vindictive.

"Too late, I already pooped my pants."

"Huh? That's good, that's good…"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and melted into the throngs. It was the weekend, and the store was crowded with shoppers stocking up for the week. Navigating the crowds and the floors wasn't hard, but upon reaching the diaper aisle, Annabeth was close to having a heart attack.

Looking behind her gave a clear view to the main walkway, looking to the side of her gave her a view straight the groceries. The only saving grace was that to her left was where the shoes were, and the store had put a shelf there to divide the baby things from the footwear. Back to the behind and the right, whoever designed the flooring did a good job; there wasn't a blind spot one, making Annabeth's only shield the peoples' inability to pay attention beyond their own little world.

Annabeth looked in front of her, tuning out the world. The shelf with all the diapers was before her, everything from the Goodnites Sleep Pants to the Pampers Newborns. Her heart thundered against her as her mind went wild with logical thoughts of _why not to do this_.

If an employee saw her, then what? She wasn't a teen or an adult, she was a child; there was nothing threatening about her body that deter anyone from saying something. What would the employee do? Take her to the front and call her parents, or the manager, or the police?

If another customer saw her, what would they do? Tell someone that worked here, or accost her themselves? Then what would they say? Would they attempt to march her to the front, giver her a scolding, call her parents, or forego everything and just outright kidnap her?

And what about the evidence of the theft itself? It wasn't like Annabeth could walk out of here with an entire pack of Huggies under her shirt, and putting on more than one pant was bound to be noticed under her shorts, so the ripped open package would have to be left here, and then what? It was bound to be found and taken somewhere. Would the security footage be reviewed up until Annabeth showed up, and then her face ID'd? Would the package be swabbed for fingerprints, and then an invoice sent to the police department?

And what about what she was doing right now, just standing here for everyone to see? No doubt they all thought she was planning someth—

No…no they weren't.

Annabeth's grey eyes darkened as her fierce sense of logic kicked in, and the argument she had built up against herself was promptly destroyed.

This was _Walmart_. Not a single employee here was paid enough to prevent shoplifting, and even if they did try something, the customer was always right, and the only way this scenario would end is with Annabeth kicking and screaming, putting on a show as the bad man or woman tried something. No, any employee that saw her doing anything would either turn away, and even the loyal/new ones would probably just try to find a manager, and that would be a fun story.

 _Hey, boss? I just saw a little girl taking pull-ups out of a package?_

 _Are you seriously bothering me with this? Get out of here and go help those other people._

… _yes, boss._

As for customers seeing her do something…just like with an employee, they wouldn't do anything either, they might glance down here and keep walking, not even comprehending what they just saw, or they might comprehend and just not care, content to gossip and judge amongst their party about the girl stealing pull-ups.

And the 'evidence?' Psh, this was freaking _Walmart_ , Stuff was broken into here all the time. This place probably lost over a thousand dollars a week in damaged goods, and one torn open package of training pants was hardly going to be missed since for every hundred dollars this lost, they made several thousand more.

Finally, to address the people who had seen her standing here, she was a child. She had the benefit of youth on her side, and her clothes weren't exactly shiny and new. If anything, they were dingy and old. Anyone who saw her here most likely thought she was helping out Mom and Dad (or just Mom/just Dad) by getting diapers for her younger siblings, or was getting pull-ups/bedtime pants for herself.

Either way…Annabeth marveled at her ability to successfully argue with herself.

However, even with her newfound logic in all this, that still did not stop her from being nervous and apprehensive. The flip side to all this was that she was still about to steal pull-ups of all things, and there was something inherently degrading and pathetic in that act alone…but this was an experiment. A new chapter in a new part of her life, a part of her life that had nothing to do with her negligent fountainhead and step-whore.

With _those_ thoughts in mind, Annabeth reached for the Huggies, and her movements became erratic and wild. She herself wasn't sure what she did, but she was aware of walking at a quick speed to the bathroom near where she was, at the back of the store, with a hand on the hem of her shirt to pull it away from her body, so that the outline of her theft tucked into the waistband of her shorts wouldn't be so easily visible.

With luck on her side, Annabeth made it to the family bathroom to find it unoccupied. She entered and locked the door behind her.

The blonde leaned against the door, a hand on her chest. She could feel her heart doing a crescendo, and slowly coming down. For a reason she couldn't comprehend, that had been _fun_. The adrenaline, the thrill, the knowing that she was committing a crime, yet still doing it, _and not getting caught_.

Not yet, anyway.

With that very real thought, Annabeth got down to business.

The family bathroom was remarkably clean, most likely because no one came in here that often, so Annabeth had few reservations about removing her shoes, shorts and panties. But she left her socks on.

Annabeth examined her underwear. Disney princess themed, too small, squeezed her legs and waist, restricted her breathing from time to time, and they rode up in places they shouldn't be in very painful ways.

Annabeth threw them in the trash.

She picked up her stolen goods and looked at them. More princesses, which made her frown at the irony in this, hot pink sides that stretched, same feel as the twins' diapers, and a bunch of flowers at the crotch. Nothing special, especially not in the way of aesthetics. Still, this was an experiment, and she had thrown away her panties, so…

Not a lot of options.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annabeth went straight for the checkout lines. Her biggest concern was that someone might notice her walking funny, or her shorts looked off, but then again…why were you looking at a six-year-old girl's butt?

The blonde found her fountainhead and step-whore checking out, most likely not even noticing that she was gone or hadn't arrived yet. When she got within earshot, she picked up a most life-altering conversation between the two that provided her with a roof over her head.

"Can you believe that?" Erin said. "Someone stealing diapers?"

"I know, honey," Frederick responded. "It takes a sick degenerate to do something like that."

In spite of herself, Annabeth _grinned_. It was full of rue, malice, and an appreciation for the dramatic irony and irony itself. So _she_ was a sick degenerate? Fine, she was wearing a pull-up after all, for an experiment, so that was something, but then what did that makes these hypocrites? These human beings that abandoned their daughter for toddlers that weren't potty trained—didn't _want_ to be potty trained? They were so intellectually challenged, and Annabeth could write an easy detailing all of Hitler's mistakes starting from the Battle of the Bulge to the Siege of Berlin.

She was swept aside for _that_?

Fine…then she was going to be a sick degenerate by herself. It would be her secret, her life, her quirk, her happiness; it would be a part of what made her _her_ , and she wouldn't tell anyone because no one needed to know, and if she was discovered, she would make excuses, plans, backup plans; she would go to Boston and find Magnus and Natalie, or Randolph's mansion.

Her parents wanted to sweep her away and out of their lives?

Fine. Annabeth could live in the shadows of her estranged fountainhead and step-whore, and live off them and what they gave. Leech-like? Yes, but that was survival, and Annabeth would survive. In this world of hatred and prejudice and broken families…

…Annabeth would survive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was twelve now, in her last year of elementary before her parents would be sending her off to boarding school.

Annabeth had kept up her thievery and her experiments, and had kept a record of her findings and discoveries about every name brand, store brand, and off brand, but before you ask, _NO_. She did not ever, nor would she ever, _use_ her pull-ups. She already thought it was degrading enough what she did in light of a lack of a parental sense of love and acceptance, she was not about to soil herself for the sake of an experiment.

Anyway, where there had once been a thrill in the stealing, it had worn off after the third time and just became another thing. Speaking of stealing, since her parents completely forgot about her clothes problem, Annabeth had taken to stealing more than just pull-ups, but entire outfits as well (including panties—she didn't want training pants to be her only source of underwear). Her closet was filled with more ill-gotten objects than anything now.

While she didn't _use_ use her pull-ups, she had taken to wearing them to school and the like. At first it had been for a thrill, the rush of knowing something everyone else didn't, of having a dirty little secret that could only break her…but like her stealing, the thrill wore off and it became just another thing she could do at her leisure.

Of course, she did have to mix up her targets. She couldn't simply steal from the same Walmart every time she was there. The people might have detested working there, but even they couldn't ignore a string of diaper-related thefts on an almost weekly basis. Luckily there were plenty of Targets, Super Kroger's, Yorkshires, Dollar Generals, and CVS Pharmacies in the area that Annabeth could steal away the car for.

She taught herself how to drive at night when her parents were asleep.

Good times.

Speaking of time, when was this damn class going to _end!?_ It was math, and the teacher was going over how to multiply and divide fractions and then turn them into percentages for _fifth freaking day in a row_ , because the **less intellectually inclined** were wholly incapable of understanding simple numbers.

And God forbid they ever get to equations and formulas. These idiots couldn't plug numbers in to save their lives.

Annabeth rested her head on her fist, and chose to occupy her time by looking out the window…to a cityscape of sprawling skyscrapers and bustling cars. Yeah, no sign of nature here, except for the potted plant wilting away in the windowsill.

The blonde began to ponder what she was going to do with her life…but she didn't get to ponder for long before, inexplicably, her pants began to warm up, like something was flowing into them.

Annabeth's eyes shot wide open as sensation engulfed her awareness. How could she bewetting herself without feeling the need to go!? Wait, no…that didn't make sense. She had gone this morning, and she hadn't ingested any fluids in over six hours, so it was biologically impossible that she was involuntarily urinating. Besides that, based on the rate at which she felt her pull-up expanding, this wasn't urine.

It could only be one other thing.

After excusing herself to the bathroom (and ignoring a snide comment about Annie needing to shit), Annabeth calmly traversed her way through the school and to the front office, wherein the nurse's facilities lay. The blonde quietly slipped through the office, and all the ladies were busy anyway, and slipped into the clinic.

The nurse was a nice, older woman who had once been an army medic during Vietnam, but she surprisingly wasn't a hardass. If anything, she was this elementary school's personal grandmother.

"Ah, Annie!" She was also the only person allowed in this place to call her that. "What can I help you with today?"

With a kind smile, Annabeth said, "I think I may have started my period."

Nurse Goodwin's smile toned itself down into that one of unconditional understanding that only another woman could pull off. Her wise eyes drifted down to Annabeth's pants, and her brow furrowed at the lack of a bloodstain. "Wearing a pad already, Annie?"

"Something like that. May I use the restroom here?"

"Of course, of course. If you need any help, just press the button inside."

The school had installed a system within the clinic's bathroom that by pressing a button by the toilet, a light would come on by Goodwin's computer. The idea in mind was for children who had made a mess in there and needed help, to get it without having to the leave the bathroom and risk embarrassing exposure.

Inside the bathroom itself was a sink and cabinet combination built into the wall, with a large mirror in the standard location. To the immediate right, on the wall, was a shelf with changes of clothes on it, and the left was a wall with nothing on it. There was a door also to the right that was locked from the inside, but on the other side was entrance to the hallway back to the main office. On the other side of the sink was a stall with a toilet in it.

Privacy within a sealed room. Annabeth like to think it was nifty.

Planting herself on the toilet, she unbuttoned her pants and slid them down, and after them came her panties (which she always wore over her pull-up for an added layer of obscurity, and situations like this in which she needed to ditch the padding), and then came the trainers.

Usually, the insides of these things were pristine white or varying shades of yellow, and even though Annabeth had mentally prepared for the inevitability of her period and the possibility of bleeding into a pair of training pants, it was still highly unsettling to see the padding stained varying shades of crimson.

Although the scariest part was the sound of liquid steadily splashing upon liquid.

She wasn't done bleeding yet, and considering how there was almost a standing puddle in the pull-up, Annabeth came to a simple conclusion: she was a heavy bleeder.

…at least her insides didn't hurt. Yet.

Seeing that there was nothing else she could do in light of the situation, Annabeth resigned herself to sit there and let her body work itself out. To occupy her time, she reminisced about what had just happened.

She started her period, and it appeared her flow was greater than what was otherwise considered the norm, but regardless of that, if she hadn't been wearing her trainers just then, she would've easily bled straight through her pants and into the seat, and the seat would've overflowed, and someone would've noticed, and that would've led to cellphones out and pictures taken, pictures that would be shared all over the place, ensuring that Annabeth's bloody state was known by all.

Endless teasing most likely would've ensued.

The lesson learned here: pull-ups made for surprisingly effective feminine hygiene products…then again, pads were, essentially, diapers in and of themselves, what with them being made of soft, absorbent material that was localized around an excretory zone.

Annabeth suddenly made another revelation: why waste money on (or the effort of stealing) pads/tampons, when she had probably in the neighborhood of twenty pull-ups hidden away in her room? Yes, it was unconventional, but they did the same job, didn't they? Only they were bigger, a bit snugger, and easier to change.

…

Annabeth made yet a third revelation that day: she needed professional help.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emerging from the bathroom, she found Nurse Goodwin waiting for her, the clinic door shut, and the blinds to the window closed, giving total privacy. Annabeth raised a brow.

"Uh, pardon me, but…what is all this?"

"Me creating an environment in which we can talk uninhibited by thoughts of being spied upon by those outside. Please, sit. I wish to talk to you, if that's alright."

"Of course." Annabeth sat down on one of the beds.

"Now," the Nurse said gently, "I want you to know that anything said here is between us and only us, and you can answer any question you want to, and not answer any question you want to."

Annabeth had a feeling she knew where this was going, and so she cut to the...(bad pun), "Yes, I was wearing a pull-up."

Nurse Goodwin nodded. "I was going to ask if it was a diaper, but that works just the same. Wondering how I knew?"

"Sure."

"I've been around a long time, sweetheart, and I've raised children, grandchildren, and babysat more children than I can remember. I know what a diapered bottom looks like, which leads me to my question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to. My question is: why?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I want to, I like the way feel, just like any girl who picks out any underwear will tell you. They pick that kind because they like it, and I just like something considered unconventional. Sue me."

"If the people at those stores you've been visiting find out, that may just happen."

Annabeth paled.

Nurse Goodwin chuckled. "I've got friends and I know people. I've babysat half the management in this town, and the other half was their parents that hired me. I know they've noticed the string in diaper thefts over the years, and now they're a little more watchful of those areas."

"Are you going to turn me in?"

Goodwin snorted. "If they can't catch a preteen girl doing some shoplifting, it ain't worth the oxygen to tell them about it. However, I do not condone you stealing," Annabeth's face fell just a little, "so little at a time. Come on, kiddo, what is it? One? Two pairs at once? You gotta pump those numbers up, kid. Those are rookie numbers."

Beyond shocked at her only familial figure encouraging her to steal, Annabeth barely warbled out a counterargument. "B-But the alarms at the door…if I don't get the barcode scanned by a cashier, they'll ring and—"

The Nurse laughed. "Oh, baby! Let me tell you a little secret about barcodes and scanners: scanning the barcode does nothing besides ring up the price; it doesn't deactivate some countermeasure, and going through the alarms with an unscanned item isn't going to trip anything. Those machines only beep at you if they detect magnets, like videogames, DVDs, and the like. Regular products like candy bars and diapers will get through just fine. So, any plans on how to get a major score?"

Annabeth thought about it. "I could bring a plastic bag from home, or grab one from the front, and then put the pull-ups in that…"

"Good, good…and if you're asked for a receipt?"

"I can forge one by taking the next few ones that are received from the next shopping excursions, cutting them and taping them in a way that makes it an appropriate length for a single pack of pull-ups, or I can take one from the trash at literally any place that sells things."

Annabeth palmed her face. "Why haven't I ever thought of this before?"

"Because you're a good person who doesn't want to steal en masse."

"Yeah, about that. Why are you encouraging this?"

"It amuses me to watch a young girl run circles around grown men and women with college degrees. Seriously, the store managers of Walmart, Target, Yorkshires and Kroger's think there's a gang in town whose MO is ripping up packages of diapers."

Annabeth smiled herself. "That _is_ funny."

"Yep. Anyway, so you started your period but was wearing a diaper?"

"Pull-up, but yeah. I was in the middle of class when it just started getting warmer all of a sudden."

Nurse Goodwin nodded sagely. "Yes, every girl's is different. Have any questions or concerns to ask me?"

"…from when I started bleeding to just a few minutes ago, I never stopped. The less aid about the toilet water and my pull-up the better."

"Sounds like you're a heavy bleeder then."

"Yeah, I figured as much too. Any recommendations?"

"They make pads specifically for heavy flowers, but I think you already know something about heavy pads."

"Yeah…is it really okay for a girl to where diapers and pull-ups for her period?"

"Arguable, really, like all things. Is it really okay to smoke and drink? No. Is it okay to do those things and drive? No. Is it really okay to have underage sex, do drugs, and break the law? Hell no…but does that stop people from doing it anyway?"

"No."

"No," Nurse Goodwin nodded. "So to answer your question: someone will say yes it's okay, and someone will say no it's not okay."

"What do you say?"

"I say I don't care, and I say that because I have a philosophy that I live by and have lived by for many years now: keep your private things private, and there will be no judgement." Nurse Goodwin elaborated.

"Let's say your gay. Being gay isn't alright today, is it? And if you're gay you get hated and beat up for it, don't you? Well, let's say you don't publicly announce you're gay, and you keep it to yourself and only go out in public with your gay-buddy as friends. You don't kiss, you don't hug, you don't even touch. Doing that, will anyone think you and your gay-buddy are friends?"

"Probably not."

"Probably not, no. But when you get home in private, then does it matter?"

"No."

"Why is that?"

"Because it's private," Annabeth said simply. "What they don't know doesn't hurt, ignorance is bliss and all that. I get it now."

Nurse Goodwin smiled. "Explain it to me."

"People can't get onto you for being different or out of the norm, and they won't know you're out of the norm unless you say or do something blatantly out of the norm. Essentially, you can do and be whatever you want to, in private, behind closed doors, but when you're out in public, keep it to yourself."

"Bingo."

"So whether or not it's okay I wear pull-ups for my period doesn't matter, as long as I keep it to myself and don't tell anyone."

Nurse Goodwin got up from her chair and stood in front of Annabeth. The woman looked old in this lighting. Her wrinkles were more pronounced, her eyes more tired, her hair frazzier and more unkempt. She gently placed her hands on Annabeth's shoulders, but her grip was firm.

"Annabeth…please, if you ever do something for me in your life— _any_ one thing at all—let it be to spread this little philosophy of mine." Nurse Goodwin took one of the blonde's hands in both of her withered ones. "Can you do that?"

Annabeth saw the desperation and hope in those old eyes…and the sadness. She asked in a small voice, "Who did you lose?"

Nurse Goodwin smiled a melancholy smile, and sat down next to Annabeth after releasing her hand.

"My grandson," she said wistfully. "He was a skinny thing, about as masculine as a princess, and was dutifully gay…I blame it on not having a father there to raise him, but anyway. He posted online that he was gay and looking for a relationship, and he got a request for a meetup. Against his mother's word, he went alone and without so much as pepper spray…they didn't find his body till four days after he disappeared, more busted up than Emmett Till. There were supposedly witnesses, but no one gave up any details about the murderer of a fag, and the online account was a fake one that dead ended. Whoever murdered my grandson got away scot free and is still unknown today."

Nurse Goodwin blinked away a single tear.

"All of that could've been avoided if he had just kept it to himself." She looked at the glassy-eyed child, and what she said next would resonate in the blonde for years to come.

"No one actually cares if you're different, Annabeth. They'll only care if you're different when you tell them about it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, before anyone asks why there was such a long segment about periods and pull-ups, it was because I was overly building up to the ultimate climax of Nurse Goodwin's philosophy using a situation and some details.**_

 _ **Ladies, if there are any that read this fucked up stuff of mine, I am not at all saying you should wear diapers or the like for your periods, but like the Nurse said, we don't care if you do, as long as you keep it to yourself.**_

 _ **Anyway, how was the chapter? I like to think Annabeth is weird and needs a psychiatrist, but I also think to fully grasp Annabeth's character in this you need to understand her psychology. Neglected by her parents for her brothers, seeing them get treated with so much love just because they wear diapers, and then wanting just a small piece of that love for herself which leads to a life-altering event performed in the name of a science experiment.**_

 _ **I honestly only expect people who have a decent grasp of psychology to understand Annabeth's motivation in this, and the others to simply say that she's just fucked in the head, but whatever.**_

 _ **Next chapter, is the date, a time skip, and the introduction of Shin'en into this world.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	77. Xenophobic: Abyssal Entrance

_Xenophobic: Abyssal Entrance_

 _ **Whew. A study had been performed, and the results indicate displeasure with the current arc, and the reasons for this displeasure seem to originate from a lack of Shin'en and general nonconformity**_

 _ **Good news: Shin'en reappears in this chapter, and is here to stay.**_

 _ **Bad news: I'm still not conforming.**_

 _ **It's also come to my attention that very few people read the top AN, because I'm still getting questions about why there is so much detail to this arc than there was in the others. See answers at the very bottom of this chapter.**_

 _ **To the Guest Reviewer who calls themselves Matt: I have seen a psychiatrist; I scared her away. Also, I live in the 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **Century…I'm already in Hell. And you're here with me, so I guess we might as well play nice for now.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _My name's Percy Jackson, and I want to take you out on a date tonight."_

Annabeth never thought that she would ever be asked out by anyone, let alone a millionaire telepath. She was too cold, too smart, and too closed-up to be seen as approachable by anyone. Sure, she knew she was desirable, she caught enough boys staring at her chest and her rear to know that, but approachable?

Not at all.

Besides, she didn't have time for dating. She was going to get through school, get a part-time job to make a little money, get into whatever college she could that offered an architectural degree, achieve said degree, and begin work at the first place she could find so that she could move out of her current living quarters and begin a new life far, far away from the broken hovel she lived in now.

Yet here she was, dressing in her nicest jeans, her nicest shirt, and her nicest shoes. She was previously worried about having to wear a dress, but a text from her date tonight said to dress casually classy, and Annabeth wasn't about to argue with the school's resident demoness. In addition to wearing her nicest casual clothes, she was also wearing the nicest pair of underwear she had, and was forgoing her preferred trainers tonight.

A false date though this may have been, it was still her first date, and she was going to be professional about it.

Looking at her clock after one more check-over, Annabeth saw that it was time to head out to the meeting place nearby. The reason behind a meeting place was because the time of the date was past the boarding school's curfew, and while Asteria clearly had total control of the facility, Annabeth was a thief, and therefore paranoid about being caught doing anything otherwise illegal.

Hence a rendezvous location for her to arrive at on time.

With a deep breath to calm her nerves and steel herself for a date—a new experience—she exited her dorm. The halls were silent as one would expect of this time, and were also empty. Empty as in not even the staff were patrolling the halls for any rulebreakers as they usually did.

Okay, Asteria _really_ had some power of this place.

Without any obstacles to maneuver about, Annabeth was ten minutes early to the meeting spot, but Asteria was already there…leaning on a 1960s Mustang GT. It was a thing of beauty, polished black, waxed, racing stripes, gleaming rims and tires. It was a classic vehicle that screamed well-maintained.

And the thing was rumbling beautifully.

Annabeth approached, and opened her mouth. "You—"

"Yes, I can drive. Special license. No, this car was not a gift from anyone, I restored it myself. Yes, I got the money to do so from my step-mother, and while I would gladly beat her face in with a hammer, I am not opposed to using her money and her name to get what I want."

"That's not hypocritical at all."

"Meh, I'm human, and I have my flaws and quirks. Speaking of quirks, decided to be a big girl tonight?"

Annabeth decided to take what was most likely going to be a shtick in stride, and shrugged. "Little kids aren't old enough to go on dates."

Asteria snorted. "That was good, I like that."

Annabeth smiled, glad to have broken her own personal ice. She noticed what the transgendered girl in front of her was wearing. Designer jeans, a simple hoodie, and some fancy heel/sandal combo. Casually classy, like Annabeth, but there was one thing that was getting to her that she didn't want to ask, because it was something of a private question.

However, being a telepath eliminated the need to ask awkward questions.

"Yes, even though I have a dick, I am wearing girls' jeans while simultaneously not in pain. Ever heard of a gaff?"

Annabeth frowned minutely at the crass language, but she nodded her head. Yes, she knew what a gaff was; she knew a lot about a lot of things. Boredom and the internet was a dangerous thing.

"So…I bet you're wondering why I wanted us to be casual, right? Even though it's our first date."

"The thought crossed my mind."

Asteria shrugged. "As far as the world is concerned, I'm a girl, and you're a girl. If the public saw a couple of girls all dolled up and eating together in a fine restaurant, they would go nuts, and we would make people uncomfortable. That, and if the media got wind of me out with a girl, there'd be a scandal, and you'd never know a moment's peace as you're hounded by people trying to get the inside scoop of your relationship with the—" Asteria became dramatic— "adopted daughter of world renowned entrepreneur and lesbian, Marian Janssen…and I don't want that to happen to you."

Annabeth was stunned. "That is considerate of you."

The impish grin was on, and Asteria got close to the blonde. "Well, as the man in this budding relationship, I think it's my job to be considerate of my woman."

Annabeth lost the fight in resisting her own imp-like smile. "I'm not your woman yet, and with a face that cute, I think who's the man and who's not will be determined by prowess in the bedroom."

"Oh, I like you."

Asteria then stole a kiss on the cheek, and then flitted away, sliding across the hood of her car with a laugh while Annabeth stood there, shocked, at being kissed like that. _No one_ had ever kissed her, period. Not Nurse Goodwin, not her step-whore, not her half-inbreeds, and not even her father.

Literally, that was Annabeth's first kiss…and it was given to her by another girl!

…

Technically speaking, anyway. Annabeth was going to ask what pronouns Asteria preferred before she said something and the telepath got offended.

"Oi, quit worrying about my gender designation and get in! The sun's about to go down, and I don't want to miss what I want to show you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annabeth thought she was a good driver, considering she was self-taught from a young age. She could control her speed, maintain her speed, could glide to a stop at any stop sign, red light, or bumper, use her blinkers to effect, and could make just about any turn without jerking herself around.

Asteria was a speed demon with a rebellious streak the size of Texas. The entire drive to wherever she was taken them was filled with speeds never dropping below 70, red lights being run, stop signs being ignored, traffic accidents almost being caused, horns of angry drivers, and Annabeth was pretty sure they sped past a cop who for some reason didn't chase after them. Asteria said it had to do with that custom little American flag flapping from the rear of her car.

Back the Blue or something? Annabeth hadn't ever heard of it.

Which made sense because it wouldn't be around for almost a decade.

When the city began to fade into the country, and the air began to smell not of smog but of salt, Annabeth realized that Asteria was taking them to the coast…to the ocean. When she made that revelation, she noticed other things as well. They were going slower, much slower, only going 35 across the faded dirt road, and there was Asteria.

Before, when she was speeding through the streets of the city, she was tense, her knuckles white, her body locked, and her muscles tight. Her eyes were narrow, focused, and wild, and her mouth was carved into a ragged grin of adrenaline-induced ecstasy as she floored the gas and shot away into the dusk…but now she was calm.

Her body had relaxed, her eyes had lost their fire, and she was more serene than Annabeth had ever seen anyone. She looked so at peace that Annabeth couldn't help but marvel at just how beautiful this creature next to her was, and how breathtakingly stunning she was when calm.

Asteria smiled, a true, radiant grin of happiness, and Annabeth realized that the girl next to her had been reading her mind.

She blushed.

"Don't be embarrassed," Asteria said calmly. "I think you're beautiful, too."

This time, it was Annabeth's turn to smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria turned the car off and pulled out the key. "Just in time."

They were on a cliff. The ocean sang softly below, and the gentle breeze carried the smell of the water. A few meters away from the edge, amidst the grassy field, was a single oak tree, standing tall and proud in the golden light of the setting sun.

The telepath stood at the edge of the cliff, and Annabeth joined her.

"My dad used to bring me here when I was younger. It was our secret place, not even Mom knew about it…I don't think anyone else knows about it, either. No one but you and me."

The blonde swallowed as the full gravity of this situation landed upon her shoulders. This was a sacred spot to Asteria, one that might as well have been hallowed ground, and she had just shown it to a complete stranger. It was then that Annabeth realized just what she was to Asteria:

A desperate hope for someone special in her life.

"Well, as sappy as that is, you're not wrong." Annabeth looked at the transgendered child. She was looking back at her, sea green eyes practically glowing in the golden light of the sun behind them.

"I know what you've thought of me. A spoiled rich brat with attitude problems, one that has everything and acted like she owned the world because her step-mother was rich and famous, telling anyone and everyone off and snapping viciously at the slightest provocation."

Annabeth stayed silent. Yes, she had thought of Asteria like that, but now her perspective was shifting.

"You're not wrong, really. I am rich, I am spoiled, and I don't like people, or people talking to me…but I never wanted any of it. I didn't want to read minds, I didn't want my mom to get remarried, especially not to that evil scum, and I never wanted this body, or this identity."

Annabeth didn't have to voice her questions; Asteria read her mind and answered them.

"I was born to Poseidon Olympia and Sally Jackson, as a boy. My dad was a captain in the Navy, and my mom was an aspiring author—now successful for her erotic fiction and LGBT novels. When I was six, Dad died of mysterious causes, and they ruled it as suicide." Asteria snorted. "Just a few days later, Janssen stalked my mother at the store, seduced her, and got married to her.

"That bitch got it in my mom's head the wedding needed a flower girl, and since I was the only one there besides the priest, I decided to bite the bullet and make my mom happy by putting on the dress. From there, it was a downhill spiral into a world of makeup, hormones, surgeries, speech therapy, classes, and feminization. All of it culminating into the monstrosity that you see before you."

"You're not a monster," Annabeth said seriously.

A derisive smirk. "My boobs are bigger than yours, sweetie, but anyway." Asteria looked back at the ocean, and the breeze tugged at her hair.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that for all the privileges, advantages, money, and power I have in my life, it cost me everything I had. My father, my mother, my body, my face, my own identity." She smirked dryly. "The whole fucking world thinks I'm a girl that was adopted by a lesbian couple when in reality I'm the biological son of one half of that twisted relationship. Fuck me, right?"

The sun got lower, and Annabeth felt it was her turn to speak.

"I never knew my biological mother because she walked out on me when I was barely more than a baby. My dad never said he loved me, read me a bedtime story, or gave me a kiss. He never potty trained me, because I developed the ability to register those feelings by myself. He didn't even notice when he stopped buying diapers, nor did he question he was buying a package of underwear.

"After my own step-mother came in, I was all but forgotten in favor of my twin half-brothers. When I was six, I saw my parents changing the twins' diapers, both of them three and still wearing those because they didn't want to be potty trained, and I saw them get more love and attention in a couple of minutes than I had in a couple of years…I got jealous, and I got it my head that what I needed to fill the void that was parental comfort was—"

"Diapers."

"Yeah. The next we went to the store, however, I stole a pull-up and decided those felt better than diapers, and you know the rest—wait, you read minds. Why am I even telling you this?"

"Because just because I read minds doesn't mean I don't enjoy listening to someone I like talk to me."

"Right…"

They fell into silence. The sun was almost gone now, but there was still enough light left.

Asteria sighed. "I'm sorry. I lied about why I wanted to bring you out here. I told you it was for a date, but the truth is that I want to recruit you."

Annabeth looked at her. "Recruit for me what?"

Sea green met storm cloud gray.

"Annabeth…I want your help in taking down my step-mother, her company, and every corporation she has control over."

"I'll do it."

Asteria opened her mouth, presumably to start arguing her case against a negative answer, but then she registered Annabeth's words before the first syllable could be made, and she blinked.

"Oh…you sure? I mean, this isn't an overnight project. It's going to take—"

Annabeth put a finger to Asteria's lips. "I know. And I'll help you. You're my boyfriend, right? So as your girlfriend, it's my job to help you and support you…until you break up with me, in which case I'll kill you and throw your body into the sewer for the gators to eat."

"Noted."

Annabeth grinned. "Good."

"…boyfriend?"

"Unless you want me to call you my girlfriend," she said quickly, hoping she didn't just kill the relationship as soon as it started.

"No, no," Asteria laughed. "It's just with the way my gorgeous ass is and how big my rack is, I just think it's going to be funny if people hear you calling me your boyfriend in public."

"Then we'll play with the masses," Annabeth said seriously. "The people want to think we're gay, then we'll let them and then laugh at them when we get to the car because they're totally wrong."

"How so?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I have an XX chromosome, you have an XY. Because of that, based on all known definitions of gay and homosexual, we are not either of those. We're heterosexual."

Asteria smirked and looked over the ocean. "So a tranny and a diaper lover get together as a couple and make a pact between themselves to taking down a corrupt multi-trillion dollar company headed by the tranny's evil step-mother, where the diaper lover's step-mother will no doubt get in the way of the relationship, adding unnecessary drama to the situation. Sounds like a crappy fanfiction."

Annabeth slipped her hand into her new boyfriend's. "Maybe, but it's our crappy fanfiction, and we're gonna right it together."

Asteria looked at her new girlfriend. "That's so sappy-mm!"

Her first kiss was about to be stolen away, but she regained her bearings and kissed back. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced. Annabeth's lips were warm, soft, delicate, and tasted of blueberry muffins. Asteria loved blueberry muffins. In the heat of the moment, she probed forward with her tongue, and Annabeth jerked back immediately.

"Too fast?"

"Too fast. I need to read up on proper technique before we get to that." Asteria snorted at the explanation only a girl like Annabeth could give. "You know, you still owe me dinner."

"Huh?" the brunette had honestly completely forgotten the fake reason she had come out here with Annabeth for.

"This is a date, is it not? The boyfriend provides his girlfriend with dinner on a date, so let's go 'cause I'm hungry as fuck."

Asteria grinned in her imp-like way, and unlocked the car before revving the beautiful metal beast up. "You're so hot when you cuss."

"Eh, I think it demonstrates a serious lack of vocabulary skills and a vulgar personality of stupidity, but sometimes a situation can only be summed up with an f-bomb, like when my stomach is running on empty. So get this thing moving."

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Hmmm…Chili's?"

"Two for twenty?"

"Yep."

"I think I'll have the six-ounce steak with a baked potato and some fries."

"Stop talking like that and drive."

"Your wish is my command, princess."

"Princess!?"

Asteria cackled as she gunned away from the cliff.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shin'en…what the fuck did we just watch?"

"An all-encompassing flashback of this world and its lore."

"Please tell me you're going to blow this planet to kingdom come."

"No."

"What!? Why not!?"

"Because I do not know what it is that the Fates need to be done here, and until I am certain of what the point of my being here is, I am not destroying anything. Besides, I've used Izanagi too many times already. Fighting Atlas, fighting the Leviathan, blowing up that futanari dimension, and so that I could use my Perfect Susano'o against the Eva's and Zeruel. It would be wasteful to use it again for the sole purpose of destroying a planet when the reason for its destruction is unclear, beyond _you_ being disturbed with it."

"…you have a penchant for monologues."

"Thank you."

…

"Hey~," Ryuk drawled. "I wonder…are you not destroying this place because you're… _curious_ about those two. What? Wanna get it on with that diaper-loving freak and her tranny friend? Craving some dick?"

The Shinigami, even though he was immortal and could make himself intangible or invulnerable, squeaked and ducked when the sword came for him. In the distance, several mountains quaked and rumbled as their peaks slid from the bodies. Ryuk chuckled nervously.

"Okay, I admit that was a little much."

Shin'en sheathed his sword with a distinct clink. "Curious about them? No…I know everything I want to about them. However, it is clear that the answer to what the Fates want from here is directly tied to them, and interaction is required."

"Ooh, gonna kidnap them and torture them for information?"

"Worse…I'm going to integrate myself into their high school."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _2011_

 _Goode High School_

They were seniors in high school now, and many things had happened in the fast four years. Ups and downs in the relationship, Marian forcing Asteria to bring Annabeth to the mansion, going to a public high school due to Annabeth's parents pulling her from private school to cut costs so that the twins could go to their own private school, the girls getting a job at the same grocery store (in which _many_ things happened, many good and bad things, but those were stories for a later date), and the making of a plan.

A plan to leave this city and this life, leave behind Itex and the Chases. A plan to start over anew and begin a new life in a place far away from here, far away from Janssen.

There was a summer home by the coast Asteria and Annabeth were going to stay at for maybe a week, maybe a few more days after that, before moving on and leaving. Leaving with a few hundred thousand dollars to a place that even Janssen and all her resources would never be able to find them. Living with the Devil for so long gave one insight into how they operated, what they could do, and what they couldn't do, and Asteria knew all these things after years of digging and research.

After they disappeared into the unknown, they would begin lives of their own, and it was going to be great.

At the front of the classroom, Mr. Brunner, the paraplegic god of teaching that everyone loved, cleared his throat, silencing all conversation between the rowdy teens.

"First off, I hope you've all had a wonderful summer, and are excited about this being your last year in this place. Now, I know all of you have known each other for many years now and are all very comfortable with your circles and cliques, but you're all going to have to get used to anew face in the halls." The bearded man that smelled of coffee turned his kind face to the door. "You can come in now."

And then a _god_ walked into the room.

Like a living vacuum, this new arrival sucked all air and sound out of the class. His footfalls echoed with ethereal noise, and he moved with a grace beyond anything anyone had ever seen. He was wearing something out of an anime; open-toed, ankle-high sandals, white leg warmers, blue pants of a make and style no one recognized, not even the fashion queens Silena and her sister Piper, and a black cloak decorated with red clouds and a red interior.

His bag was being held in his left hand, slung over his shoulder. The way he his arm was positioned revealed the tattoo on his forearm:

 _10,000,023,402_

Some thought it was a prison tattoo, but there were way too many numbers for that. The significance of such a tattoo was lost on everyone, including Asteria…she couldn't read this person's mind.

Looking at the arm steadily drew everyone to look at his face, and even the other boys in the room were finding themselves slack jawed at the new kid's face. He was beautiful, stunning, and had an otherworldly charm to him that wasn't matched by anyone in all of Goode. His skin was naturally tanned, his eyes a dark emerald, and his hair, black as a shadow at night, was cut into several thin strands that were all piled, stacked, and mashed together in a mess of organized chaos.

The world was still without sound, and everyone moved on from registering appearance to registering _presence_. He was radiating an aura of elegance and power, authority and magnificence. Everything about this young man screamed danger and terror, calm and composure. Even Mr. Brunner seemed to feel small and insignificant next to this young man.

"C-Class," the teacher cleared his throat. "Class, this our newest student here at Goode. Allow me to introduce you to Shin'en Yūrei."

Silence reigned.

"Would you like to say anything, Mr. Yūrei?"

In his mind, he was thinking about pathetic this all was, how the mighty and wise Chiron was a simple teacher, and how the devastating, brutal, and primal Asteria was simply a disgendered telepath, and the admittedly clever, cunning, and terrifyingly intelligent Annabeth Chase managed to find comfort in diapers of all things, in the wake of her parents' abandoning of her.

"No."

"Ah. There is an open table next to Ms. Chase and Ms. Jackson. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having a bit of company."

Silence still prevailed, and it was only broken by Shin'en's steps as he deliberately made them heard as he traversed through the tables, stools, and bodies to the empty stool next to the aforementioned girls. Then another revelation was made, one that was only discovered when they were sitting right next to each other:

Asteria and Shin'en were almost mirror images of the other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **If you read the top AN, then here's the answer as to why I'm putting so much detail into this arc when compared to the others:**_

 _ **One, the other arcs, barring the one with the twins, were all based on characters and situations that most everyone is familiar with, or can quickly become knowledgeable about with a Google search. This arc has no such crutch, and must be explained better.**_

 _ **Two, simply put, I want to. I could've made**_ **Xenophobic** _ **its own story, but decided against it, and sense this arc is more of a world of its own than the others, the world and the lore needed to be built, otherwise there'd be a lot of flashbacks, exposition, and situation that would require prior knowledge.**_

 _ **Three, this arc is going to be an arc that changes things, specifically how Shin'en looks at life and what motivates him to do what he does.**_

 _ **Four, there's a lot more to this arc than just simply being an alternate**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **, and dropping everyone into the middle of a battleground with zero briefing on what you're fighting, where you're fighting, and why you're fighting is not smart, hence characterization and backstory.**_

 _ **There, hopefully I won't get any more questions about why I'm going into detail with this arc, but if do, then my answer from here on out is thus:**_

 _ **Just roll with it and stop asking questions.**_

 _ **Moving on.**_

 _ **Shin'en is back in the fray, and he didn't bother to change his appearance in the slightest, so he looks very much like Asteria's brother, just as he did in**_ **Xenomorphic** _ **for that brief stint. And we're at Goode, lots of High School Mortal AUs take place there, but now we're seeing someone from something resembling canon PJO meet HS AU PJO.**_

 _ **I've always wanted to do that. How would the demigods of**_ **Percy Jackson and the Olympians** _ **react to meeting their unpowered, mortal selves? There's got to be a story like that out there somewhere, where the canon cast gets sent to a Mortal AU. If someone knows about a fic like that, please PM me.**_

 _ **A story like that sounds like gold.**_

 _ **Anyway, we move on with the story next chapter, so don't forget to**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	78. Xenophobic: Start of a Friendship

_Xenophobic: Start of a Friendship_

 _ **Yay, a lot more Reviews this time! People are happy to see Shin'en back and we're focused on him again, it seems.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Seeing a class distracted was hardly something rare. Often times, it was something outside that caught everyone's attention and they rushed to go see what it was, crowding the windows and all, or a conversation had grown too loud and now it was the only thing going on. However, what was just a little more on the rare side…was a distracted class that was trying to hide the fact they were distracted.

All the students were sneaking glances behind them, or next to them, or in front of them, depending on where they sat, at the new kid and the two he was sitting next to. Phones were not so discreetly pulled out to take pictures, most likely to gossip about at a later time, and there was some soft whispering about, soft enough to where Shin'en's ears easily picked it all up.

"He looks like her."

"Long lost siblings, maybe?"

"He's cute."

"Sitting next to a couple of lesbians…so hot."

"Shut up, Leo."

"Y-Yes, Piper…"

"…do you think he'll convert them?"

"Shut. Up. Leo."

While all of this was _highly entertaining_ to listen to, Shin'en's attention was more occupied on the scrutinizing face of his sister (technically brother/alternate self, but with that face…). It was comical, with her narrow eyes, scrunched up nose, and the inverted V that was her mouth. Honestly, she looked like she was trying hold one in, or force one out.

That face could've gone either way.

He turned to look at her with a dead expression. "The sooner you stop trying to read my mind, the sooner you can stop looking constipated."

On a side note, Annabeth was also sneaking rapid glances in at the demigod, but upon hearing that little tidbit, her eyes were now locked to the side.

"Read your mind?" Asteria tried to play it off. "What do you think I am, a mutant?"

"A mutant…" Shin'en started having flashbacks to the _real_ Asteria Jackson, and not whatever this transgender imitation was. "I suppose, in anther life, that's truly applicable. In this one, I'd say disgendered is more appropriate."

To the girls' credit, the only reaction they showed was that their pupils dilated almost to the size of their iris, a clear indication of sudden panic.

"How do you know-"

"I know everything important there is to know about the both of you. For instance, she used to shoplift training pants until getting a job, and she uses a few bucks on the side to buy the appropriate size, both for the protection they off during her menstrual cycle, and because of her psychological development around them. That's her cage rattled, want me to rattle yours, too?"

Luckily, Shin'en was speaking lowly enough to where only the two next to him could hear him properly, and those around could only hear muffled babble. However, there was enough to where Mr. Brunner pulled a teacher.

"Mr. Yūrei, while I'm positively ecstatic to see you, Asteria, and Annabeth getting along smashingly, I would appreciate a little less conversation and a little more paying attention during my lesson. Thank you."

"Apologies, Mr. Brunner."

"Sorry, Teach."

"Hm."

"Actually, Mr. Yūrei, if you wouldn't mind, could you tell me what you know of Greek Mythology? There is a test next Friday, and I want to make sure you are prepared for it."

"I know a little bit."

"I see. Can you tell me the genealogy?"

"Which iteration? The poets differed amongst each other as to which god came first and who was in a relation with who."

"Fair enough. Go with Homer, please, if you don't mind."

"Like the _Simpsons_?"

The class burst into a small fit of giggles and chuckles. Brunner smiled, "No, Mr. Valdez, not the _Simpsons_ , although I do find that show particularly humorous. Mr. Yūrei, give it your best shot."

"According to Homer, the first being was Chaos, and from Chaos came the Primordials…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…and from the Olympians came too many demigods to accurately cover within the next ten minutes."

Shin'en, despite claiming to know 'a little bit,' had just shaved away 75% of the class with a detailed rendition of everything from the Primordials to the youngest Olympian with detail and tidbits and trivia that no one in this class had any inkling about. Even Mr. Brunner was somewhat shocked to hear new things about a tale he had told for decades.

"Thank you, Mr. Yūrei. I believe that you will do well on next week's test. I dare say you would be able to better teach the class than I am."

"I would rather not."

Brunner sighed in mock despondency. "Oh well," then he immediately perked up, "right. You'll all be happy to know that there is not enough time left in class for me to further teach, but there just enough time left in class for all of you to doodle on your phones. Have fun, children."

The teacher wheeled himself to his desk.

To Annabeth and Asteria's immense relief, their table was not suddenly crowded by their classmates. Instead, the denizens of the room, in an almost synchronized motion, pulled out their mobile devices, and immediately began clicking away at the touchscreens, and you didn't have to be a telepath to know that they were Tweeting, Facebooking, Snapchatting, Instagramming and texting about the new kid and his resemblance to Goode's resident rich girl (rumored to be in a lesbian relationship with Goode's resident nerd).

Asteria looked back at Shin'en. There was a glass cabinet on the other side of him, one that reflected her face almost as good as a mirror. In the glass, with her face lined up next to Shin'en's, even she could see that ungodly resemblance. They could've _easily_ been considered siblings—twins, even. Fucking _twins_.

In truth, Asteria believed that the creature sitting next to her was a genetic clone created by her step-mother for the sole purpose of either replacing her or fucking with her.

"I am not a clone of yours, so stop thinking about that."

"Oh my God you can read minds too…"

"No, I'm just good at reading facial expressions and body language."

"How-?"

"Lots of training."

Asteria narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

Emerald met sea. "Let's just say the Lord thought a more direct intervention was needed in the case of you two."

Annabeth leaned forward. "Saying for a moment we believe that, what's He want you intervening with?"

"He didn't tell me. One moment I'm dealing with demons, the next I'm being integrated into a high school with the orders of 'become friends with Annabeth and Asteria,' so you'll have to forgive me if I become the most common face in your life."

Asteria rose a brow. "What kind of angel are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"The kind that's sent to punish disobedient little pharaohs."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Through blackmail and a few hundreds, Asteria had made it so that she and Annabeth had the exact same schedules. Shockingly enough, Shin'en _also_ had the same schedule as the girls. Meaning that when their lunch time came, the supposed angel sat with them at the same table they had occupied by their lonesome for the past three years.

In the dull roar of the cafeteria that was created by over two hundred voices speaking simultaneously, anything the trio said would be cloaked by noise, meaning they could talk freely.

However, Shin'en had an opinion about the public school's food.

' _There were insects that crawled around in the mud of the Land of Water that looked more appealing than this.'_

With that in mind, he pushed the tray away, and turned his attention to his technical charges.

"Are you really the Angel of Death?" Annabeth asked skeptically.

"I have been called such many times, but I am the Angel himself? No."

"Are you even an angel?"

"I am an angel to some, a demon to others. Depends on why I'm in front of you."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means that if you hired me to save you, I'm your best friend on the planet. If I was hired to kill you, I'm the last thing you're ever going to see."

They both blinked.

"You're a hitman?" Asteria asked.

"Of sorts."

"But you're so-"

"Young? Yes, I am fifteen, but where I'm from, age doesn't matter. All that matters is how well you can steal, how effective you can kill, and how easy you can sleep at night after doing both."

…

"…I believe you," Annabeth said. "I've met a bunch of liars in my life, I work retail for crying out loud, and I can tell when someone's lying, even when they're good at it. You're not."

"Thanks. Makes things a little easier."

"You're also not lying about being sent to help us. Who sent you?"

"Higher powers of a divine nature."

Annabeth worked her mouth. "God?"

"Are the both of you open-minded enough to accept the fact that there is more than just one deity up in the clouds?"

Two 'Yes's were his answer.

"Good. I was sent here by the Fates, the Greek triplets that like to fuck with everything. They wanted me to help you in a certain way, and they neglected to tell me how, so don't ask me to do _anything_ for either of you, because I won't lift a finger until I know my purpose here."

"That sucks for us. Here I was hoping that something was finally going to go right, and we got ourselves our personal divine hitman to help us make it out alive with our plan. Dammit all," Asteria sighed.

Annabeth patted her boyfriend's shoulder. "We made it through a bunch of other stuff, we can make it through this. I mean, you said you didn't know why you're here, maybe you being here _is_ to help us escape."

"Time will tell. Until then, however…"

"Not helping us. Got it."

The conversation hit a lull, but Asteria revived it almost a full thirty seconds later.

"So, you said you know everything important about us…what qualifies as important?"

"Your mother is a brainwashed psychopath and your step-mother is even worse. Through her machinations, you were steadily robbed of your masculinity until you became what you are now. When you were nine, you were in an accident that resulted in you being uninjured, yet while unconscious, you were injected with a serum from the days of MKUltra that resulted in you gaining telepathic abilities for the sole purpose of amusing Marian.

" _You_ were abandoned by your parents and grew up neglected and alone, and after witnessing a diaper change that involved a sense of love you had never felt before, you got jealous and wanted a piece of that love for yourself, which lead to you becoming a thief that can think up well-thought out small-time robberies that all center around your not-fetish. After that, your next life-altering experience came when you were twelve and you started menstruating in the middle of class, whereupon you made the discovery that you are a heavy bleeder, and that your pull-ups saved you from extreme embarrassment. After that, you had a philosophical conversation with the nurse that birthed your own philosophy of keeping it to yourself, and no one will care.

"The next important thing to happen was that you both met in private junior high, both of you with a reputation of your own, and after a stint of mindreading and blackmail, you became a couple with one _hell_ of a dynamic. From there, everything becomes vague because all of these things between your first date and now were deemed unimportant, and therefore I was not informed of them. Feel free to fill in the gaps for me, if you wish."

Annabeth shrugged and prepared to tell half her life's story, but Asteria caught her shoulder, her impish grin in place. "Tonight, at my place. Call it a hanging-out between friends."

Shin'en just shrugged. "Am I supposed to meet you there, or are you picking me up?"

"We'll pick you up. Sense you're a divine assassin, you got a place, or do you just randomly show up where you're needed?"

The demigod scribbled an address down on a napkin. "Be here when you're ready. I'll be waiting."

"Sweet. See you then, sis."

Shin'en's eyes went dull. "Sis?"

"Yep," Asteria chirped. "Just add some makeup and brush you're a little, and we've got a perfect mirror image of yours truly. Henceforth, I am calling you sis and sister. Why? Because it amuses me."

"You have issues."

"Sure do, sister."

"Speaking of," Annabeth cut in, "why do you look like Asteria?"

"The Fates altered my appearance because they felt a familiar face would put the two of you at ease."

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Now _that_ was a lie."

Shin'en shrugged. "I wasn't even trying."

"You're not going to tell us, are you?"

"I shall enjoy watching the two of you squirm as you struggle to come up with an answer amidst all your theories."

"Asshole," Annabeth accused.

"Considering the unfortunate things I know of your sex life, you are very well acquainted with assholes." Shin'en looked at the red-faced Asteria. "Letting her give you a rim job and a prostate exam. Kinky. Even more so when she calls you Mommy, and you call her Diaper/Baby Girl."

"The Fates considered _that_ important?" Annabeth squeaked.

"Like I said: Unfortunate."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later_

Shin'en was alone in this house he had taken up residence in. He had had to exchange his bountiful wealth of ryō for USD, and then pay more than triple what this place was worth for no question to be asked, specifically why a minor was purchasing a house, but the price had barely made a dent in his account.

Yūrei had done many things, and had been paid extremely well for their dark services—their _evil_ services—and they had taken it a step further by going out of their way to loot corpses and rob the people that employed them. In this way, they made enough money to keep Mei's Resistance decently funded, and keep their own coffers stocked.

It was bribe money, supply money, informant money…and their after-the-war money. Money they were going to use to leave the broken world of Shinobi, and travel beyond the map to other corners of the world. Suffice to say that never happened, and now all of that wealth was Shin'en's to use.

How much was it? Well, let's just say that a third of Yūrei's coffers would have been enough to satisfy Pain's needs for money four times over.

Through his blood money, Shin'en was among the richest in the Ninja World.

Of course, being alone in this house meant that Ryuk could now talk to him.

"Did you _really_ know they did when they fucked?"

"No. I was merely speculating."

"Damn good speculations. A tranny being dominated by a broad with a diaper fetish…that's some kinky, weird-ass shit right there."

"I've seen worse."

"Really? Do tell."

"Ever seen a six year old child raped by a full-grown horse?"

Ryuk blinked a few times. "Uh, no."

"It gives you a sense of phantom pain that makes you squeeze your glutes together." Shin'en said this in a daze, his mind not all there as he spoke.

"Hey, uh, buddy? What exactly happened in the Mist?"

"Like I keep telling my sister: the Blood War happened."

"Okay then…what happened in the Blood War?"

"I killed a lot of people."

Ryuk frowned. "What? Too traumatized like a pussy to share your war stories? Candy ass."

"Traumatized? Mmmm…I don't think that's the right word for it. Although, I did walk out of that place with eight different personalities."

"Oh, cool! What're their names?"

"Sachiko, Saeko, Shin, Kimiko, Gatou, Hiyumi, Amon, and Nanako."

"That's a lot of girl names."

"Yūrei's main purpose was espionage, infiltration, theft, and assassination. Not everyone we killed was in the cover of night, and not everyone we robbed we did so as soon as we saw them. We made plans, and most of those plans involved derailing as much suspicion as possible. Since everyone knew that Yūrei had this many members with this many genders and hair styles, no one suspected the little girl was an effective killer."

"…so you're a crossdresser?"

"That, and a shapeshifter. I can liquefy my body and rebuild it into any organic shape I want. For Yūrei's purposes, I usually took the form of females, and the personalities resulted from acting too well, and emotional shock and stress."

"Sounds fun."

"Mm."

"Do I get to meet any of them?"

"No."

"Damn."

A brief silence fell on them, before Ryuk spoke again.

"So, all those girl personalities in that head of yours…is that why you don't mind looking like a girl and being referred to with female pronouns?"

"What I look like and what I'm called are trivial matters that are easily brushed aside."

"Mm-hm. Sure there isn't a little more to this? Not feeling any desires to be in the arms of a man, are you?"

"No."

"If your sister wanted to have slap some makeup on you and have a girl's day out, would you object?"

"Makeup would not be needed for such an excursion."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"…"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Shut up, Ryuk."

The Death God laughed.

Almost as if scripted, Shin'en felt the car splitting through the airwaves and come to a stop in front of his driveway.

"Oop, this'll be fun. Can I come?"

"You act like you're not going to follow regardless of my answer."

"We know each other so well."

Shin'en kept the wince off his face as he made a Shadow Clone to hold down the fort. This was the unsavory part of town, and while anything of value was kept on him, there was still the matter of principle that came with defending one's own property, even when it was a meaningless hovel. Exiting and locking the door behind him, he saw his…decent acquaintances waiting on him in a decent car.

He could outwalk this thing in his sleep.

"Nice place," Annabeth said easily.

"It cost me a hundred grand."

Asteria, who had started driving down the street, promptly slammed her brakes. She whipped around in her seat. "A _hundred grand!?_ Where the hell did you even get that much!? Why the hell did something that shitty cost that much?"

"Minors don't typically buy houses, and to avoid unwanted questions, a little extra on the side was required. People today are so motivated by the dollar it makes things conveniently easy."

"Fair enough…that doesn't answer where you got the money."

"Divine hitman. Unlimited funds."

"And using those unlimited funds, you buy garbage? Right. Are you going to tell us who you really are and why you're really here?"

"Only half-truths and white lies."

"You butt."

Shin'en looked at her. "What did you say?"

"I said you're an ass."

"You are correct. I am an ass. Are we going to spend the entire night here at this stop sign, or are we going to your house?"

"I don't think 'house' is appropriate for where I live."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

No, house was not appropriate for where Asteria lived. The place was huge, and protected by a perimeter fence twelve feet high and made of brick that was easily two feet thick. The only way into the place was either the front gate, which was titanium, and protected by biometric scanner, retinal scanner, and password, upon which all would need to be acceptable before the gate opened, or the hidden security camera further down the road saw you coming and the guard recognized you and unlocked the gate prior to your arrival.

Or helicopter. The place had a landing pad in the backyard.

Within the property was a practical forest, and each tree was outfitted with motion sensors, security cameras, night vision cameras, and infrared cameras. There were spider holes interspersed about the football field-sized yard, and each one was occupied with a man. In the corners, snipers crouched calmly, and on the house itself were more of the hidden gunmen, all of them within the roof, looking out through shingles at everything that moved.

All in all, grasshoppers wouldn't be able to fuck out here without someone knowing about it.

Shin'en found this security to be easily bypassable, but anyway.

Asteria pulled around the circular driveway, an opulent fountain in the middle of a small field of grass, and into the garage, one that was filled with enough expensive vehicles to pay off the national deficit.

Asteria pulled the key out of the ignition, and turned around. "How much do you know about by the women who call themselves my mother's?"

"More than I should."

"Good enough for me."

The trio got out of the car, and made for the door into the mansion. Before they entered, Annabeth spun around.

"And in case you're wondering, or were curious and were hesitant on asking," she pulled the waist of her shorts down, revealing the stretchy waistband of a pair of trainers, "yes, I am wearing right now."

"Congratulations. Would you like a cookie?"

"Yes, yes I would."

"Then I'm sure you can find one somewhere within this monstrosity called a home."

Asteria snorted. "It's heartwarming to know that we aren't the only ones that think that about this place."

"Well, I was curious about whether she was wearing a diaper right now or not."

Under his breath, Shin'en muttered, "Shut up, Ryuk."

The Shinigami cackled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sweet, they're both home," Asteria said.

Shin'en assumed she read the women's minds. With his own sensory abilities, he also sensed Sally and the Director. When the garage door slammed shut, the two women approached from elsewhere, the dining room to be exact.

"Welcome home, Aster!" came Janssen's voice. "I see you brought Annabeth back over, and a new frien—" She rounded the corner, and saw Shin'en standing right next to the trans girl. Her voice caught in her throat, and she flinched as if struck.

"Marian? What's wro—oh my God." Sally also turned the corner and saw the boy that looked like her daughter.

Annabeth leaned close to her boyfriend and whispered, "Now we know he's not a creation of theirs."

Asteria nodded.

"Good evening, madams. My name is Shin'en Yūrei, and I only arrived here just in time to begin my senior year. Your daughter has invited me over tonight for the purposes of helping me acclimate to this society. I hope I am not intruding."

Shin'en spoke with a smile so kind and a voice so friendly that both Asteria and Annabeth were looking at him. This was such a far cry from what he had been like at Goode that they were having trouble believing this boy and that one were the same person.

Surprisingly, it was Sally that recovered first. "N-Not at all. Welcome. Asteria, that's very kind of you."

The subsequent smile was terse and so sickly sweet it was venomous. "Thanks, Mom."

Marian got her head back in the game. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Marian Janssen, and this is my wife, Sally. I see you've already met our daughter, Asteria, and her girlfriend, Annabeth. On behalf of my family, I welcome you to our humble abode, and extend our warmest greetings."

Shin'en smiled kindly. "Thank you, madam. It is an honor to be welcome inside the home of the Janssen family."

"Aren't you just the charmer!" Marian cooed. "Would you three like some dinner? The chef has cooked up a wonderful meal of steak and potatoes!"

"Ah, apologies, madam. Before coming here, I already ate. I didn't want to impose."

"Polite, charming, and considerate. Asteria, are you sure he's here just so you can help him adjust, or is there something else you had in mind for the three of you up there?" Marian wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Annabeth turned beat red while her boyfriend scowled. Ryuk was clutching his sides, and Shin'en made a show of looking shocked. Sally elbowed her wife in the side, causing the woman to laugh. Sally was not so amused. "Be nice. That is no way to treat a guest of our daughter's."

"Oh, do lighten up, darling. Twas just simple teasing."

" _Yes_ ," Asteria said through a false smile. "If you're quite done 'teasing' me and my guests, we will be going to my room now."

"All right," Marian conceded. "I'm sorry for being rude like that. Quick kiss and a hug to apologize?"

And that right there was the main conflict of this chapter. The Director deliberately set this situation up, putting Asteria on the spot like she was. It was a power play, a show of dominance and superiority in front of the bystanders. If Asteria refused, she would be the bad guy here, even if the other two knew the truth of this situation. But to accept the apology via the embracement would be a sign of submission and subservience.

What wasn't helping the matter was Sally's pleading look that so clearly said, _'Please just be nice for once, and get along with your step-mother.'_

Shin'en watched on silently. This wasn't his battle to fight.

Asteria's face set itself into stone, and she moved into her step-mother's arms. The vile creature wrapped her arms around the Fallen Star, and their faces became hidden by each other's lustrous hair.

"So, going from diapers to dicks, are we? I knew it was only a matter of time before you wanted to get a taste of what the other team had to offer. Be sure to use protection, sissy girl. I don't want you getting AIDS."

"I want you to know that I'm going to kill you one day."

"Good luck."

Marian planted a big kiss on Asteria's cheek, and pulled back with a radiant smile. "There! All's forgiven?"

Asteria stood there with a bright smile on her face, and lipstick on her cheek.

"All's forgiven…."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Shin'en walked through the door to her room, and she calmly shut her door, Asteria let her rage out with a scream that was probably heard in the city. Luckily the walls were sound proof.

"I HATE HER! I'M GOING TO KILL HER, TEAR HER IN HALF, AND WATCH HER ORGANS FALL OUT LIKE SHE'S A FUCKING PINATA!"

Shin'en and Annabeth kept silent as the girl vented, although both had very different thoughts.

' _That's exactly how you killed her, actually.'_

' _Oh, Asteria…we need to get away from here.'_

On a side note, Asteria's bedroom was bigger than Shin'en's entire house, and she filled up the massive space with a king size bed, a couple of large dressers, an entire vanity set (most likely provided by Janssen as a cruel joke), and an entire home theater, in which the oversized TV screen was built into the wall, the speakers were built into the wall, the gaming and cable and entertainment consoles were all built into the wall, the selection of movies and games were neatly stacked into niches in the wall, and in front of the entire thing was the most probably one of the most comfortable sofas on the planet.

Interspaced about the room were a couple of comfy chairs.

The walls were a simple white, decorated with hand-drawn paintings of nothing at all, and multiple scrapbooks of pictures, most of them selfies. The ceiling was domed, and there was a chandelier/fan combo hanging form the rotunda. The floor was covered in a carpet of pink fuzzy stuff that was probably very comfortable to walk on.

All in all, considering the sheer size of this room, it was actually rather empty.

Asteria flopped down upon her bed, and Annabeth rubbed her back comfortingly.

There was a muffled sound that might've been speech.

"Come on now," the blonde said gently. "You know I can't understand you when you talk into your bed."

Asteria raised her head, "I said 'do you remember the first time I had a meltdown like that?'."

Annabeth smiled serenely. "Hard to forget."

"What happened the first time you had a meltdown like that?"

They looked at Shin'en, Annabeth with a blank expression, and Asteria was scrutinizing. Then she shrugged and sat up, crossing her legs. She tugged Annabeth down to where the blonde's head was in her lap and her feet were dangling above the floor.

"Since I feel like we're about to be spending a lot of time together, we might as well get comfortable and acquainted." She looked down at her girlfriend. "That okay with you?"

"Fine by me."

Asteria looked at Shin'en, who was still standing, with an impish grin on her face. The kind of grin when somebody was looking forward to another person's reaction after doing something. It was the grin of a sociopathic prankster looking to do harm by means of harmless fun.

"The first time I had a meltdown, about a week into our relationship, Annabeth decided I needed to relieve stress, and she had the perfect idea on how to do so. I tried to protest, but she said-"

"Let me be your girlfriend, you stupid bitch."

"Right, you said that. Anyway, what happened was…she pulled down my pants, and gave me my first blowjob. Then I reciprocated."

They both looked at Shin'en in anticipation of his reaction. He didn't have one, on account of being highly desensitized to any act of a sexual nature.

He had seen it all, really. He had seen trannies go at it together, women go at it together, men go at it together, and every combination therein. He had seen children fuck other children, children get fucked by adults, fucked by animals. He had seen boys dressed as girls and then fucked. He had seen fetishes, taboos, kinks, and everything else. He had seen BDSM, cock-and-ball torture, femdom, whipping, strap ons, cosplay, ageplay, roleplay, scat, watersports, enemas, cannibalism, masturbating, bestiality, rape, humiliation, public humiliation, pedophilia, gerontophilia, and more.

Basically, he was a walking porn encyclopedia.

Hearing that a straight couple, albeit between minors, committed to oral with each other was G-rated to most things.

"And how did that go?"

"Considering that neither of us had so much as seen a single video of porn…remarkably well, actually. Her teeth only scraped me once, and I only made her wince twice, both when I lightly bit her clit too hard."

"Holy shit, these two are kinky. I wonder what else they've done," Ryuk commented.

"Have you two gone all the way yet?"

"Of course," Asteria said simply. "The best part is that I'm infertile, and so I can cum inside her all we want to without fear of a pregnancy."

"You two have sex often?"

"Why?" Asteria grinned. "Want in on the action?"

Shin'en didn't react beyond speaking in his usual flat tone. "If I wanted action, I would go to a sleazy bar and give the first girl that came to me twenty bucks. A tranny and her diaper-loving consort are not appealing to me."

Annabeth looked at Shin'en out the corner of her eye. "If you say I wear diapers one more time, I will waffle-stomp your balls. I wear pull-ups, not diapers, and there is a very big distinction between the two. Learn it, or else."

"Terrifying," Shin'en deadpanned.

"Hey," Asteria said, hostility in her voice, and the atmosphere shifted into one of danger. "If my girlfriend said to stop saying she wears diapers, you bet your ass you're going to stop. We don't know you, and you don't know us, and I don't care if you were sent by some higher power; back the fuck off, or I will fuck you up."

Shin'en liked to think he didn't have much of an ego, or pride—well, considering he had just about zero qualms about looking like a girl and being called such, perhaps he didn't have much of a sense of pride. However, he did have a sense of tolerance, and what he would not tolerate was being talked down upon by worms and insects.

And he let them know that.

The temperature of the room plummeted and the lights of the chandelier dimmed. Everyone's breath steamed in front of them, and the atmosphere shifted again, only this time all the danger in the air was coming from Shin'en.

"Listen, and listen well. Why I am here, I do not know. I may be here to help you two in any way I can, or I might be here to erase your very existence. In the meantime, I will play nice with the other kids, but I will hurt them if need be. Diapers and pull-ups mean nothing to me, and are synonymous in my vocabulary. Now, if you become offended when somewhat calls them diapers, that is your problem and not mine. However, I take issue with being threatened. If you try anything against me, _Percy_ …I'll end you before you can blink."

The temperature shot back to its norm and the lights came back to full strength.

The girls looked understandably frightened, and also frustrated at being scolded like that. Shin'en continued to stare at them, and only Ryuk, being the outside party, saw just how he was staring: Shin'en was staring at them like a father stared at his unruly children after disciplining them.

The Shinigami chuckled as he recalled the last people his 'friend' had looked at like they were his own offspring.

"Moving on, I believe we are gathered here tonight to fill in the gaps between your first date and today."

Asteria and Annabeth immediately latched on to the excuse to put that little episode behind them.

"Well, I guess the biggest thing that happened was that we've made a plan to-"

Shin'en held up a hand, making Asteria stop midsentence. Then he moved his mouth silently and clearly.

 _Do…they…know…about…plan_? The girls shook their heads slowly, confused as to what was going on. Shin'en mouthed again, _Bugs._

They stared at him for a moment as they both tried to figure out what bugs had to with anything, and then they both made 'Ohhhhhh' faces. Listening device kind of bugs. With that in mind, Asteria picked up where she left off.

"-move up higher in the caste system of where we work, make enough for college, and then find a house together to live in."

"Excellent. Now, what's your backup plan?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And there's that chapter. Talking, yes, and hopefully some believable dialogue between characters, and some relationship building.**_

 _ **From here, it'll be some people trying to assert their nonexistent control over Shin'en, escapades of Shin'en in a high school setting, some assassinations, some dead people, and more nighttime conversations between Shin'en, Annabeth, and Asteria.**_

 _ **I'm thinking maybe five more chapters before we move on from**_ **Xenophobic** _ **, maybe more, maybe less. Time will tell.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	79. Xenophobic: High School Altercation

_Xenophobic: High School Altercation_

 _ **I seem to have created a split crowd. On one side, we have people who are loving/liking this arc, and the other, we have people saying they hate it and are going to skip it.**_

 _ **Shame, you're going to miss some important stuff.**_

 _ **Anyway, we continue exploring just why the Fates want Shin'en here, and we do that through what basically amounts to filler, and character death.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en could feel every nook and cranny of this house, down to the hidden passages and the underground laboratory. Further, he could sense every body and experiment going on around here, and he was honestly compelled to blow this entire structure to hell, but it was the same old same old: he didn't know why he was here, and doing anything that had any sort of impact directly related to Annabeth and Asteria had the distinct possibility of completely screwing up everything to a point where the Fates just grabbed him and tossed him into an alternate _Xenophobic_ , and the process repeated.

That, or he was left in this broken, mortal dimension with no way to get back to his own dimension.

So with those happy thoughts, if not irrational thoughts, Shin'en left Asteria and Annabeth to sleep together in that oversized terror of a bed, and he quickly scribbled out a note saying that he would see them tomorrow at Goode. Then he slipped into the night and was back at his house in less than five seconds. Vapor travel was a great thing.

However, even after being back 'home,' Shin'en's night was not yet over.

This dimension was godless and chakraless, yes, meaning no Mist and no chakra-based genjutsu, but that did not mean that the demigod did not have access to his divine powers. Vapor travel was what he had just done, but the next power was far more advanced and much more difficult for any half-blood to pull off, even other children of the Big Three.

Essence Projection was a technique Shin'en had been using since he was six, using it to project his consciousness across the world and sightsee, as well as scout hostile territory and the mission site. However, there was more to Essence Projection than just sending his essence anywhere he wanted to; with enough skill and power, one could even invade the dreams of a sleeping mortal, regardless of there being any Mist.

As such, the demigod embraced his vindictive side, and visited the Director and her wife.

He played with them, toyed with them, subjected them to phantasms and tortures, but his favorite was when he placed them in a Hive. The walls were black, steamy, and resembled a biomechanical being, like the insides of a terrible beast. The air was humid and hot, and in their beds, the women broke into a horrible sweat.

This Hive had only one passageway, and the women followed it. At the end of this passage, they would find their daughter sitting upon a throne of half-melted skeletons, all the bones looking to have been subject to acid. However, Asteria did not look right, at least to Janssen and Jackson.

Her skin was black, her hair was not hair, her nails were claws, her eyes were black and venomous green, with a slit pupil. Tubes protruded from her back, between her shoulder blades, and a spinal column-like tail sprouted from above her rear, ending in a deadly blade.

Asteria's slips slowly parted, revealing a set of translucent teeth, with fangs in place of canines. Saliva bubbled down her chin as a low hiss came from her. The air thrummed with danger and doom, and where Sally was outright terrified, the Director was feeling more nervous than she had ever felt in her life. Their nightmare would end when Asteria lunged from her throne, and the black of her mouth was the last thing either woman saw.

Shin'en lingered a while longer to observe their reactions. No, they would not remember the dreams themselves, but they would remember the terror, the pain, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness. The last thing the demigod wanted was for Janssen to get it into her head that she needed to further experiment on her step-child in order to achieve that alien appearance from the nightmare.

The women shot up in tandem, and the air was so heavy with scent and the bed so soaked it was impossible to tell whether all the liquid and the smell was just sweat, or if there was urine mixed in there somewhere.

Just why Shin'en did this, even he didn't know. He had no true connection to Asteria and Annabeth, and he certainly didn't have any reason to defend them, stand up for them, or act in a way that benefitted them, or terrorized their oppressors, and yet he did. He may have very well just made Sally and Marian piss themselves, and while he didn't know why, he knew it wasn't for himself.

Maybe because when he looked at Asteria, he saw Persephone, and when he looked at Annabeth, he saw a happiness that he could never bring to his sister…who's to say?

But…there was one thing for sure: he was never going to be able to look and Persephone and Annabeth the same way ever again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The girls were staring at Shin'en's note.

 _Great talk. Was interesting. Looking forward to more. See you tomorrow at school._

"I don't know whether to be mad because he ditched us, or impressed that he managed to ditch us. I mean, this is _my house_ we're talking about here."

"Divine hitman, remember?"

"You really believe that?"

"Oh, it's the same concept behind that time we argued religion and the state of the world: it's not that I believe there's a god, but I believe there's something else, just as I don't believe Shin'en was really sent by the Greek Fates of all things to help us out, but I believe there's more to him than he's letting on."

"Well, duh. I can't read his mind, and you saw what happened last night when we told him to stop saying you wore diapers."

"Yeah, it got really cold, hard to breathe, and the lights almost went out. Unless he's got a really good theatrics crew with him at all times, what he pulled was not natural."

"Agreed."

…

"Are you going to keep calling him sister?"

"Yep, until he tells us what he's really doing here."

"And if it pisses him off to the point where he hurts you?"

"Ha! I've got access to more money, guns, and personnel than I know what to do with. If he looks at us wrong, I can have him buried alive within the constraints of the law."

"There's not a law that allows for live burial."

"Mm, not yet. Give me enough time."

"Asteria!"

"What?"

"No burying people alive."

"Awe~, but why not?"

" _Asteria…_ "

"Oh, fine. You're such a killjoy, Diaper Girl."

"And you're immoral, you transsexual scum bag."

"Bitch."

"Cunt."

"Ouch…cocksucker."

"Pussy licker."

"Fetish freak."

"Tranny trash."

Asteria couldn't keep up with the façade, and snorted before devolving into a fit of giggles. Annabeth joined suit less than two seconds later, and the lover shared a round of laughter at their little game of name-calling, before they gave each other a quick kiss on the lips and got ready for school.

"Are you wearing today?"

"No. We have work tonight."

"Oh, that's right. I remember you telling me about the first time you worked with your pull-up on."

"Yeah, I got hot, I got sweaty, and the damn thing absorbed all the moisture and got seriously clammy and moist. It felt like wearing a sauna around my ass."

Asteria smiled. "I love it when you cuss. It's cute."

"Wanna fuck my pussy tonight, Mommy?"

"Only if you be good today, sweetie."

"Otay, Mommy!"

They both laughed at each other again. That was the deepest they ever got into their 'kink.' Name calling and childish speech. Annabeth had done some digging around online to see if there was anyone else in the world that liked wearing pull-ups, and she discovered the ABDL community…and was promptly scarred for life.

Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she did shiver a little every time she thought of it. There were things that community was in to, that Annabeth wanted zero part of, and she made it clear to Asteria that her wearing wasn't a fetish, it had nothing to do with a fetish, and it never would be a fetish, because a fetish was defined as something that gave sexual pleasure, and pull-ups didn't give Annabeth a lick of any pleasure.

Whenever the girls had sex, and Annabeth was wearing one of her trainers, there might have been a little bit of foreplay similar to the above dialogue, but as soon as things got more serious, the sides were torn and the garment was tossed aside.

There was only one time when Asteria had broken that sanction, and it was a story for a later date. Right now, the lovers needed to get to school for another day of senior year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you think anyone is going to be stupid enough to-what do the humans call it? Bullying? Yeah, that-do you think anyone's going to be stupid enough to try bullying you?"

"Most likely."

"What are you going to do to them?"

"Depends on the setting."

"Meaning?"

"If we're surrounded by lockers, then I'll simply rip one out of the wall. If we're by vehicles, then I'll rip out someone's engine."

"And if you're in a wide open area, like the gym?"

"You just want to see me kill people."

"Oh, come one!" Ryuk groaned. "These people are like paper-wrapped sticks compared to us! They don't even have the benefit of a chakra network, making them even weaker than the civilians of your world!"

"None of them even have the benefit of being a demigod, therefore further limiting their durability."

"So why can't we just go apeshit on these pissants? We're practically gods to these people?"

"Ryuk, compared to the people of this world, we are gods."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shin'en found Asteria and Annabeth in the cafeteria ten minutes before the first bell rang.

The cafeteria itself was nothing special, just a massive area with a high ceiling, bright lights, a wall of glass windows that had doors leading to the courtyard and the pavilion area. There were numerous tables and benches inside, and the entire place was drowning in a cacophony of noise as a hundred conversations carried on at once.

The girls were sitting by themselves off to the side. When they saw him approach, cloak swishing behind him, their conversation stopped and they looked at him.

"You ditched us last night," Asteria said. "I don't know whether to be impressed or insulted."

"You two fell asleep on me in that giant bed. I should be insulted that my hosts left me awake by myself."

"How did you get out of there and back to your house?" Annabeth asked, changing the subject. "That's not exactly a short walk, and all the guards on duty should have stopped you."

"They can't stop what they can't see. I'm too fast for them."

Asteria gave him a flat look. "Whatever you say, sis..."

…

Shin'en raised a brow. "Were you expecting a reaction?"

Asteria pulled off a combination of pouting and glaring. "What kind of boy doesn't get just the tiniest bit offended or insulted when referred to by female pronouns and terms?"

"The kind that doesn't care for trivialities such as names and descriptions."

"You're weird. And when are you going to drop this whole divine hitman thing anyway?"

Shin'en shrugged. "I've told you the truth; whether you accept it is up to you."

The girls looked at him. Then both of their gazes snapped to something behind the demigod, and Shin'en heard Ryuk chuckling, "Here we go…"

"Hey, weeb!"

Funny, that sounded like Luke Castellan…holy shit it was. The Champion of Susano'o was able to keep his usual uncaring face up, but he was highly disappointed. In his continuity, the Son of Hermes could be described as a misguided revolutionary who only wanted recognition for himself and his fellow half-bloods; here, Luke was nothing more than a punk that thought he was hot shit. He even had his own little gang, consisting of Ethan Nakamura, Chris Rodriguez, and…Charles Beckendorf.

How disappointing.

On the bright side, Shin'en thought he was looking at a step towards racial equality, seeing as how this posse consisted of a white boy, an Asian boy, a Mexican boy, and a black boy, along with some assorted nobodies who clearly followed Luke around for the infamy that being seen with him brought them.

Idiot sheep, the lot of them.

Although, Luke and others' existence here rose a few questions: were they still the children of the Olympians, only mortal? Did the likes of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Artemis, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, etc. exist here, as mortals? If that was true, then didn't that make a large fraction of this high school's student body related?

Wait a moment…Shin'en concentrated on the blood around him, focusing hard enough to read the DNA strands. He focused on the cliques that paralleled the Seven, their interchangeable sidekicks, and the otherwise villainous…nope.

No relations.

Which meant that all of these children were mere dimensional constants with the _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ reality.

Shin'en still wasn't entirely comfortable with knowing that his reality was named after him.

"Yeah, you. New guy. I heard there was some kid wearing a weird outfit walking around the school now, and when I heard what that outfit looked like, I knew exactly where I had seen it."

Now crowding around the trio's table, making them the center of attention for the whole cafeteria, Luke held his hand out, and Chris plopped a book into it. It was one of the many volumes of the _Naruto_ manga, and this one had a picture of the Akatsuki on it, their cloaks prominently displayed.

Luke's eyes gleamed. "Cosplaying weeb. Get a fucking life."

"I have one, and it goes far beyond your daddy issues." Castellan's eyes widened, and his gang lost their grins. "Oh? Strike a nerve, did I? Apologies."

"Yeah," Luke snarled, "you will be sorry." His muscles tensed in preparation for an offensive maneuver, but Luke's attack preparations were cut short by the ringing of the school's bell. "Tch, you're lucky, shit stain. Watch your back in the halls…"

He stormed off, gang following him, but Shin'en had yet to stop.

"Tell your mother at the asylum that I send her my regards."

Luke froze, casted a glare over his shoulder, a murderous glare, one that spoke of untold volumes of rage and humiliation, but to his credit, he only stormed off with more vigor. In the din of everyone making a break for class so they weren't late, this last little exchange went unnoticed except by two people.

Annabeth was open mouthed, and as rude as Asteria could be, even she had to admit that was harsh.

"Dude, attacking his mom and dad like that…damn…and I thought I was cruel."

"How did you know about his parents anyway? You're new here…"

"I didn't. I simply know his type. He's young and a bully, one with people that follow him like he's their leader. Behavior like this is typical in those that are abused by their parents, usually the father, at the mercy of their superior strength. This makes them feel powerless, and so they seek to make themselves powerful by oppressing others as they are oppressed. While tragic, people like that are the ones I detest the most." Shin'en's eyes almost seemed to turn red.

"Luke is a snake that seeks to become a dragon, but all he'll find on his journey is a swift end."

Asteria and Annabeth were both pale and borderline trembling at the end of the demigod's monologue. Everything he said had been so cold, so callous, so personal, so-so-so— _so brutal_ , that it was inhuman and scary.

Shin'en looked at them, and they could both swear that his eyes became softer, almost shameful. He spun on his heel with a swish of his cloak before either girl could fully decipher what they just saw.

"I'll see you two later. Contact me the next time you want to have a chat."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uh-oh, you scared them," Ryuk taunted. Shin'en remained silent on his way to the restroom. "What's the matter? Feeling a little guilty? If you're feeling guilty, then that means you feel for them, and what happens to people you feel for…?"

Shin'en stopped dead in his tracks, and since this was still passing period and people were in the halls, the person behind him—on their phone, of course—slammed into him and was promptly knocked to their ass. Ryuk chuckled as the demigod glared at him, and Thalia Grace glared at the demigod's back as she was helped to her feet by Bianca di Angelo, Zoey Nightshade, and Phoebe Tristof, the three of them also glaring at the demigod's back.

"Hey, watch where you're going, punk!"

Shin'en whipped around to where only his eye was visible, and it was a bleeding star that burned into the four girls' minds with unrelenting terror-inducing fire. They didn't even realize they were running through the halls until a teacher yelled at them.

Now pissed off, Shin'en finished his walk to the restroom. Inside, there was only one other person, and this troubled youth was crying due to having his emotional buttons pressed. When Luke looked to the sound of the door opening, ready to fight and maybe even kill whoever saw him like this, his panic turned to fury.

" _YOU!_ "

He rushed, and then he was in the air, his feet dangling and his body felt like it was trying to pull itself free from his neck, while his neck felt like it was caught within a vice that was rapidly being made tighter. Panic returned to him, and with this new panic came a desperate sense of survival. As his vision danced with black spots and his chest screamed and begged for air and his throat was constricted within the confines of a hellish serpent, Luke kicked and clawed with everything that he had.

A 150-pound teenager that was way more muscle than fat had a lot of strength in their body, and could do a lot of damage to someone, but not when that someone was a god compared to you. With a start that only served to deplete his nonexistent oxygen, Luke realized he was about to die, and this new wave of panic made him move faster, and burn through his remaining air.

In a coincidence found only in movies, the school's bell came on just as Luke's heart stopped beating, making for a perfect flatline.

Shin'en dropped the fresh corpse, and placed a tag on it. The Sealing tag glowed, and a glowing formula spread over the body. When the body was covered, the glow turned red. The incendiary tag did its thing well, and in seconds, the last speck of ash of Luke Castellan was gone.

"That was fun to watch," the Death God said. "So the best way to get you to kill someone is to press the 'loss' button."

"…don't ever do that again, Ryuk, or I'll kill you."

A serrated grin was the response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Right, so between fishing, work, church, and fishing, this chapter was much later than what it should have been. Now, on top it being late, future chapters are also going to be later than what they were, on account of me now having school during the day, and work in the evenings.**_

 _ **I must apologize, for I had honestly hoped to have finished**_ **Xenophobic** _ **before school started back up, yet here we stand.**_

 _ **Anyway, Shin'en killed Luke in a public setting and got away with it, and will get away with it. Even if I did decide to have the law get involved with this, does anyone really think Shin'en is going to submit to us lowly mortals?**_

 _ **Moving on, Ryuk proves to be the ever-so-wild card, playing his game the way he wants to, and taking no quarter. Man, he got Shin'en to kill Luke right after something so small as scaring Asteria and Annabeth; imagine the amount of damage he could cause after something truly damaging on an emotional level…**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	80. Xenophobic: Adult Conversations

_Xenophobic: Adult Conversations_

 _ **Dang, we couldn't eek out four more Reviews to strike an even 1300? Oh well, here's to 1300 with this chapter!**_

 _ **OBLIGATORY WARNING: this chapter contains within it otherwise sensitive and controversial material, which may induce episodes of rage or insult you based on what values you hold to be true and not true. Basically, this is your trigger warning, so if you continue this chapter, put on your big girl/boy pants, and move forward.**_

 _ **Or just skip this chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the end of the school day from the previous chapter, in which Shin'en killed Luke in what basically amounted to an intense anger management session, Asteria and Annabeth managed to catch the cooled-off demigod before he left the campus.

"Hey, Shin'en!"

"Yes, Asteria?"

The trans girl got right to the point. "Did you do something to Luke? He hasn't been seen all day."

Shin'en was just as to the point. "I killed him, and then disposed of his body."

To their credit, the girls just blinked, their eyes and faces going blank.

"Oh," Annabeth said. "…why?"

"I was shown a vision of the future in which he would try to perform an act commonly called a 'school shooting,' and you two were at the top of his to-kill list."

"Okay~…" Asteria drew out slowly. "Is that why you're here then? Stop Luke?"

"No. If that was all, then I would be gone from this place. As I still stand here, my purpose has not yet been fulfilled."

"How did you get rid of the body?" Annabeth asked.

"Burned it to ashes, and then burned the ashes. There's a special method I can use, one that I'm not allowed to confess to mortals."

"Oh, is that so?" the blonde remarked snidely.

"Well, if that's case, then I guess one so far above us lowly mortals won't be able to join us tonight for another hang-out session…"

"Your manipulations are weak, Asteria," Shin'en deadpanned. "I'll be there at 5:30."

"You'll be there?" Asteria asked with a raised brow. "You're going to get past the gate and to the front door, without getting shot, and just knock?"

"Something to that affect, yes."

"As good as that'll be to see happen, we don't get off work tonight till 9:00, so we won't be back to my house until probably 10:30. We like to go eat dinner after work."

"Then I shall be at your house at 10:30."

"I cannot wait to see how that's plays out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yorkshires, named after the dog because the owners of the company have a bunch of Yorkshires, is a local grocery store, most comparable to a small-class Walmart. It was located only in the Northern states, more around the New England area than anything. It was only a grocery store, selling consumables, some automotive things, and the odd knickknack, but nothing like clothes or furniture or movies and games. It was where Annabeth had gotten her first job at fifteen, and where Asteria had gotten her first job at the end of Spring Break, just months ago.

Annabeth was the person everyone knew at Yorkshires, because of her excellent customer service, and her ability to remember everyone that came into the store; photographic memory was a great thing, especially when it came to stores—Annabeth knew the location of every item on the shelves. Everyone knew Annabeth, and Annabeth knew everyone. Her relationships with so many people drew in many of the surrounding populace, and the best part was that only a hundredth of the local clientele saw her in a perverted way.

Most everyone saw her as a daughter, a friend, or a big sister, but no one knew her secret, either of them, and they didn't need to know.

Within the store itself, Annabeth held the position of Office Supervisor, meaning she was the one to talk to about returning items, refunds, rain checks, lottery tickets, handing out change when the tills were running out, and counting the tills when the day was over…generally. She did other things, and her little helpers did things too.

In the case of Asteria, she was one step below the veritable god of the store: she was the Store Supervisor, directly below the Store Director. The only reason she didn't have that position was because it was far too closely related to Marian's position, and Asteria, while not shy about using the name and the money, wanted as little to do with that lesbian bitch as possible. How Asteria got to be Store Supervisor after a few months where Annabeth was only the Office Supervisor after two years was an interesting anecdote, one that Shin'en would learn intimately of tonight.

He needed some eggs, and Yorkshires was the closest place.

The place was of a decent size, big enough for a deli, a dairy section, a bakery, a pharmacy, a meat market, a produce area bigger than the flooring of the average one story house, and sixteen aisles of goods. Yorkshires had everything that grocery store needed: pet supplies, lunch foods, snack foods, dinner foods, breakfasts, plates, napkins, motor oil, diesel fluid, air filters, pots and pans, school supplies, baby needs, ice creams, cookies, frozen dinners, etc.

We've all been to a grocery store, hopefully, so we know what to expect.

Upon materializing from the vapor, at Yorkshires' front sliding doors, Shin'en rose a brow when he sensed the familiar bodies of Annabeth and Asteria inside. The blonde was conversing with customers, and the brunette was lounging in a chair twelve feet away in a smaller space, probably a private office of some sort. Well, he had come here for eggs, but he had nothing but time so what the hell?

Besides, a long conversation and some questions would only serve to promote better customer service.

Inside the store, Shin'en drew as many odd looks as you would expect of a young…it was up in the air, really, what you took the demigod's gender as. His hair was long enough to where he could be mistaken for a woman, and his face had all the right features (demigod twins were strange like that), so it could go both ways. The body-hiding cloak didn't help, but the cloak itself served to draw even more attention from passersby.

Without even trying, Shin'en projected enough of an aura to where even the coldest and most hardened veterans of war ducked their heads down. Mothers grabbed their children and not so discreetly scurried away, and those that were by themselves tried to hide by becoming still as statues. Shin'en found all of this to be exceedingly humorous.

When he got his eggs and wound his way back to the front of the store, to the checkout lanes, he caught Annabeth's eye, and his smirk at her 'oh shit' face was hidden by the collar of his cloak. After paying for his eggs, he stopped in front of the office.

What separated the office from the rest of the store was a waist-high wall, a counter, and panes of glass that reached just a foot short of the ceiling. There were two openings in the glass, one in which employees could have quick conversations for whatever reason and receive money for their tills—this window being only about two feet wide and four inches tall—and the second window was the customer service window, with a circular hole cut into it for easy speech, and a half-circle cutout at the bottom for the exchange of money and lottery tickets.

Shin'en went to that one, and Annabeth met him there with the smile of a kind and eager host.

"Welcome, sir! How can I help you this evening?"

Asteria exited the office, no doubt having read her girlfriend's mind. Her greeting was much less tactful. "The hell brings you here?"

Shin'en held up his grocery sack. "I needed some eggs."

"God's assassin needs human food? Le gasp!"

"I never said I was going to consume them. I am fond of watching the birds of prey swoop down and take them from my open palm. It's quite the sight."

"Mm-hm, sure it is. So, why are you here?"

"I sensed the two of you, and wanted to find out long either of you have been working here, what it's like, and how long it took for the both of you to get your positions."

At the last one, the girls shared a look that spoke volumes of a silent conversation.

 _Is it okay to tell him?_

 _I mean, it's not like he'll tell anyone himself; he doesn't seem like that kind of person._

 _True, but…this is big._

 _We already told him you're transgender and I wear pull-ups, so…_

 _Fine. We'll tell him._

Asteria and Annabeth looked back at Shin'en, and the blonde started off with the story.

"When I started working here three years ago, there was a different Store Director. Her name was Maximum Ride."

Shin'en raised a brow. "That sounds dirty."

Asteria snorted, and Annabeth smirked, "Yeah, it may sound dirty, but what she did was undeniably dirty.

"Being the teenage girl that I am, one that wears pull-ups on a regular basis because I like them, I have a period once every month, and I bleed heavily out of my uterus. Instead of using a pad or a tampon, I just use my pull-ups, because they're easier to change, more convenient for me, and they hold a lot more so they can handle my flow.

"There came a day when I started bleeding in the middle of the day, and I eventually needed to go change, so when my break came, I went to the back, grabbed my bag, and went into the restroom to do my business. Well, as it turns out, Ride had hidden a camera inside the restroom because she was a closet lesbian with a toilet fetish, and got off on watching girls use the restroom."

To his credit, Shin'en remained stone faced and borderline bored during the whole recollection.

"So, of course, she saw me changing my pull-up, and decided to blackmail me. Half my paycheck every time I got paid, or she would tell everyone I wore diapers."

"If you're half as smart as I think you are, then handling this situation should have been easy."

Annabeth's smirk was almost cold. "Oh, it was. She didn't tell me outright that she had video evidence, but it was easy enough to find the camera in the restroom, and suddenly I had dirt on her, especially when I did my own fingerprint test and found her prints all over the device, and slipped into her office after she left her computer logged on, and downloaded all the video files onto a flash drive.

"The next time she opened the feed to watch a girl use the toilet, all she got was an anonymous message telling her she could be in deep trouble if she didn't leave things alone. From there, she always suspected it was me, but now we had reached a standoff. If I turned her in, then she would expose me, and if she exposed me, I would turn her in. We would take each other down, only I would be able to save face by citing medical reasons and playing the wounded little girl card. I still gave up half my paycheck, but I didn't need any money because of my boyfriend here, so I didn't care."

"Then why did you get a job in the first place?"

"I just wanted an excuse to be out of my dumbass fountainhead's house with his bitch and their inbreeds."

"Fair enough."

"Yeah, but when I decided to get on the scene and read dear Maxie's mind, I wasn't so forgiving as my Diaper Girl. I had that bitch fired and then made her disappear overnight. If memory serves, she should still be decaying at the bottom of the river."

"Hn, how dark."

"Yep."

"How'd you pull it off?"

"Money, and knowing the right people."

"Dark web hitman site?"

"Yep."

"And how did you feel about this?"

"I didn't care. Maximum was a bitch that no one like in the first place. As far as anyone else is concerned, she left the state, and no one cared enough to keep up with her."

"Fascinating. We'll have to talk more tonight. I seem to have held up the line."

And by line, Shin'en meant the one elderly lady slowly making her way up to the window with a walker. No one had been around to hear the trio's conversation.

Maybe it had something to do with the off-putting aura that permeated the Abyss?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At dinner, Annabeth and Asteria engaged in a conversation.

"So, Luke died…"

"Yep."

"And there's no trace of his body…"

"Nope."

"And neither one of us feel a damn thing."

"Nope."

"Are we bad people? I mean, a classmate was literally murdered, and neither of us feel anything. That's bad, isn't it?"

"Not really. Luke was only a reputation to us. We never had any conversation amount to shit, so we didn't have any attachments to him to make us feel anything. It's the same concept with Heather True."

"The girl who committed suicide by hanging herself?"

"Yeah. You only had one interaction with her, and that's when you brushed past her to get a calculator for math class, and when you apologized, she told you to go fuck off. Hard to feel any sympathy for someone like that."

"I guess, but…still. She allegedly didn't have a good home life, and neither did Luke, according to Shin'en, so their behavior stemmed directly from their abuses."

"Annabeth, Hitler grew up poor and had regular fights with his father about where he wanted to go to school. Then he committed suicide in 1945. Does his troubled home life excuse his bad behavior?"

"That's a little extreme…"

"Does Hitler's bad home life excuse his bad behavior?"

"…no."

Asteria sat back in her chair, looking victoriously serious. "Well there you go. I guess having a bad upbringing is cause for sympathy on some note, but does that excuse your actions in life? Fuck no."

The conversation hit a lull, and silence permeated the girls until their food arrived. After they were finished, Annabeth started the conversation up again.

"Have you noticed how people our age just…don't seem to care about violent things happening?"

"Ah, the 'millennials are desensitized to violence' thing…yeah, I think we are, actually. There was a study done, and the theory that it came up with was that the gratuitous violence found on modern TV and video games was experienced by children at a young age, and since kids are like, monkey see, monkey do, they just soaked it up and moved. Now, after their minds are used to blood and guts, they just process it like they process just about everything else: with nonchalantness."

Annabeth frowned, and her grey eyes became cloudy and distant. "What a world we're in store for…the next generation of humanity is so used to seeing people killed that they hardly feel anything." She smirked without any humor. "Maybe there's some wisdom in all those idiots posting about wanting to die and killing themselves; they see the world around them going to hell, so they do the only thing that'll prevent them from having to live in it."

"Hey, being cynical and nihilistic is my shtick. You stick with being the happy girl in diapers, I'll stick with brooding. Besides, if you're so weak that you're going to kill yourself because the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows anymore, then you don't have any place in the world in the first place. Grow a spine, toughen up, and move on. The world's got enough pussies in it already, we don't need more."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _10:34_

 _Janssen Mansion_

Upon arriving at Asteria's room, both girls almost jumped out of their skin when they saw Shin'en sitting at the entertainment area couch, Xbox controller in hand, playing what the girls recognized as _Watch Dogs_.

Which wouldn't be out for another seven years, but fuck continuity.

Neither unusual teen knew what to say first, so Asteria just went with the obvious, "How did you get in here?"

"Through the door."

"Okay, how did you get in my house?"

"Through the door."

Asteria's eye twitched. "How did you get past the gate?"

"I jumped."

"A black man being chased by child support couldn't jump that high."

"Whew, was the racism necessary there?"

"No, but I'm a little hacked off at a somewhat acquaintance and a somewhat stranger somehow getting into my house, and then my room…and you went through my stuff."

"Yes, I was meaning to ask you: are these for you, or are they for Annabeth in case she wants to put one on?"

The object in question being a package of Goodnites not yet opened. Asteria grabbed it, and threw it across the room to her open closet door.

"If you must know, they're for Annabeth."

"Ever put one on yourself?"

"Yes."

"Kinky."

"Not for sex, you pervert. She convinced me to try one out, and not seeing any harm in it, I put one on."

"With your genitals, I can't imagine that the fit was proper."

"…there's something wrong with you. Normal people don't think like that."

"Normal people can't read minds, nor do they have a girl's face and a penis, _nor do they_ wear undergarments designed to absorb the nocturnal urinary emissions of children…because they are pleasing to the senses. There's something wrong with all of us. Take the programmers of this game, for instance. The number of bugs and glitches I have encountered are sickening."

"How's the story, though?" Annabeth interjected before her boyfriend could say anything else. "The characters, the plot and all that?"

"I find Pearce to be decently respectful in terms of character; his niece is killed by mobsters, so he sets out to use his skills to take down the mob, one idiot gangbanger at a time…although the morality system is flawed. I can steal countless thousands from the struggling poor people and cause massive traffic accidents that will result in probably millions of damages without penalty, but Lord forbid someone get shot by stray gunfire."

"What a coincidence, I think the same way."

"What is it they say about great minds? Anyway." Shin'en turned the game and the TV off, and faced his hosts. "So…hanging out. What's retail like?"

The girls moved past the evident privacy invasion, set their bags down, and crashed in the entertainment area.

"About as interesting and taxing as working with people is expected. We've met assholes, we've met saints, we've met gang members, school children, elderly, young, black, white, Mexican, Asian—everyone, really. Of course, being able to read minds has made my job really depressing and disappointing."

"Oh? Do tell."

Asteria smirked humorlessly. "Well, first off, I have a photographic memory like Annie does, so I can keep track of everyone that's ever been in there, which means I know the stories and secrets of every employee and customer, which should automatically tell you how much my job sucks, but anyway.

"Out of the 159 unique black families and individuals that have been in my store, 124 used a combination of welfare and food stamps…only 13 had valid reasons for needed either. One woman in particular had four children and is currently pregnant with a fifth—she goes out and gets herself fucked so she can keep applying for welfare checks. Another family I remember well consists of a grandmother, her two daughters, and a combined total of eight kids all under the age of twelve. All three adults weigh over 300 pounds, and all three of them screwed their husbands over in courts of law, none of them work, all three live happily on a monthly check, and the children have their private school paid for.

"Out of the 109 individual Mexican families and individuals that have been in my store, 67 of them don't speak English, most of the men have tattoos and gold teeth, and most of the women smoke. There have been 24 families that have come in with children between the ages three and six that are not yet potty trained, and they stink up my store. Out of that 109 families and individuals, 48 are on a combination of welfare, WIC, and food stamps. One family that comes to mind immediately is the Hernandez's—"

"Which Hernandez's?"

"The one that got all the formula."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so there is this family who comes in probably once every two weeks. The first time they came in was 30 minutes before closing, and they bought $170 worth of baby formula. Through American tax payer dollars, the WIC, they got all of it for free on account of their three-month-old daughter and their lack of a job. The second time they came in, they bought $140 dollars-worth of items, and had a Latino meltdown when two things of juice weren't covered by their WIC card. These Hernandez's are not only illegals, but they are runners trying to get to Canada."

"Why are they trying to get to Canada?"

"Healthcare," Annabeth answered.

"There is still some light in all the darkness, though. The rest of those numbers are honest citizens just trying to make a living for themselves, so they restore in me just a little faith in humanity, but that small amount of faith is tested when I think of all the white people that come into my store. This is the North, but I swear we get more rednecks than Alabama, and more than 75% of them are on some kind of disability. One family came in and bought $190.55 of goods, and then they tried to pay with temporary checks…Yorkshires doesn't accept temporary checks. They left and said they'd be right back after a quick run to the ATM. Thirty minutes later and we put all their stuff back on the shelf. The less about their attitude the better.

"Another woman purchased $127.84 of stuff, and the computer said DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS…she tried to pay with credit cards, and crashed the system. She said she would be right back after she ran to the bank, and after two hours, we put her stuff back on the shelves. I think the funniest part of that anecdote is where she said she had two daughters, both of them five, but she was buying the boys' Pull-Ups because we were out of girl ones, and her girls wouldn't know the difference…the woman referred to the Pull-Ups as panties, and said it made her daughters feel better. The funny thing is that she was telling the truth."

"There another man, Mr. Elkin, who buys Size 6 diapers for his seven-year-old daughter because she likes to wear those at night as opposed to panties. She doesn't use them, she just likes to wear them, like me."

"People are strange," Shin'en surmised. "And America is in need of restructuring."

"Something like that," Asteria agreed. "Although my favorite people that come in are the religious folk."

"And why is that?"

The trans girl's grin was almost malicious. "There's something I find particularly amusing about idiots putting blind faith in a fictional character, and then blaming every good thing in their life on him."

Annabeth sighed. "We've had this talk before, Aster," she said exasperatedly, "we agreed to let it rest."

"Yeah, but now Shin'en's here, and I want to restart all our old debates to see what he has to say. Maybe he'll side with me, maybe he'll side with you, and maybe he'll give us both something to think about. I'm curious."

"You're sociopathic," Annabeth deadpanned. She looked at Shin'en. "I apologize for him and anything he may ask you or tell you. He's a bit unhinged."

"Says the girl who like wearing diapers," Asteria grinned.

"Shut up, you transgendered trash."

"Make me, fetish freak."

"Why don't you try an—"

"Children, please," Shin'en cut in sharply, using his diaphragm to talk over them without any effort. "Your bickering serves to only annoy me. You said you wish to debate with me certain topics, topics that I can only assume are sensitive and 'triggering' in their nature. While I have no problem debating with you, I warn you now that I am very callous and uncaring person, so what I say may very well cause the both of you to never want to speak to me again, so proceed at your own risk."

Asteria' grin was definitely a few kunai short of a full pouch.

"I am going to enjoy this. So, what do you think about religion?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **I can honestly say that next chapter is going to be more fun for me than it probably will be for those that shy away from the sensitive and controversial topics of today's media. Like I said at the top, WARNING: NOT FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE EASILY OFFENDED.**_

 _ **There was already a little stint about millennials there closer to the top, and right there at the bottom was a bunch of accounts of people that have actually been in my store. Now, whether the stereotypes about them have any merit to them, I shit you not about the two white people, the Mexicans, and the black families. The amount of people using food stamps and WIC cards is insane, and rather annoying.**_

 _ **I also had a black tranny come in on Monday, weighing in at probably 250 pounds, was over six feet in height, wearing pink pajama pants, fuzzy slippers, a pink bandana, a white tee-shirt that threatened to rip from the saggy chest, had a beard, and spoke in an airy lisp. They tried to get a refund for some rubbing alcohol, and I told them to go to the office for assistance. After they left, I asked if that person identified as a man or a woman, and Charlie said:**_

" _ **You know what? It doesn't matter. They were a guest, and that's all that's important."**_

 _ **Whatever you say Charlie.**_

 _ **Anyway, I can feel the angry Reviews about to come in for this chapter and the next, but all I can say is thank you for upping my numbers. With that said…**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	81. Xenophobic: Abyssal Views

_Xenophobic: Abyssal Views_

 _ **Well, that's certainly been the highest number of Reviews in a while, especially since the start of**_ **Xenophobic** _ **.**_

 _ **ADVANCE WARNING: This is that sensitive material chapter that talks about issues of today from a couple of teens and a veritable god's point of view. If you care to read, buckle up, if you don't, skip the chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what do you think about religion?" Asteria asked with a demented grin and gleam in her eye.

Now, asking someone like Shin'en a question like that wasn't exactly fair, considering that Shin'en hailed from a reality in which all religions were inherently real. Further, this was a 'godless' dimension, a Mortal AU, as they were called, in which there were no Olympians, Aesir, or Duat; whether this concept extended to religions such as Christianity, Muslim, Judaism, Buddhism, etc., was unclear.

On one hand, those religions sorta-kinda transcended time and space, on the other hand, the pagans should do the same, but here Shin'en was, in a world without any Mist to use his Sharingan with. And no Mist meant no Greeks, and if there were no Greeks, then it stood to reason there was nothing else.

However, this was a godless world in the realm of _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ , meaning that it was quite possible that pagans existed, but they were not the pagans that Shin'en was accustomed to. For example, Zeus might very well be real here, but this Zeus would not be the same paranoid fool that Shin'en knew, and Odin might exist, just not in the way Hotel Valhalla knew the Lord of the Aesir, and you get the picture from there…hopefully.

Still, Shin'en was looking at this the wrong way.

He was looking at it in the literal, where he needed to look at it in the philosophical. On the flip side, his half-assed lie about being sent by the Fates should tell this female and warped male all they needed to know about his stance on religion, but what the hell?

Shin'en was already having flashbacks to his nuking of the _Death Note_ world.

"Before I give you my answer, let me first ask the two of you this: How do the two of you feel about religion?"

Asteria shrugged. "I think it's the dumbest thing ever, and the root cause behind every major conflict in mankind's history. ISIS, terrorism, wars, violence, disunity, mass slaughter of the people, and come on, some all-powerful guy in the clouds has the ability to do whatever he wants, just to sit up there and watch us tear each other apart? Why would anyone want to put any amount of stock into such a dumbass theory? And why would anyone want to worship a deity that lets all this bad shit happen?"

Annabeth sighed. "You only look for the bad in religion, Aster. You lay all those things at the foot of gods, but if you looked at any religious scripture, you read that all of them basically tell you to be nice, love people, and get along. ISIS is taking their religion and blowing it way out of proportion, the Crusades were stupid in and of themselves, and the forced conversion of the Native Americans at the hands of every European nation was wrong and went against every religions' principles. Besides, do you have any idea how worse the world would be without a religion for people to get behind?"

"Worse? I think it'd be a great world if we didn't have Christians and Muslims and Jews condemning everyone for not conforming to their stupid beliefs, and shoving theirs down our throats with every chance they got. Plus, if we didn't have Christianity, we wouldn't have churches hating on gay people, and if we didn't have Islam we wouldn't have ISIS and maybe the Twin Towers would still be standing, and if we didn't have Jews, Hitler wouldn't have had a basis for his entire platform, and then the odds of World War Two happening in the way we know it would be slim to none. We might not have even had a second World War, and even if we did, it most likely would have been much shorter, and a lot less bloody."

"Really? Blaming World War Two on Jews? That doesn't even make sense."

"Ah, but you're not saying anything to defend Christians and Muslims~," Asteria sang.

Annabeth's mouth opened to argue, but Shin'en was through listening to this bickering.

"Enough, both of you," he commanded, and silence reigned for all of one and a half seconds, before he spoke again.

"Religion is a concept that was originally created to promote peace and goodwill, building itself on the notion that good deeds in life will result in a happy afterlife. It's the same way parents encourage their children: 'Behave and you'll get a cookie.' Be a good person, and you'll be rewarded in Heaven.

"Now, like all things, religion had been twisted and warped from what it used to be, and has turned into propaganda, a political machine, and a justification for horrible things. Muslim extremists use their religion to justify their actions, just as Christians did during the Crusades and Witch Trials of old, and Jews did the same to justify their thievery during the rule of Rome. If religion was treated as it should be, as dictated in the Bible, Quran, and Torah, the world might just be a happier place.

"As for the notion of an all-powerful being existing on a higher plane that simply stands there and watches is foolish. In all texts, there is an entity that opposes God, HaShem, and Allah, and is stated to be the root cause of all evil. If religion is to be believed, then no deity simply stands idle, and they are locked in a constant battle with their malicious counterparts. For example, in Christianity, it not simply God letting bad things happen, it is Satan causing these things and then watching with a smile on his face as everyone blames God for it.

"Finally, blaming all bad things in this world on religion is the highest form of stupidity available. It is not drops of ink on paper that cause extremists to take lives in the paper's name, it is men. Men kill men, men steal from men, and it is men who blame men. Gods and monsters have nothing to do with the state of the world, it is merely the humans that live on it that cause this endless strife. Laying the actions of men at the feet of gods, gods who sought to teach peace and goodwill, is the lazy way of addressing the problems of the world. If you want to change things, get off your ass and make something happen; blaming gods will do nothing."

Shin'en cold emerald eyes bore into those stormcloud grey and venomous green ones, projecting an aura upon the two of them that demanded attention and commanded respect. He was a shinobi that had seen war at the tender age of six, and has lived to tell about it; he was not about to take any lip from a teenage girl and her transgender boyfriend.

"Next question?" the demigod prompted.

Asteria had to take a few moments to collect herself after being subject to such unyielding authority, but after getting her feet back under her, she asked, "How do you feel about the LGBT?"

Off to the side, Ryuk reminded Shin'en that he was still there by snorting. "Didn't you nuke a planet because of those rejects?"

The Death God was ignored.

"Beyond the social schism they've created by announcing their movement to the world, I feel nothing for them. In time, they will die, and anything they've done on this earth will eventually be forgotten, either to planet-wide destruction, or the sands of time will bury them."

"How do you feel about them on a social level?"

"On a social level?" Shin'en raised a brow. "Society as a whole faces epidemics of starvation and obesity at the same time, and never mind the pollution and corruption found elsewhere that slowly kills every living thing, and instead of coming together to even brainstorm a minute solution, you're all content to argue about what the definition of gender is."

"What about a philosophical level?"

"There is no philosophy to be found here. Any member is either gay, or a crossdresser."

"Then what does that mean for me?" Asteria asked, the grin on her face like the cat that caught the canary. She thought she captured Shin'en in a verbal trap; she did not.

"Not a damn thing makes you different from any other person that identifies as transgender. You may have a pretty face, breasts, the curved figure, the dainty limbs, and the high voice, but that doesn't change the fact that you have a penis, and even if you remove that, your chromosomes will forever read XY.

"Taking hormones and undergoing surgeries will no more alter your gender than removing the antlers of a buck makes it a doe."

"…you're going to make me have another identity crisis, saying all this stuff about gender."

"If such a thing should happen, then I'm sure Annabeth is more than willing to help you through your crisis."

"I helped him through the other one."

"Excellent. Then there should be no issues then. Any more questions?"

"How do you feel about the government?"

For all his emotional control—and emotional barriers—Shin'en couldn't stop the short bark of derision that came from somewhere at the bottom of his chest.

"The governments here are so broken and fractured that a hard enough blow will completely shatter them. What the government is supposed to be is a ruling body of people who serve the people, but that hasn't been the case since World War Two, and the ignorant sheep that is the American population sat on their happy asses and watched with dumb smiles as everything slowly went down the toilet, and now there isn't a plumber alive that can unclog the drain."

"Then what would you suggest?" Asteria asked.

Shin'en was so dead serious that both teens shivered. "Pull the plumbing out of the wall and clean up the mess, then put in a new set of pipes."

Annabeth was pale. "You mean…kill them all and restructure the government?"

"Precisely."

The only reason the governments of this world were still in power, was because they had so much of it that no one else could amass enough to start a revolution. Shin'en hailed from a world in which all ruling bodies were military dictatorships, and the Kages held absolute authority over everything within the border. If they said jump, you didn't ask how high, you just squatted down, and prayed you went high enough. Further, in times of war, the Kage wasn't sitting safely in a room somewhere, watching the battle unfold through numerous screens, he was out there on the frontlines, sweating, bleeding, and fighting alongside his soldiers.

Shin'en detested shinobi with everything that he had, but he could give credit where it was due. Compared to the fools of this world, Kages were saints, ones that could do horrible things, but at least they didn't try to hide behind a media smokescreen.

Tch, the _media_ …there was no such thing in the Shinobi World. There were no news reporters, newspapers, or tabloids. Hell, there was barely even any TV. Sure, there was the odd station here and there, and the rare movie, but as far as TV went, it was an obsolete technology, one that had no place in the modern Shinobi era. Really, the only thing a television was used for was long-distance video meetings between a Kage and the Feudal Lord.

The only reason Feudal Lords were still a round was because the Kages didn't feel like going through the trouble of ordering an assassination, or putting forth the effort of a hostile takeover. That, and the old windbags were useful in their own ways.

But back to the current.

Asteria looked at Annabeth. "You know…I think he has the right idea."

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend. "You cannot be serious."

"Sure I am. I mean, come on. Nothing lasts forever, and government is no different. Besides, the Constitution was made to change, changing the government entirely is not impossible; just ratify a bunch of new amendments that cancel out the old ones."

"And murder well over 535 members of the United States government? Tell me, oh wise one, how you would pull this off?"

Asteria grinned. "The deep web, my child, the deep web. There's always a terrorist group or something looking to get some business; operations on US soil against US politicians are what they drool over. Besides, you think it would be hard to convince Janssen to get rid of the government in the first place?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. So, basically, I could reach out and break this country in a way the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and the LBGT movement never could."

Shin'en kept to himself that he could blow up the planet with relative ease, and murder the entirety of Congress overnight. Professional assassin and all.

"Anything else, or is that all tonight?"

"Actually, that's about it. You got anything you want to ask, Annabeth?"

"Not right now, no."

"Then I have a question of my own," Shin'en said.

"Gonna ask what we think about the stuff I asked you?"

"No, because I don't care. I am curious, though, about the two of you. You've been dating for five years now, and between couples, especially teens, there are always times when you both look at the situations and ask yourselves if it's worth it anymore, either because of circumstance, or an outside force. I want to know what the lowest point of your relationship was."

Annabeth snorted. "That's easy. It was a few months ago, actually."

Asteria lost her smile, and she became more subdued, her previous fire now slowly dying as the memories of whatever happened a month ago played across her mind. Whatever, it was, it was clearly something she regretted.

"Summer vacation started, and Aster wanted to celebrate by taking me on a date to the newly-opened Natural History Museum. I decided to wear a pull-up that day, and when he arrived to pick me up, he brought me a homemade chocolate shake. Best damn thing I've ever tasted."

"You mean besides his cum?" Ryuk asked, although he went unheard.

"The museum was great, and the time spent together was great, until I was hit with a really bad cramp, and desperately needed the bathroom. Asteria said he knew a shortcut through the museum, having read one of the employees' minds, and so I followed him, keeping my steps as short and quick as possible. Well, as it turns out, my boyfriend was deliberately leading me around the place and as far from the restroom as possible, until another cramp had me going in my pants."

"That is fucking disgusting," Ryuk said.

"It was fucking disgusting," Annabeth picked up, "and about as mortifying as you could imagine. Luckily, I didn't leak, but still. After waddling to the bathroom and dropping my shorts and painstakingly avoiding a bigger mess than what there was, I got myself cleaned up and into something dry. During all of this, I thought Asteria was trying not to laugh at my expense, because come one? A seventeen year old girl having an accident in public? I might laugh too, but no.

"As it turns out," Asteria looked like she was trying to fit into an invisible shell, "my boyfriend had spiked my shake that morning with a heavy laxative, because he though making me shit myself would be a funny prank…yeah, after he told me that, I almost killed him in the stall by strangling him to death. Lucky for him, I remembered all the good times we shared and took my hands away. Then I stormed off and got a taxi back to my neighborhood; didn't speak to Asteria for almost a week, not even at work."

"Clearly, you two mended the problem," Shin'en stated.

The way Annabeth smiled, and the she grabbed Asteria's shoulder and shook her, and that light in her grey eyes, made it clear that she, too, was still a little sore when it came to this subject, and was relishing in the opportunity to embarrass her significant other.

"Well? Come on, tell him how you made it up to me~," Annabeth sing-songed.

Asteria swallowed and closed her eyes, then she looked at Shin'en. "I put on one of her Goodnites, and shit myself at work."

"That's _fucking disgusting_."

Annabeth's grin had yet to fade. "He wanted to change right away, but I made him stay in it until his shift ended."

"You people need some fucking professional help."

Shin'en, during this entire recounting, kept a straight face even when his Shinigami companion had something to say. Even at the end, his face had yet to so much as twitch, and that honestly creeped Annabeth and Asteria out a little. Who kept an expressionless face after being told a couple of girls defecated in their pants?

"Uh, you okay there? We just told you crapped ourselves, and you didn't even react. That's not normal…wait. Have you seen something like this before?"

Instead of verbally answering, Shin'en pulled a cigarette out of his cloak. "You mind?"

"You smoke?" Asteria asked.

"Yes. Want to try one?"

"Uh…"

"No," Annabeth said firmly. "Neither of us want to try smoking."

"Suit yourself." Shin'en put the cigarette to his lips, and promptly lit it with a spark of Lightning chakra, making the girls' eyes go wide. After taking a drag and releasing the smoke into the ceiling, he looked back at Annabeth and Asteria.

Ryuk's eyes gleamed red, and suddenly the atmosphere turned foreboding, tense, cold, and heavy.

"No, a couple of teens defecating upon themselves is hardly anything new to me. There are places in this world where twisted things happen, things that could make even the two of you cower in terror. In regards to your tale, I recall two instances in which I've come across this fetish."

"It's not a fetish," Annabeth automatically said. She was ignored.

"There was a middle-aged woman who was a mother of three," Shin'en started. He spoke low, the smoke curling from the embers a few inches away from his fingertips. His emerald eyes were darker than usual, and the light of the chandelier was dimming steadily, the temperature acting much the same. Soon, breath became visible in the air, and the girls clung to one another for warmth.

"Her two oldest children were lost to war at the ages of thirteen and eleven, and her youngest was taken by scarlet fever at four, leaving her without any of her babies. Without a husband there to help her cope, she went mad, her psyche fracturing, warping, twisting, transforming itself into a monster. She got it in her head that her children were still alive, but they were simply late for dinner. So, like any decent mother, she went out to find her wayward children.

"She kidnapped orphans off the street, drugging them, and brought them back to her secluded house. From there, she subjected the children to infantilistic treatments. Cribs, clothing, bathing, drug-laced bottles and pacifiers, and diapers. She did this until they died of overdose, and when that happened, she simply buried the bodies and went out to find her children, again and again, until she plucked the wrong child off the streets.

"This boy had a mother and a father, both of which went to the police in order to start a search. Unsurprisingly, the police were lackluster in their performance, and the boy's parents took to desperate measures, and called the human organization I was working for at the time. For a price, we did what the police couldn't, and set up an operation. At night, I simply posed as an orphan, and the very first night was I kidnapped and drugged.

"I woke up in a position that you can imagine for yourselves, but the result was the same. I killed the woman, and then searched the house for clues as to why she did what she did, and I found the pertinent information, which I already gave to you." Shin'en took a drag. "The old bitch killed sixteen children between the ages of five and fourteen."

"Y-Y-You're k-k-kidding," Asteria stuttered, but one look into those emerald eyes was enough. Shin'en was _not_ kidding.

Annabeth was not ADHD or dyslexic in this dimension, but that did stop her from asking, "And t-the o-o-other t-t-time?"

"Yes, the second instance that I recall clearly. The organization that I was working for required information, information that was stored in the mind of a tight-lipped fifteen-year-old girl with a generous amount of pain tolerance. After eighteen straight hours of torture, breaking her bones, cutting her skin, shaving it off, pouring salt and lemon juice into the wounds, we decided to change tactics.

"We dehydrated her, made her cell hot and dry, making her sweat, making her parched and thirsty. We fed her food that was extremely high in fiber, and we gave her very little liquids, and what we did give her was laced with diuretic, making her urinate what little liquid was left in her body amidst her sweating. We left her tied up, suspended above the floor, and we kept the drain in the floor clogged, so she became very acquainted with the smell of her body.

"Nature came to call, of course, and after a solid three hours of fighting the cramps, her body overrode her will, and a new smell entered her nostrils, if you catch my meaning. Now, low on internal water as she was, and as dry as her feces were, the exertion behind her efforts caused blood vessels around her anus to swell…hemorrhoids. Big ones.

"We let her stew in the smell and the heat for another day, starving her now, before reentering. We took a look at her ass and decided that an operation was needed immediately. Unfortunately," here, Shin'en's eyes gained a _sadistic_ gleam, and his voice reflected this, "we were all out of sedatives, and even anesthesia, but we were not wholly unkind, and gave her a bit to scream into. The sounds she made as the knife glided through her body…

"Anyway, we drained the hemorrhoids and stitched them back together as best we could without the proper supplies on hand. We left and put her back on a high-fiber diet, and the next time she needed to defecate…well, let's just say that she gave us what we wanted in exchange for the sweet relief of death."

Shin'en had finished his cigarette by now, so he put the nub out on his neck, and threw the butt off somewhere behind him. The room was almost in darkness the chandelier was so dim, and Annabeth and Asteria were clinging tightly to one another; if they had at least genin-level chakra, they would've been much better, but alas, they were but simple civilians—no, even less than that.

Locked and underdeveloped though it was, even the average folk of the Shinobi World had a chakra network, and while miniscule, it still would've given them a boost over this world's civilians.

Honestly, Shin'en didn't mean to let his essence slip out like that, but remembering events from the Blood War…brought with them certain effects. Still, Old Darita and Harumiya were not the only instances of infantilism and defecation that Shin'en had seen.

The Land of Water's underground had boomed during the Blood War, especially the porn industry. Left and right, films and videos of girls, boys, traps, men and women defiling and humiliating themselves were popping up everywhere, with most of the cast members being bought or kidnapped. In the wake of slaughtered parents, there were too many orphans to count, and those orphans were seen as nothing more than profit to be swept off the street and sold.

However, beyond eradicating slave rings, the other biggest brush with infantilism Shin'en had, came in the form of informants, or specifically, an informant in the Water Daimyo's higher courts. See, Yūrei had many people on the payroll, and while some accepted money, and some accepted jobs as payment, others wanted a little…more.

The informant in question had a daddy kink, and gladly gave the Ghosts of the Bloody Mist any intel they wanted, in exchange for having his way with Yūwaku for an amount of time he deemed worth the given information. Shin'en never did understand how the busty blonde could giver herself over into that pig's fetish, but he did feel great satisfaction in gutting said pig, and feeding the body, piece by piece, to hungry animals.

"Well, I believe it's time for me to head home. Asteria, Annabeth, have a good night. I'll see you both at school on Monday."

And the he vanished into vapor right in front of them.

Light returned and the temperature rose quickly, restoring warmth back to Asteria's room. The girl still clung to each other, even as their shivers subsided. Their pupils were wide, their faces pale, cold sweat clinging to them, causing their clothes to stick, and they could both feel their hearts against their rib cages.

 _Terrified_ did accurately describe how the both of them felt at the moment.

They would stay up for many hours, watching movies and playing video games, before trying to end their night on a high note with reciprocated fellatio, but not even orgasm could the fear of the Abyss out of their minds. However, through his will, their sleep was filled with visions of good things, a bright future, and a happy life.

One that was forever unattainable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The days began fading away into weeks, and the weeks into months, until the later days of May were upon the earth. Many things had happened since Shin'en's recounting of the Bloody Mist, and, while there had been many interesting things that happened, such as Marian forcing Asteria to come out, becoming an icon for tolerance and transgenders everywhere, which lead to many episodes in which Shin'en ended the lives of many when they had bad words to say against Asteria and Annabeth, sabotaging football games, rigging cars to explode, tracking down those that gave the couple shit. All of this and more had happened over the months, and while it was definitely interesting…

Ryuk was still bored.

The God of Death sat atop a skyscraper, his ruby eyes staring silently out over the city. The sun was setting casting its scarlet glow across the earth. In Ryuk's hand was his Death Note, and in his other hand was his personal pen.

"If this keeps up, that kid won't have any problems staying here until he dies. He's been all about that 'can't do anything until I know what to do' bullshit for months now, and nothing's changed. Well, those two brats did manage to worm their way inside that frozen heart of his, despite how much he'll deny it. Oh well."

Ryuk tore a couple pages out of his Note, and threw them into the wind, where they were carried to the Chase household, and the Janssen Mansion.

"There. That'll speed things along." The Shinigami grinned a grin that would've made the Devil proud.

" _Let's make things interesting!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **To those who voted so long ago to have Ryuk stay with Shin'en, I would like to thank you, because without you, the incoming carnage and devastation would not be possible.**_

 _ **So, Shin'en's got some opinions on today's stuff, and has lots of fun war stories to tell about the Mist, and has fallen for his personal trap of letting people in that cold, cold heart of his, and we all know what happens to the people that get in his heart. With Ryuk's machinations hidden in the shadows and with the absolute power of the Death Note, there's nothing Shin'en can do to stop what's coming.**_

 _ **I would also like to say that**_ **Backup Plan** _ **is coming to a close soon.**_ **Xenophobic** _ **will be the last arc, and it'll end on a high note, I promise. The reason for this ending is that we're over 400k words and 80 chapters. If I kept going, we'd have a 200-chapter mega monster on the net, and that'll scare people away.**_

 _ **So, yes.**_ **Xenophobic** _ **will be the last arc, and it's going to end in a way that I feel will please people. Hopefully.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	82. Xenophobic: The End: Horizon Storm

_Xenophobic: The End: Horizon Storm_

 _ **Yes, for the love of God, YES!**_

 _ **There is going to be a sequel, there was always going to be a sequel, there always will be a sequel. I still plan to make the sequel to**_ **Backup Plan** _ **as a whole take place in the**_ **RWBY-** _ **verse several million years into the future. I just didn't want this story to accumulate several hundred chapters and over a million words.**_

 _ **Some find that to be an accomplishment, I find that to be a nightmare. I look at a story and I see over a hundred chapter and over a million words and I'm like: nope. I know there are people that share that sentiment, so I'm catering to myself here. Bear with me.**_

 _ **That being said, this will be the next to last chapter, with next chapter being the last chapter.**_

 _ **Prepare for tears…if you got that emotionally invested.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto, PJO, or Death Note

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The gunfire echoed thunderously about the small space, and the whizzing of the bullets through the air was only a fraction quieter, but their impact against their targets made up for the lost volume.

Shin'en, Annabeth, and Asteria all had looks of varying levels of concentration on their faces as they squeezed the triggers of their respective firearms. The girls had simple yet elegant m1911s at their disposal, held in the standard grip to provide the most resistance against recoil, while Shin'en had the monstrous .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum, and was casually holding it out like a stick and firing with no recoil whatsoever.

When everyone was out of ammo clips and revolver rounds, they hit the buttons at their stations and brought their target sheets back to them.

Annabeth examined hers and frowned at how the holes were mostly sporadic.

Asteria had a smug grin at how her target was riddled with holes in tight clusters about the head and chest.

Shin'en had a blank expression when he showed off his target only had a single hole in the center of the forehead.

This time it was Annabeth's turn to grin smugly as her boyfriend's countenance instantly shifted to one of despondency at being shown up with such casual ease.

"Stupid interdimensional ninjas and their stupid superhuman everything…"

Yes, Shin'en had come (mostly) clean about where he was from. The fact that he was Asteria's counterpart was still a secret.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What a year it had been, one full of anecdotes, ups, downs, interesting things, happenings, and stuff.

The homecoming dance, in which one drunken fool and groped Annabeth's padded rear, and almost yelled her secret out for everyone to hear, only for Shin'en to smash is jaw into pieces before the air could vibrate the vocal chords. A party in which the girl and the trans both got high for the first time, and Shin'en had to bring them both back to his place so the weed could work its way out of their systems. The time in which a gang from the city had been hired by a rival company to Itex to make a hit on the couple, only for Shin'en to soundly foil it and reduce the rival company's HQ to a parking lot.

Although, perhaps the greatest thing to have happened was when Janssen strong-armed Asteria into standing before the cameras and microphones to make a speech about her coming out as transgender. The media and the world predictably went nuts over that, with America quickly dividing itself over whether to condemn the telepath for being trans, or side with her for being trans. The issue got to be so big that Yorkshires laid Annabeth and Asteria off due to backlash, threats, and complaints from divided customers.

Overnight, each one that opened their mouth disappeared off the face of the earth, and Yorkshires itself suddenly went bankrupt and shut down within a week.

Such was the wrath of the Abyss.

However, none of that compared to when over half of Goode High's student body formed an in-school mob to jump the newly revealed transgender child and her girlfriend, but once more, as had become his role, Shin'en was there, and the term _massacre_ was redefined in the Webster International Dictionary. That had been a political and logistical nightmare, with the most prominent questions being _who gets sued_ and _how did one boy viciously fight off over 300 able-bodied teens_?

How strange was it though, that all of the security cameras in the school district shut down en masse just prior to the slaughter? There weren't any corpses, thank Heaven, but there was blood, bones, cripples, life-altering injuries, and enough angry parents to storm the White House. Still, Marian Janssen had a face to keep, and enough power to where even the Rothschild family stayed away from her.

Amidst the 300 casualties and fuming parents and insurance and medical bills, there wasn't a single news van or charge pressed.

On a side note, Marian was also going to force Asteria to take a nude photo of herself and post it online, confirming her transgender identity, _and_ make Annabeth the posterchild for ABDL just as she had made Asteria the posterchild for the LGBT, but that's when Shin'en finally decided that, after several months of there not being a clear sign as to what his purpose here was, he would decide his own purpose.

When in his presence, Marian suddenly became a very quiet and reserved individual. As did Sally.

Annabeth and Asteria both snickered when that happened, at how Shin'en had put the fear of God Almighty into those women.

Speaking of God…Annabeth had decided to attend a few sermons, and had dragged Asteria along with her. In a turn of events that no one had predicted, the blonde converted. To this day, she was still trying to get Asteria to do the same, but the telepath refused, because in her mind, God had abandoned her long ago, and she wasn't about to worship someone that had left her at the mercy of Satan's wife. All of that led to some _really_ interesting debates.

Shin'en was content with letting the couple have their differences. When asked why he didn't want to believe, his answer was complex yet simple:

"I look at it like this: do you _know_ the president of the United States is Barrack Obama, or do you _believe_ the president is Barrack Obama? The answer to that question is the answer to yours."

Despite believing his story about being an interdimensional superhuman ninja, they were still skeptic about him being a hitman for the likes of the Greek Fates…yet Annabeth believed in the Christian God now.

Eh, people were weird.

Speaking of weird, Annabeth's life just went pear-shaped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the office bathroom of Goode, she stared at the tiny little device held between her fingers, and beheld the plus sign with horror, confusion, trepidation, hesitance, disbelief, and fear. It shouldn't have been possible—no, it wasn't possible. When Asteria had told her he was infertile due to all the surgeries and hormones killing his sperm cells, she had been skeptical of course, but her doubts were assuaged when the two of them did a test together in the mansion's lab.

Honestly, she had previously thought Asteria's saying he was infertile was just a cheap trick to get her to let him cum inside her. After the test revealed there was zero chances of a pregnancy, Annabeth let her boyfriend do as he pleased; she quite liked the feeling herself, being filled like that.

However, when she started having morning sickness, her lateness, and other symptoms, she broke down and bought the tester. What it told her should have been physically impossible-in fact, she was probably just overreacting, too excited about school about to be over, and the next chapter in her life with Asteria about to begin. It was probably putting stress and her, and the stress was affecting her body…

...but even as she tried to reassure herself that was the case, she was simultaneously thinking about other possibilities. Had she gotten too drunk at a party, and slept with another man? Had she slept with Shin'en? She remembered that she and a drunken Asteria had tried to rope him into a threesome, but the ninja had declined...but was that truly the case? Was she pregnant with Shin'en's child, Asteria's, or someone else's?

Regardless, it would be stupid of her to keep this a secret, and would only serve to breed unnecessary drama where there didn't need to be any. With a shaky hand, she pulled out her phone, momentarily cursed Shin'en's name for not having a phone, and called Asteria, who was the middle of class. Like that would stop the telepath from answering a call from her girlfriend.

Or it shouldn't. If it did, Annabeth was going to knock that gender-confused bitch out, castrate it, and send it back to its step-mother for gender reassignment surgery-!

" _Annabeth? Are you okay? Where are you?"_

The sheer concern in his voice made Annabeth's thought process do a complete one-eighty.

"I'm...I'm in the bathroom in the office. I need to talk to you about something...don't read my mind, this is something that needs to be verbal."

" _I'm on my way."_

In a count of eighteen, the door was nearly thrown off its hinges by a deeply concerned Asteria Jackson. "What's going on?"

With a creek, the door slowly shut behind him, and when it did, Annabeth held up the pregnancy test, prominently showing the positive results. Asteria's eyes went wide, the color draining from her face.

"H-How…? I thought that...infertile...I...how…?"

In a small voice, Annabeth asked, "Did you...do you want to...you don't want to abort it...do you?"

"NO!" was Asteria's vehement response. The sheer volume caused Annabeth to flinch, and she was quickly embraced by her lover.

"No," he said more softly. "I don't know how, but I don't care. This is our child, our baby."

"But we don't-!"

"Shhhhh," Asteria soothed. "We'll worry about the details later. This is a happy moment, so let's just be happy, okay?"

"Okay."

And so Annabeth was happy. She soaked up her lover's warmth, basked in his embrace, and relished in the moment. She thought not of plans, or of how hypocritical she sounded as a new woman of faith to consider abortion; she thought not of Marian Janssen and Itexicon Pharmaceuticals, nor of Sally Jackson; she thought not of this dying planet and its cursed race, nor of the stars and planets beyond.

All she thought about was how lucky a girl she was to have been blackmailed into a date with this amazing man who was now the father of her unborn child.

However, not everything was happy.

While not allowed on campus for his one-sided beatdown of civilian children, Shin'en had ways of watching Asteria and Annabeth from afar, and he knew of their conversation, and of what they were doing now. Yes, Annabeth was indeed pregnant, and yes, it was somehow through Asteria's DNA; Shin'en suspected that Ryuk was doing something, something that would create a mess that he would have to fix...like he had been doing since Homecoming.

Damn Shinigami was a nuisance when he got bored, and he had been getting bored a lot in recent months.

That was another thing: he had been here for months, and still felt no desire to return to the Shinobi World.

Shin'en made a sound between a growl and a sigh. "What are you up to, Ryuk?"

The God of Death didn't answer, but then again...Ryuk had been missing for a few days now.

If there ever was a foreboding sign, it was a missing Shinigami who had sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies when he deemed himself to be bored.

Shin'en turned his emerald gaze to the horizon, and his eyes bled into his Mangekyou at seeing the approaching storm. He had checked the forecast, and while this storm was on the radar, it was only expected to be a minor shower. The demigod knew better; it wasn't even his lineage as the son of the Stormbringer that granted him this knowledge, but the feeling in his bones, the pressure in the atmosphere, and the fact that he could hear the lightning and thunder from here, several dozen miles away…

What approached the city was not a shower, but a Category One hurricane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Ryuk has set the stage, and Shin'en knows of the coming storm, but not of the lives it will take.**_

 _ **Next time on**_ **Backup Plan:**

 _ **Reaper's Dance**_

 _ **Don't miss it…**_


	83. Xenophobic: The End: Reaper's Dance

_Xenophobic: The End: Reaper's Dance_

 _ **The storm brews on the Horizon. Night falls. The Pages of the Death Note have been placed. The End comes swiftly. And the Abyss will rise to swallow the World.**_

 _ **The second to last chapter starts now.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tomorrow afternoon, directly after graduation, they would be leaving. The three of them, that is. Asteria and Annabeth would finally be following through with their plan—their _dream_ —and Shin'en would be coming. After all, after all these months, it still wasn't clear just what he was supposed to do in this world, and since he was more or less tied to the lovers, it only made sense that he had to follow them.

They would've left ages ago, truly, but Annabeth had wanted to finish senior year and have the satisfaction of, after so many years of labor and hard work, graduating. She had already put in her two weeks' notice at Yorkshires, as had Asteria, but the only reason she had applied in the first place was to save up money for the moment of departure. There was a bit of a sting to that, leaving so many friendly and familiar faces behind, but compared to some of the other, most notable faces…Annabeth was still glad to be leaving this place.

Forever.

Neither she nor Asteria had any desire to be back in this city for any reason. They didn't even intend to say goodbye to anyone, least of all their parents. After graduation and they threw their caps into the air, they fully intended to hop in the car with everything they held of value, and gun it into wild blue yonder.

Everything was set up. New identities, new papers, new bank accounts, new savings accounts, a new house, a new life. It was all set.

Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria pulled up to the mailbox of Annabeth's house, a hurricane incoming. The forecasters had originally saw it as just a large storm, and it had been, but as it crossed the Atlantic and got closer to the States, it suddenly evolved into a Category One.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean…"

"Aster, yes. It's our last night in this dump, and this is still the house I grew up in. Granted it was with a slut and her inbred children and one of the most irresponsible fathers on this earth, but that's not the point. This is still my house, and I'm feeling sentimental. Sue me."

"For all that shoplifting? Sure," Asteria teased, but she quickly turned serious. "You haven't been here in forever, not since my step-whore forced me to come out last month…if they try anything or do anything, call me."

"Yes, and can I expect the Osprey or the Blackhawk?"

"Even better: my AC-130."

"Fully armed?"

"Complete with nuclear payload."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

They giggled at each other and pressed foreheads.

"I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," Asteria whispered.

"We'll be fine, I promise." Annabeth stole a quick peck on the lips. "See you in the morning."

And then she was out the car, and fully aware of the fact that, as she walked to her front door, her boyfriend's eyes were glued to her padded ass. So she put on a quick show of raising her shirt and lowering her jeans to reveal the waistband of her pull-up for all of an instant before returning her clothes to normal. The wolf whistle a second later brought a mischievous smile to her face.

Deciding to end the moment on a high note, Asteria pulled away and floored the accelerator, the engine of her sport's car roaring and she streaked past the stop signs and into the night. If she had read the minds of those indoors, specifically those inside Annabeth's house, she would know that her girlfriend was walking into the end of her life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not at all in a hurry to go back to her mansion, despite the incoming cyclone, Asteria decided to kill some time…by going to Shin'en's house. Hell, she might even just spend the night and avoid Janssen and Sally altogether.

Combined with the speed at which she was going and the distance between Annabeth's house in the otherwise rich part of town and Shin'en's in the otherwise poor part of town, Asteria burned through half a tank of gas. Well, dodging the police who didn't recognize her and tried to pull her over for speeding didn't help, but on the bright side:

She had some great mileage!

With skill borne from years of doing this kind of thing, Asteria hit the brakes and drifted seamlessly into the ninja's empty driveway, coming to the smoothest stop not seen out of the movies. With an adrenaline-fueled grin still on her face, the telepath exited her car, hit the button her keys that set her baby into defensive mode (which meant that a bunch of hidden metal plates slid out of hidden compartments to protect her windows and tires from potential burglars), and strolled up to Shin'en's front door. She didn't even get close enough to knock before the door was open…

…and suddenly she was looking at the interdimensional hitman that could easily pass as her twin brother…and sister. There was one time when she and Annabeth had convinced Shin'en to put on some makeup and a dress to have a girls' day out. For a boy, he pulled off being a girl with disturbing ease. More than a few young men had approached, some feebly and some confidently, and asked for Shin'en's number.

Despite how brutal he could be, Shin'en displayed that he could actually be a nice person, and politely declined all advances in a way that had every boy leaving with a smile on their face and a warm feeling in their chest. Honestly, Annabeth and Asteria came up with this whole scheme to embarrass Shin'en, only to find out that there was so much more beneath his surface that it was scary.

But anyway.

"Sister!" Asteria crowed.

"What?" Shin'en asked dully.

"Your awesome big sis has decided to come visit you before the storm hits, and the world changes tomorrow! Our world, that is."

"You are not my sister."

Asteria made a show of being stabbed in the heart. "Oh, how my own blood wounds me so!" She put the back of her hand to her forehead. "I don't think I'll _ever_ be able to recover…"

"Remember that time you and Annabeth got drunk, put on training pants, and tried to rope me into a one-on-two ageplay sexcapade by grinding on me and calling me Daddy?"

Asteria's melodramatic act cracked and shattered around her, a tiny shard hanging on in the corner, before it fell into oblivion. Shin'en raised a brow at how the fourth wall was shattered like that, but his deadpan gaze never left the heap on his front porch.

"Get up and get in here before it starts raining on you."

Asteria popped right to her feet. "Like you wouldn't dry me off with your powers."

"Do you really want to test that theory?"

"You ass."

"Yep."

Shin'en left the doorway open for entry, and Asteria followed him in, a calmer and more serene smile on her face.

"If you are here seeking a place to rest your head, the couch is available."

"Wow. A pretty girl willingly walks into your place, and the first thing out of your mouth is 'you can sleep on the couch.' No wonder you're still single."

"One) you are not a girl, all evidence to the contrary, and two) if I wanted a girlfriend, I would have one. It is merely unfortunate that the halls of Goode smell more like fish than anything else."

"Mm, you would know what fish smells like."

"Yes, I do have the unfortunate pleasure of frequently hanging around Annabeth."

"Hey. Watch it."

"If you want to play the insult game with me, come fully prepared with weapons and armor in equal measure. Elsewise, do not bother."

Asteria rolled her eyes. "You and your metaphoric speech…it's annoying."

"You simply lack the capacity to keep up."

"Really? Why don't you envelope an otherwise phallic member with thine oral cavity and repeatedly apply suction?"

"Because I do not lust after the bodies of those that I share the same heterogametic gonosomes with."

"Awe~, but why not? After all, this is an age of tolerance we live in. It's okay to be gay and all that," Asteria said with a mocking, airy tone. Then she scowled. "What a load of shit."

Shin'en smirked without any humor. "Yes, all of this anti-gay sentiment stems directly from a couple of books that say being gay is bad. Now imagine a world in which these books praise the gays…what would society look like now, I wonder."

Asteria snorted. "If you sorted through enough dimensions, I bet you would find something like that."

"Perish the thought."

The way he said that made Asteria bark out a short laugh, before a silence fell on the two, one that was broken by a count of twelve.

"You know…what the great irony to me is?"

"I can only guess."

"In the eyes of most of the world, I'm an icon for positive change. LGBT pride and all that…and I don't want a single thing to do with it. _Maxim_ wants me to do a photoshoot to promote a new line of transgender models, and The Bitch is threatening to pawn me off to _PornHub_ as a new transgender porn star, getting my ass stuffed, if I don't keep appearing at rallies and doing speeches."

"Come tomorrow, none of that will matter."

"I suppose so." Asteria sat down on Shin'en's couch, and pulled her knees to her chest. "My biggest fear is that she'll find us, and come after us with everything she has at her disposal."

"You know what I can do to these people."

"True," Asteria conceded, "but where will that leave us? Me and Annabeth? We can't blow up mountains, move at supersonic speed, or even lift a car. We can't regenerate beyond normal humans, and we can't shrug through explosions like they're just gusts of wind. We also don't have the stamina to run all over the globe for the rest of our lives."

"…you know you don't have to stay here, in this world, right? I can take the two of you to other places, worlds in which Marian Janssen never existed, and Itex is nothing, not even a cleaning service."

"Wouldn't that get you in trouble with your divine boss?"

"I don't like him in the first place, any chance at getting under his skin is welcome by me."

Asteria smiled, truly touched by what she was hearing from the walking ice cube, but her smile faded as her thoughts drifted to what he was suggesting, and she pulled her knees up to where she could hide her lower face.

"Still…a whole dimension…I can't even fathom that. It's one thing to leave your house, but to leave your reality? Enter a world so alien yet so similar to your own? Are regular human beings even allowed to do that?"

"If they aren't, I'll fight off anything that tries to deport the two of you."

Lightning illuminated the living room just before the thunderclap shook the windows.

Shin'en regarded the storm. "If you're going to return to the mansion, now is the time. The storm will only grow worse."

"Yeah…thanks, for the talk, I mean. I needed to get some of that off my chest, which is bigger than my girlfriend's."

"Indeed."

Shin'en opened the front door to reveal the slanting rain.

"Dammit, now I'm going to get all wet!" Asteria moaned.

"No, you're not. Follow me."

Shin'en entered the storm, and the telepath's eyes widened when she saw the down poor bending around him. Without look back at her, he waved his arm, and Asteria took that as the signal to move. She took off running in an attempt to be as least wet as possible, only to discover that not a single drop was landing on her.

Shin'en was at her car, holding the door open. Asteria hadn't unlocked it.

She couldn't help but stop to drink in this experience, being unwet in the rain. She held her arms out, and marveled at the rain bent around them, parting so as not to touch her. She looked at the boy who looked so much like her, and that his emerald eyes held a kind of light to them. Amusement, perhaps? But not a condescending amusement, no, more like one that an elder has when looking at children play in the snow for the first time.

"This is not as easy as it looks, so unless you want me to drench you, get in the car."

Even though it was said as an annoyed command, his tone was flat and held no negativity in it at all. Asteria smiled sheepishly, and quickly got in, Shin'en moving aside to allow access. With the push of a button, the vehicle roared to life.

Shin'en made to shut the door, but Asteria called the to him, "Hey!"

"Hm?"

"Come here, I want to tell you something."

Raising a brow and frowning minutely, Shin'en lowered his ear. When he was close enough, Asteria did the unthinkable: she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for listening, little bro."

The tires screeched as she gunned it in reverse, the door slamming shut on its own accord, and she tore down the street at sixty miles an hour, not comprehending herself what she had just done.

Back in the driveway, the action of his counterpart had caused Shin'en's concentration to experience a lapse, and he was getting soaked by his element. His mind was struggling to make sense of what just happened.

He had just been kissed by another man, but more than that, he had just been kissed by a man with his sister's face, who was himself from an alternate reality, so, in essence, he had just been kissed by himself…who had the face of Persephone. Further than that, what she had said: 'little bro.'

This was supposed to be _Asteria_ , modestly tall, small bust, black skin, dorsal tubes, tendril-like hair, slitted eyes, black sclera, naked, super senses, claws, fangs, and a tail. Instead, what Shin'en had been dealing with was a transgender telepath that could hold her own in a fight against a small number of low grade opponents. She wasn't about to go toe to toe with a genin, but maybe a few Special Forces operatives, sure. She wasn't supposed to be a sappy little thing that called nonfamily members little brother.

That was Persephone's job.

Shin'en's head was starting to hurt as he tried to make sense of what happened. Should he look at this as being kissed by his alternate dimensional self, or being kissed by Asteria, or as being kissed by a strange version of his big sister?

With frustrated growl at this conundrum and his own inability to figure it out, Shin'en bent the rain around him and willed himself dry, before returning to the indoors. If he hadn't been so heavily focused on his thoughts, he would've noticed, through his connection to the rain, Annabeth running to Asteria's mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Earlier_

Annabeth immediately knew something was up the moment she walked in through the door. There was the atmosphere, first and foremost, and then there was the little display that went on when she turned four heads.

"Boys, go to your room," Frederick commanded.

When the twins scurried past her, Annabeth heard one of them whisper, "Diaper baby."

Red flags immediately went up, and alarms started going off when Freddy leveled a hard stare at the blonde. "Sit. Down."

Now ready to fight for her life, Annabeth did as instructed, but only so the situation would progress. She had no respect for either human being before her, and would gladly disobey them for the fun of it. She was rebellious like that.

"You haven't shown your face here in weeks, haven't called, and the next time we truly see you is on the news, where it's revealed to us that you're dating a tranny. Your mother and I thought this was the result of drugs, and so we searched your room."

Now Annabeth was ready to _kill_ , but she kept her face schooled, remained calm and composed, even when Frederick reached down over the side of the couch, almost like he was expecting her to show up tonight (Annabeth wondered just how long _those_ had been sitting there), and produced the open package of Goodnites she kept hidden in the depths of her closet.

"We found these. _Freaks_ with diaper fetishes will not be tolerated in this house."

Annabeth could swear her sperm-donator's eyes turned red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She put up a fight, but Frederick was still a full-grown man. After a struggle, she was practically thrown out of the house and onto the porch. She was on her feet in an instant, only for the door to be slammed in her face.

With a scowl, she said loudly, "If you gave me a moment to explain this, you micro phallus-laden ignoramus, we might be able to get somewhere!"

She was met with silence.

Now she growled, and looked at the horizon, the storm was directly above her now, and threatened to spill at a moment's notice. Well, staying here was a waste, and a trek to Shin'en's house was asking to be raped, so that left only one last viable location, and it was at least…a long way away by foot.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

That was as good a signal as any to get going, so Annabeth took off at her fastest pace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria took her sweet time getting back to the mansion, taking the longest, most complicated route she could think of. She was running on fumes when she got back, having killed over two whole hours. Luckily there was a lot of road to traverse in a sprawling metropolis.

And a lot of cops to play with, and young bucks to race with, even in the oncoming hurricane. Speaking of, because the damn thing had sneaked up like it had without warning, the scientific community had decided to break tradition and give this hurricane a non-human name. They were calling it Hurricane Anaklusmos.

Ancient Greek for Riptide, the current that takes you by surprise.

Asteria found that name to strike an unexplainable chord in her.

Parking in the garage, the reluctant transgender icon made her way easily into the mansion, and was inexpressibly grateful for the fact that neither of her 'mothers' were near to greet her or try to engage in conversation. In fact, there wasn't anyone around to say hi. Typically, there were some maids or butlers about, but the mansion almost seemed deserted.

Raising a brow yet simultaneously shrugging it off, Asteria ascended the grand staircase to her room, bemoaned the fact that her bed and her door were so far apart, and then promptly crossed the distance and flopped face-first into the cushions, where she proceeded to simply lay there and listen to the rain pound the roof of her room.

Her mind was mostly blank, filled only by fleeting phantasms of the new life that awaited her and Annabeth, and their child, and Shin'en. It didn't take long before those phantasms drew Asteria's mind to a distant past, the day her and lover's plan was conceived…

…but she didn't get to think on it long, because she felt _it_ approach. That walking void, that moving emptiness, that sentient hole that walked these halls. Asteria had never figured it out, not once in her entire mind-reading career had she been able to find out _why_ she couldn't read Janssen's mind, but she knew that because of that, the woman's head always presented itself as an annoying blockage in her telepathic range.

The knock on her door and its subsequent opening only served to drive Asteria's ire through the roof and into the storm cell.

"Hello there, Baby Girl," came Janssen's sickeningly sweet, mocking voice—the same voice she used whenever privately interacting with Asteria. It was a voice that said 'I'm more powerful than you, and I know it, and I control every facet of your life and there's not a thing you can do about it, and I know that too,' and it made Asteria want to kill the bitch then and there. The 'Baby Girl' certainly didn't help soothe the telepath's growing murderous desire.

"I think it's time we had a talk about something."

Asteria remained silent, content with letting the whore blow air out of her mouth. The distant chuckle told the telepath that Marian knew what game was being played, and she was more than okay with playing it as well.

"As my daughter," Asteria growled into her pillows, "you are an important face on this little rock that we call home, and are a leading icon for tolerance in this turbulent time. Also, I won't be around forever, and someone needs to run the company in my absence. As such, I find it highly appropriate to name you as my heir—the heir to Itexicon!"

Janssen's grin was laced with serpentine malice, and it was felt by Asteria almost thirty feet away. The telepath slowly turned her head to where her left was visible, and enough of her mouth was exposed to clearly say, "I refuse."

Janssen's smile grew wider, her eyes dancing with evil intent, making Asteria's skin crawl. "I knew you'd feel that way, and I also know how you'll feel when I tell you that I know all about your adorable little plan to run away into the wilderness with that diaper-messing little pussy."

Fury boiled over, fury at what was being implied and fury at what the bitch had just called Annabeth, and Asteria rushed her step-mother with fury. Fury everywhere. Janssen just grinned, and her warm brown eyes changed. The pupil went vertical with a yellow band around it, and the rest of her iris went scarlet.

To Asteria, her step-mother vanished, her vision floundered, and suddenly she couldn't breathe due to a great pressure around her throat. Even in the midst of her growing panic due to oxygen depravation, she had enough cognizance to realize that she was on the ground, face-first, Janssen's arm was around her neck, and she was being laid upon by the woman whose head was right next to hers.

"Naughty baby~," Janssen cooed softly. "Mommy might have to spank you for that."

"Go…to…Hell," Asteria choked out.

Janssen grinned. "Looks like I'll have to wash that filthy mouth of yours out with some soap, too." She lessened the pressure. "While your down there, you might as well listen, and I might as well get some enjoyment out of this."

With that, she positioned herself in such a way that she was still on top of her step-daughter, but now her free hand had…access. Asteria's eyes widened with something she rarely felt, _fear_ , when Janssen's hand slipped down the back of her jeans, into her underwear, and began to roam around her anus before raping her.

"Shh~," Marian said softly. "Consider this the beginning of your training. Any strong woman needs a strong man, and there are so many that would like the honor of courting my little princess, and all of them are quite bigger than a finger. Don't worry though, I have a training regimen all set up; butt plugs, dildos, vibrators, timed anal masturbation segments, and mouth-widening exercises. Give me a month, and you'll be a happy little sissy eager to have a cock in her butt…resist me right now, and you'll wake up guzzling a horse's cum."

Knowing full well that Marian would do something like that, and while not at all preferring the alternative, Asteria stilled herself, and tried to ignore how there was a finger pumping in and out of her.

"Now, as you enter this new stage of your life, you'll come to realize that there are no places for distractions…like plans of escape, plans of having a baby—however that happened—or plans of marrying a panty-pooping little girl. Although, if you behave and play nice, I might have it arranged for Annabeth to permanently live with us, mentally regressed and brainwashed to be an infant, but that seems to be what the two of you want anyway so it should all be good in the end.

"Here's what's going to happen, sweetie: you're going to bed tonight with your first plug lodged inside you, and in the morning I'll teach you how to cum using only your pussy, and then you're going to go to graduation with a vibrator in you, one that I'll be controlling—and I heavily advise wearing one of your girlfriend's diapers, unless you want to be making a bunch of stickies in your panties—but I'll be nice and allow you the satisfaction of graduating…then you're going to dump Annabeth like a poopy diaper. If you don't, I'll kill her, and you'll go the rest of your life living with the guilt of getting your most loved one killed because you can't do as you're told."

Asteria was torn between screaming and thrashing and fighting and clawing, and crying. Her whole world was coming apart, and the only person that could do anything about it was probably thirty miles away.

And then the most horrifying thing happened: Marian's communicator beeped.

" _Sir, Annabeth Chase is at the gate, and asking for entrance. Your orders?"_

Asteria's eyes widened, this time letting a few stray drops of salty liquid to fall from them. Marian's smile was cruel as she withdrew her finger from her step-daughter's rectum and pressed her communicator.

"Let her in, Captain, and stand by. I'll handle it from here."

" _Yes, sir."_

The Devil leaned down to Asteria's ear. "When she knocks on that door, you're going to answer, and then you're going to crush her soul and spirit by breaking up with her in the most hurtful way you can imagine. If you don't, I won't simply kill her, I'll just have her drugged and subjected to whatever experiments I can think of. Hmm, I think the first that I'll do is sow her asshole shut and seal it with superglue, then wait and watch until she has to shit and see what happens when there's no exit. Maybe she'll throw it up. I bet that'll be a fun experience. So, you gonna do it, or should I have her knocked out right now?"

In this situation, Asteria did the only thing she could do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Running in the rain was bad enough, but running in the rain, in the wind, at night, _sucked_. Her hair was wet, her clothes were wet and sticking to her, and her pull-up, a garment designed to absorb liquid, was filled beyond capacity due to the rain water soaking through her jeans. It felt very strange to have water sloshing out the waistband of your underwear, and Annabeth couldn't wait to be indoors where she could take a shower and put on dry clothes.

However, bemoaning the storm and its effects were but a mere distraction from Annabeth's true feelings about what had happened.

She had thought she was above them, beyond them. She had thought they meant nothing to her, and their opinions had all the value of dirt, which is why she kept her pull-ups hidden, but always figured that if she were found out and ridiculed, she wouldn't feel a thing. Well, she had been caught, she had been ridiculed, and she had promptly been kicked out.

And it _stung_.

God, did it sting. It stung to be labeled a freak by her father, it stung to be called diaper baby by her brothers, it had stung to watch as her step-mother just watched this all unfold with a gleam in her eye, and it stung so much that her biological mother wasn't here to help her with anything.

It was okay—it was going to be okay, for her and the baby. She was Asteria's now, the gate open, and the front door inches away.

Everything would be okay.

Annabeth smiled broadly when she didn't even get her hand up to knock before the door to her safe haven opened, but her smile dampened when she saw the look in her boyfriend's eyes. That dead look. That hollow look. That empty, uncaring, apathetic look.

 **[Def Leppard: Too Late For Love]**

"H-Hey, Aster," the blonde said, stuttering from how cold she was. "S-So, my p-parents found my pull-u-u-ups, and kicked me o-out. I ran all the way h-here, in t-the rain. C-Called me a f-f-freak and e-every—"

Lighting flashed and thunder boomed not a second later.

 _Somewhere I the distance…_

Annabeth's smile dropped a little more, as she was sure she had just heard wrong. "W-What?" she said, smile faltering.

… _I hear the bells ring…_

Asteria's cold emerald eyes—Shin'en's eyes—bored into Annabeth's gray ones.

"I said 'They're right,' your parents. You are a freak. What kind of normal person wears fucking _diapers_ for _fun_?"

Annabeth felt her heart breaking at what she was hearing. "T-This i-is a-a j-j-joke, r-right? A joke?"

… _darkness settles on the town as the children start to sing…_

"No, it's not a joke. I'm being serious—and another thing. I've done some thinking recently, I realized something: we're not good for each other, you and me."

… _and the lady cross the street, she's your type of night!…_

"You're a lying bitch that likes to shit herself, and I'm calling you a liar because you got pregnant, something I can't make happen, so it only makes sense that you hopped on Shin'en's dick like a whore."

… _a cast with thousands waiting, as she turns out the light…_

"Besides, what are you going to accomplish in life, freak? Teen mom? Diaper fetishist? Slut extraordinaire? I don't care, but you know what I'm going to do with my life?"

 _...but it's too late…too late…too late…_

Thunder roared over her words, but Annabeth read her lips well enough, and she felt her heart break into a million pieces as her psyche shattered along with it.

 _Too late for love…!_

"So get out of here, and take that bastard in your womb with you. Don't ever show your face to me again, and if you ever come back to this place…I'll kill you."

 _Too late…Too late…Too late…Too Laaaaaaate—!_

Asteria slammed the door in Annabeth's stricken face just in time with another clap of thunder, and the blonde collapsed. And then she ran.

 _London boys are gazing—as the girls go hand in hand_

 _With a pocket, full of innocence, their entrance is grand_

The rain beat down on her with relentless fervor, the darkness of the night enveloped her in its icy embrace, and the biting winds gnawed her down to frigid bones.

 _The queen of the dream stands before them all!_

 _She stretches out her hand, as the curtain starts to fall!_

Emotionally, mentally, and physically shattered, Annabeth practically stumbled her way through the black, the brief flashes of fire in the sky providing her illumination. Why had Asteria said those things?

 _But it's Too Late! Too Late! Too Late!_

Even as she stumbled forward down a path of despair, she tried to rationalize what had happened, only for her stricken mind to yield no results.

 _Too Late for Love!_

 _Too Late! Too Late! Too Late!_

 _Too Laaaaaaate!_

Annabeth kept running and stumbling through the storm, trying to put as much distance between her and Asteria as possible. A foreign bulk between her legs reminded Annabeth of the fact that she was wearing a soaked diaper, and so she promptly tore it and threw it aside. It landed with an inaudible slop and a flash of lighting.

Suddenly she could move with much more fluidity, and so she set off at a sprint with stricken vigor for a destination she knew not.

 _Standing by the trapdoor, aware of me and you_

 _The actor and the clown—their waiting for their cue_

Annabeth found herself on a bridge, and she heard the roaring of the water below. She placed a hand on her body, where the life inside her dwelled, and the terrible words of her lover played across her mind, as did the words and actions of her father, step-mother, and half-brothers.

She examined what she had left to live for, and how she could make it…she drew a blank. Not even the promise of a child spurned enough want and desire for life.

 _And there's a lady over there—she's acting pretty cool!_

 _But when it comes to playing life, she always plays the fool!_

Annabeth soared free over the railing, and her last thoughts in life were of the wind that roared in her ears.

 _But it's too late! Too Late! Too Late!_

 _Too Late for Love!_

At the top of the bridge, a shadowed specter with a serrated grin and burning eyes spread his wings, and took off into the storm.

 _Too Late! Too Late! Too Late!_

 _Too Laaaaaaate!_

 **[3:06]**

Back at her mansion, Asteria threw herself onto her bed, and screamed. And cried. And wailed. And spat curses. And damned names. And lamented. And despaired.

Annabeth's body would be found in the morn, then identified. The investigation was short and brief due to the powerful sway of Marian Janssen, and the Chase family was given the option of funeral services. Not a tear was shed by any of them as they elected for immediate cremation.

 _It's too late…_

Annabeth's deformed corpse was wheeled into the chamber, and the fires roared to life, destroying her, and the last trace of the life within her.

 _Much too late…_

A servant would come to inform Asteria of these events, and in a rage and depression, she would enter her car, and sped to the crematorium.

 _They just say it's all too laaa-!_

 **[3:26]**

Asteria broke through the doors and held the secretary at gunpoint, demanding to know where the ashes were. With a shaky voice, the terrified woman showed Asteria the remains of her dearest lover. She took them, and she gunned through the city at a reckless pace, not caring for any traffic accidents she caused, and lives she potentially ended.

She gunned it all the way through into the countryside and up the incline to the cliff where the oak tree stood tall over the ocean. It all seemed so surreal, the blue sky, the beautiful rising sun, the green grass, the warm breeze…the calmness of the morning.

 _DID IT NOT UNDERSTAND HER PAIN!?_

Asteria grabbed the urn, a pathetic thing of uninspiring or even artistic value—just a grey blah, a standard issue, a symbol of poverty and the uncaring of family to pay for something with meaning. Asteria's legs felt like jelly as she walked for the edge, her knees buckled.

 _YEAH-HAAAA!_

 _It's Too Late!_

She broke down and mourned in the grass, screaming and crying out as loud as she could in defiance of this false world. This world that insisted that everything was calm when it couldn't be further from the truth.

 _Too Late! Too Late! Too Late!_

 _Too Late for Looooove!_

How could the world do this to her!? Everything that she loved, everything that she wanted, had been taken from her, and this planet wanted to be fucking calm about it!? It shouldn't be tranquil right now, the storm should still be raging, the planet shaking, the people _dying_ —dying like Annabeth had—

IN FIRE!

 _Too Late! Too Late! Too Late!_

 _Too Late for Looooove!_

Still, emotions were a fleeting and temporary ailment, one that was soothed and cured with time, and Asteria's fuel would burn itself out, leaving only cold emptiness in its wrathful wake. She didn't feel completely hollow, as there was one thing left in her, one thing that consumed her with the same deceptive calm of the world at large.

 **[End]**

Asteria didn't turn around, nor did she hear him approach, but she knew he was there, standing silently behind her, and he was just the same as she was: filled with that same calm desire.

He didn't ask how she was doing, or how she was feeling, he didn't even say anything. He was content to let her sort her thoughts out, and sort them she did.

"She believed in that ridiculous notion," Asteria said. "She even got baptized."

"Do you blame God for her death?"

Asteria smiled grimly, sardonically, ruefully, humorlessly, and brokenly. "God's fault…?" she trailed distantly. "No…if anything, He saved her. Saved her from Janssen, saved her from Itex, saved her from this broken, twisted, dying, _fucking_ world of ours…and He saved her from me. She's the lucky one, you know. She's in Heaven, and you and I are stuck in here in Hell."

"What do you have in mind?"

Asteria looked at the urn being clutched to her chest, and she took the top off. With a thrust of her arm, the ashes of her lover and her child were scattered into a wind that picked up in intensity.

' _Go and be where I can't. Go and be free.'_

The telepath stood from the grass and faced who could be her twin, and she saw the silent fury in his emerald eyes. She recalled his question, and she gave her answer:

"Kill the Devil."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **One storm ends and another approaches. Two lives are ended, one before her time and the other before its start, and many more are to follow.**_

 _ **Asteria's wrath spills into the night, and no one is safe, not when the Abyss follows closely behind in her bloody wake.**_

 _ **Next time on the explosive finale of**_ **Backup Plan:**

 _ **Dimensional Quake**_

 _ **Don't miss it…**_


	84. Xenophobic: The End

_Xenophobic: The End: Dimensional Quake_

 _ **And here it ends, the first entry of**_ **Backup Plan.**

 _ **Blood is spilt and the world drowns in fire as the Abyss' wrath swallows all. The next time Shin'en takes the stage, Manhattan will crumble, and the secrets of the Blood War are revealed.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun would complete its rise and its fall before the world saw the next great change. In the waning hours of evening, at the time when families gathered for their final meals of the day, a single vehicle rolled down the street at a sedate pace. Other than this modern masterpiece being a ridiculously expensive sports car, the only thing that stood out about was its front end; it looked to have been driven through a building.

The car silently parked in front of a house, one belonging to a family that had recently lost a member. The driver's side door opened, the car still humming, and a Wraith exited. The Wraith glided to the entrance of this house, a gun in one hand, a key in the other. The key had been forged some years ago, and had been given as a gift to the Wraith when it had been human, by its lover. A lover now ashes.

What the Wrath did now, it did in the name of that lover now passed.

With a deceptively human hand, the Wraith put the key into the slot in the door handle, and unlocked the mechanism with ease. The door opened with a slow creak. Inside this house, a family of four were happily watching a program on the television, and so engrossed were they that they did not hear their own front door slowly swing open.

The Wraith took three silent steps into this house, and raised its firearm. The family, sensing this through the strange matter that surrounds us, feeling that impending sense of danger, that otherworldly warning button going off in their heads, they turned their heads as one, and saw the end of a barrel.

There were four muffled sounds that came in quick succession, and there was a brief tinkling of tiny bells as brass clattered and clinked upon the floor. Through skill born from years of shooting practice, not a shot was wasted, and not a target was missed.

The Wraith glided away from this house, not bothering to shut the door behind them, or peer into the previous dwelling of their human lover. To do so would only bring about pain and misery. The Wraith had to be strong, had to be resilient, had to be focused and unfeeling. Or mostly unfeeling. There was a fuel needed for these actions, and the Wraith used the fuels of revenge, vengeance, and the desire for blood.

All of it.

There wasn't going to be a drop not spilt after the Wraith was done tonight.

It glided back to its car, leaving the Chase family to bleed all over their carpet. Upon getting into the driver's seat, the Wraith's companion, the Abyss, spoke.

"Are you sure you can handle this? There are those in that house that are innocent."

"Wrong," rebutted the Wraith. "They are in the employ of her, and that is grounds enough for a bullet."

"…be aware of your limits. You have no countermeasures for bullets."

"That's why you're handling the guards all over my front lawn and in the roof."

"And I'll work my way down to meet you at Sally's room…are you certain you can do it?"

"Yes."

The Abyss settled in his seat. "Then let us depart. May the end come swiftly for those that deserve it, and may the end come painfully for those that do not."

"Amen."

The Wraith calmly pulled away from the Chase household, and calmly drove through the streets of the neighborhood, through the city, through the country, all the way back to the mansion. The calmness of the driving was such a stark far cry from when the Wraith was human, that it was transparently clear just how much the death of her lover had affected her. Where a speed demon once owned the streets, a deceptively calm being was now at the wheel.

When the Wraith and the Abyss were a mile away from their destination, the Abyss exited the vehicle, and sped ahead to do his bloody job.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Though he may have portrayed a visage of unrelenting devotion to this cause, Shin'en was…conflicted. He shouldn't have cared about them, or this, or any of _that_ , yet here he was, helping his interdimensional self commit murder in the name of revenge.

And he wanted to do it.

That was why he felt so conflicted. It was _Annabeth_ that had died, the same—almost the same—Annabeth that was dating his sister in another life. The same Annabeth that was going to kiss her, touch her, sleep with her, have sex with her, put her fingers and tongue inside her, _violate her_. He should've been glad, feeling some kind of morbid satisfaction at Annabeth literally jumping off a bridge, but he didn't.

He almost felt as torn as Asteria, and that meant he was never going to be able to look at Annabeth Chase the same way ever again. Hell, he wasn't going to be able to look at his sister the same way ever again. Every time he did look at them, he would be reminded of the intelligent blonde that just wanted her parents' attention and liked to wear pull-ups, and the venomous green-eyed telepath with a foul mouth and a girl's face.

Shin'en grit his teeth as he forced himself to stop thinking about such things, and focus on the grim task ahead…

…he was already on the roof, which was supposed to be the last place he went. Was he getting ahead of himself, or…?...nope. Through his hydro-sensing, Shin'en found every body on the property, and all the ones outside were eviscerated in some form or fashion.

Huh, during his ruminations, his body had gone on autopilot and did his job for him.

He hadn't done something like that since the Blood War.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria pulled into the massive garage, somewhat surprised that she was let in through the gate, and calmly parked. There was a doorman at the entrance to the house, an aged and well-dressed individual, that had been here since Asteria arrived. They weren't particularly close, but they could easily engage in cordial conversation.

"Welcome back, mad-"

PCHLK

The old man collapsed in a heap after a cloud of red exploded from the back of his skull, painting the wall behind him with gooey bits of dark scarlet.

Asteria didn't spare the warm corpse a sideways glance as she passed and entered the mansion.

Stretching out her mind, embracing her telepathy in its fullest, she found the minds of everyone within her range. Maids, butlers, chefs, hidden soldiers, management staff, scientists below, the works. All either performing their duties or sleeping for the night. Didn't matter either way; all would die tonight.

Although, it was highly interesting to note that Marian and Sally weren't in the bedroom together, but were in opposite wings of the mansion. Sally being in bed, trying to read a book to take her mind off things-it seems there was a fight over how Asteria's future was supposed to go, and Sally had felt a rush of maternity and put her foot down, much to Janssen's consternation—and the step-whore herself was below ground in the lab, doing the same thing Sally was doing, only with human test subjects.

That made things easy, then. Kill everyone up here, then go down and slaughter the bitch and her little friends. Also, with Shin'en here, whatever Janssen had pulled last night with the eye changing thing and the super strength would be outclassed by the interdimensional ninja.

Asteria ejected her magazine and reloaded in less than two seconds. Now was the time for hunting, and when one could track prey via their mind, there was no way they could hide. Asteria melted through the dark or dimly lit halls, silently ending everyone she came across. If they were resting in a private room, then a quick turn of the master key granted access to that person's cranium.

Understand that these were men and women that Asteria had practically grown up with, men and women that had catered to her needs and whims, provided advice when applicable, and even become something of a friend, depending on who they were and how much time they spent with the telepath, and it was the same in reverse.

Asteria had been in these peoples' minds, she knew them, knew their secrets and struggles, troubles and turmoil's, conflicts and confusions, and she had helped them in return, and this had created an image of her in the hired helps' minds, an image of a caring individual who was trying to make the best in a cruel world, and a crueler life.

And she was ending their lives without pity or remorse, as easily as one would blow out the candles of a birthday cake.

 _That_ was how emotionally damaged she was. _That_ was how much she didn't care anymore. _That_ was how deeply affected she was by Janssen's words, her own actions, and Annabeth's suicide.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Shin'en was gliding through guard after guard like it was just another day at the office. As it turned out, each soldier's outfit was equipped with a heartbeat monitor, and the previous bodies had alerted Janssen, down in her lab/bunker, that things were terribly amiss. A quick check of the cameras yielded footage of Asteria and Shin'en murdering people.

A bit sloppy by Yūrei's standards, but Shin'en considered himself to be rusty. That, and he wasn't here to be a stealth master ninja; no, he was simply here to help Asteria exact her revenge…exact his own revenge. But anyway; Janssen had mobilized the on-premises unit, and had already called in backup, and Shin'en was busying himself with keeping the mansion quiet by dispatching every man and women in uniform that he came across.

With great effect did he perform his self-appointed task, and if you weren't holding a machine gun, dressed in body armor and a helmet, you would have never known anything was amiss inside the mansion.

Blood splattered the hallway as Shin'en ended another contingent of soldiers. They hadn't even seen him coming, nor had they heard him draw his sword from its sheath. There hadn't been a flash as light reflected from the metal, nor a sound as it cut through air and bodies. To the perspective of the once-breathing corpses, one moment they were shuffling down the hallway, the next their visions were wonky and then they didn't have any vision at all.

After this newest round of murders, Shin'en took the time to reassess the situation.

Marian was down below, banging her head on a table; the scientists with her were watching that happen with baited breath and deathly still bodies; the Captain in the underground control room was sweating heavily and a heartrate commonly associated with those that were otherwise terrified; the last contingent of gunmen was making their way to Asteria's location; and Asteria was—

Oh.

She was at her mother's room.

And so he vanished into a mist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One should have felt nervous about performing an act such as this. One should have been trembling, hesitant, remembering so many memories of good and great times, and all of this should have culminated into an overwhelming decision _not_ to do this…but Asteria was experiencing none of these things.

She was calm, composed, her heart steady, her mind set, her breathing even, and resolve hard as bone.

Silently, she opened the door, and silently did she regard her egg-carrier. She looked back at her, and her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Visible panic gripped her, and she flung herself from under the covers, but a single shot stopped her in her tracks. Asteria read her mind, and knew that she was stunned and shocked that her daughter would actually fire a gun at her, narrowly missing, but that was intentional.

Her shock caused her knees to buckle, and she looked at Asteria with pleading eyes…no, she was looking at the gun barrel.

"Aster, please don't do this. I'm your mother…! Please, put it down, and let's talk about this…"

The Wraith didn't so much as blink when she squeezed the trigger, and killed her own mother in cold blood. She collapsed to the ground, crimson rivulets trailing down her face, but she wasn't dead, as her brain still had thoughts.

Quoth the Wraith, "My mother died years ago."

Asteria felt Shin'en arrive behind her, felt his weight, felt his cold, felt his presence, and she knew that he stared into the fading eyes of Sally Jackson along with her, and she knew that the woman was looking at him, staring into his eyes. She didn't have to read her mind to know that, she knew from experience just how captivating those strange red eyes were.

Percy Jackson stood there as her mother died, and she felt not a thing as the last member of her family left this world, taken by her own hand.

Asteria ejected the mag and reloaded, just as the last soldiers in the house arrived in a cacophony of gear. She brought the slide about an inch away from her nose. "To quite a fictional Russian: Let us end this."

From his back, several pressurized jets of water erupted, and each had enough force behind them to act worse than bullets. The soldiers fell to the ground, holes in their hearts and heads. Double tapped, as it were.

Quoth the Abyss, "Do lets."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asteria had figured out the passage to get down to the lab long ago, and Shin'en, by way of moisture in the air following ventilation, and figured out how to get down there on day one. Marian was waiting for them, and she had already saved the pair some trouble by killing all the scientists down below with her own firearm.

"Well," she said, "I certainly never expected this to happen. I can say that I'm pleasantly surprised that my Baby Girl could pull this off. Looks we can finally graduate you from diapers to training pants!" A gleam appeared in her eye. "And we're in luck: you already have some in your room."

Asteria's only reaction was to unload her gun by way of a trigger finger seen only by expert _Call of Duty_ players. Marian's eyes turned scarlet and slitted, and in a display of superhuman agility, dodged each shot with disturbing ease.

 _CLINK_

 _CLINK_

The woman grinned. "My turn!"

Shin'en fully expected a rush attack, and so he moved in front. Janssen did indeed rush forward, but only for a grand total of two steps, before she whipped out a gun in a move so fast that Shin'en would forever be ashamed to admit caught him off guard, and in that single instance, his mind forwent everything else about everything, and focused on sheer instinctive, reflexive dodging.

The bullet left the chamber at 1200ft/sec, and it was a testament to the agility and speed of the _homosapien shinobi_ to be able to dodge such things with near ease, even at close range like Shin'en, though he had demigod reflexes enhancing his already chakra-enhanced ability, making him triply faster than the average Kage. However, Shin'en dodging the bullet presented another problem, and it was one that escaped his notice due to the picosecond of all-encompassing thought that revolved around dodging the sudden appearance of a gun and the firing of its bullet:

Said object now had a clear path right for Asteria.

And it was yet another testament to the terrifying speed of Shin'en to be able to whip around and extend his hand to alter the trajectory of the tiny missile. Still, for something moving at 1200ft/sec, covering a distance of less than three yards did not take long, and so much of that valuable time was spent turning around.

Shin'en's fingertip just barely managed to touch the bullet, but it was to drastically change the angle. Instead of shooting Asteria in the head, ending her instantly, the bullet traveled through her gut and her spine, to the floor behind her.

The blood roared in Shin'en's ears, and it sounded like a Dragon. He continued to follow through with his spinning motion, and he twisted the arm that didn't touch the bullet around himself, so when he was facing the Director again, and whip of his arm launched a kunai with such great power, that many a skyscraper would have met their end. In this particular instance, the Director's unnaturally-enhanced body just managed to keep enough of her intact to continue to exist, while the kunai shot through the lab, through solid earth, and all the way up into the sky before air friction caused it to burn up into scattered atoms.

An explosion occurred, and suddenly the mansion and all the chemicals in the lab were tinder. The fire wouldn't spread quickly enough to engulf the entire property, not this far down anyway, but the errant chemistry of this underground nightmare could very well create a secondary explosion rivaling the atom bomb.

Only time would tell, and Shin'en was done here.

For all the anger that he had just experienced, healing Asteria would be easy. The ocean was less than a hundred miles away, and him and saltwater could perform miracles the likes of which had only been observed in the Bible. However, before any of that could happen, Janssen had to be killed.

She was still alive, despite being half a head, and enough body left to have a functioning heart and at least one lung. Beyond that, there was nothing.

"I've figured out who you are," the Director croaked as Shin'en stood over her.

"Pray tell."

"You're God," she said simply. Shin'en rose a brow, but let the thing continue.

"It makes sense, really. After making this world and everything else, and after watching what humanity has done to itself, you became jaded, cynical, cold, and apathetic. Then you decided enough was enough, and came back down to earth in human form, but unlike when you came as Jesus, a man who helped others and taught others, you've come down as Shin'en to punish the world."

The Director smiled evilly, although it was a disgusting sight, since she only had half her face. "My only regret is that I don't get to see you rip this world a new asshole. Then again, maybe I can make a deal with the Devil, and get some front row seats."

"Your step-daughter was wrong."

Janssen looked confused. "What?"

"Asteria once said that you were the Devil, and she was wrong, just as you are wrong in saying that I am God. No, _I_ am the Devil, and I'll be seeing you soon, Marian Janssen."

The Abyss' eyes went red, and in her last moment of life, the Director of Itex felt pure terror.

The corpse froze and shattered to pieces, as was custom of the Kura Okami.

Shin'en approached Asteria, who had managed to crawl over to and prop herself up against the wall, a pool of blood beneath her. "Hey, sis," she greeted tiredly, already pale from blood loss.

Shin'en wasn't worried about anything right now, not even the fire steadily growing behind him, nor the highly volatile chemicals that were being steadily approached by the flame. There was no need to be worried or concerned; he was simply going to pick the telepath up, and take them to the ocean, where he would heal her, and then they would move on from there. When he stooped down to hoist her into his arms, she said words that nearly shattered his world.

"Don't. I want…I want it to end here."

"…what?" Asteria's smile was sad and empty. She was dying and she knew it, her wound causing her to bleed out. "Quit being stupid and let's go."

"Go where, sis? Honestly, what would we do with the rest of our lives? Bring about an end to all corruption and crime? Start world peace? Provide food to Africa? Destroy Itex?"

"Yes. We'll do all those things and more."

Asteria chuckled, but it was pained and faint. "I suppose we could…but don't want to. Honestly, fuck this world, and everyone in it. All these people who can't get along, who keep screwing everyone over for a goddamn percentage, and are only vying for themselves. I don't want any part of it."

Shin'en listened attentively, listening to words that should have been coming from his mouth.

"Besides, I've killed people—we've killed people, and this house is going up in flame. We'd be wanted the world over, and never know a moment's peace, always running around. You killing pursuers would just make things worse." Asteria looked directly into Shin'en's eyes. "I'm tired, Shin'en, so tired."

Her eyes drooped, and she slumped over. The demigod was there, supporting her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm being selfish by wanting to die." Asteria raised a hand that had been resting in her blood to Shin'en's cheek, caressing him. "You tried so hard to keep us out of that frozen heart of yours, but we got in, didn't we? I'm so sorry, Shin'en. Here I am about to move on, and you're stuck in the world of the living with the pain of us being ripped away from you…please don't destroy the planet. I know I said that I don't want any part of this world anymore, but I don't want everyone on it to die. Even _they_ are not that bad."

He remained silent, even as the flame got hotter, got closer.

Asteria was terribly pale. Her time was coming soon.

"Do you think…do you think…I'll end up…where Annabeth is…?"

"There's only one way to get into that place."

"Oh yeah…believe that Jesus Christ…is our Lord and Savior…and all that jazz…okay. If it means…seeing her….and being with her…okay." She didn't verbally say anything, but Shin'en knew she was praying, performing that ritual that so many people believed absolved them from all their wrong doings.

Asteria smirked suddenly. "I never told you this…or anyone, actually…not even Annabeth…but…one day…I was able to read your mind."

Shin'en's eyes widened.

"Percy, huh? So…you're me…from another dimension…cool. I'm still going to call you my sister though…I think it's funny."

"You annoy me."

"Spoken like a true…younger sibling…hey…promise me…promise me you'll be good…to Persephone and…her Annabeth…okay?"

"I promise."

Asteria's eyes drooped close, as if she was struggling to stay awake. The fire was blisteringly hot now for anyone not of divine lineage, but the telepath was too gone to notice.

"Remember those conversations…we used to have…? The ones about all that…controversial stuff…?"

"Yes."

Asteria offered a weak smile as she locked eyes with Shin'en one last time. "When it's your turn…Annabeth and I…we're going to find you…and we're going to keep arguing…see you on the other side…

"… _little brother._ "

The flame reached the chemicals, and the mansion exploded in a giant fireball.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

First responders were at the smoke cloud in less than five minutes, and they didn't even know where to begin with the burning wreckage, beyond just hosing the place down with water from the tankers until a plane could come by and drop a few water bombs.

However, imagine their terror when Satan himself rose from the fire.

The flame licked about his cloaked form, and his eyes burned like coals. The bottom of his cloak was draped about, the flame dancing around it. His arms were curled as if he had been holding someone, and the responders could see what looked like ash trailing from the crooks of his elbows.

In summary, every man and woman present felt like falling to their knees and begging for mercy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Don't let it out…don't let it out… _don't let it out_.

Keep it down…keep it down… _keep it down_.

Keep it bottled…keep it bottled… _keep it bottled_.

Shin'en struggled mightily with himself as he fought to keep his emotions from spilling over. What he felt now was the same as when the orphans had died; the same when Yūrei's heads were publicly mounted on pikes; and the same when he learned that it was Ay that had made him betray Yūrei to Yagura.

In short, what he was feeling now was the exact same catalyst to every one of his Awakenings. The only problem was that then he hadn't cared about collateral damage. Now he did, as per Asteria's last wish.

 _Don't destroy the planet_ , she had said, and it was taking everything the demigod had _not_ to do just that.

 **But why not**

 **Isn't everyone on the planet the very reason she's gone**

 **The very reason Annabeth is gone**

 **Asteria's own words were that she wanted nothing to do with this damned and broken world, and that's why she wanted to die then, to escape it**

 **It's the world's fault she died**

 **The world should be punished for it**

 **Severely**

 _But she said that isn't what she wanted_

 **IT'S MORE THAN THAT AND YOU KNOW IT**

 **It is not simply about what she wanted or requested, it's also about what you want, what you need**

 **You need to vent, to let out these emotions**

 **You remember what Sukina said: let them flow, don't keep them bottled up**

 **So, do as she said, let your emotions flow like water, let the people of this dying planet drown in your emotions, let them be punished for their sins**

 **LET THEM BE PUNISHED FOR THAT THEY'VE TAKEN FROM YOU**

 **LET THE WORLD BE PUNISHED FOR WHAT'S DONE TO YOU ONCE MORE**

And by God did Shin'en let his fury flow like water from a broken dam.

Instinctively did his body activate Izanagi so that it could be able to keep up with the oncoming strain, and instinctively did his body know just how to _use_ Izanagi so that it could hold up. The fire of the mansion was erased, as was everything within ten miles, by the resulting explosion of emerald chakra.

Shin'en's hair went up and his pupils became like that of a horse's shoe as he Awakened for the fifth time, only it wasn't like the last, in which he Awakened deliberately and in control so as to effectively battle the Leviathan. No, this instance was like the other three times, in that it was fueled by a violent emotional trauma, and like the other three times, it was more powerful than its predecessors.

Far more powerful.

The planet's crust was splintered instantly by divine might, and the magma below went shooting to the surface. The whole planet was drowning in fire in less than three minutes. Whole cities were swallowed by the earth's blood, and towering skyscrapers tumbled and melted. The great structures of man the world over were toppled by an angry god, and he was not yet done punishing the world. He would punish all worlds.

Shin'en bared his teeth at existence, challenging it, defying it, making it subject to his wrath.

"God promised that He would not flood the earth, but I am not God." Through Izanagi, Shin'en broke through the dimensional barrier of the Multiverse, and his power transcended mortality.

" _I'm worse."_

In the Multiverse, the Planet Earth that represented _Xenophobic Prime_ glowed with an aura of emerald energy, and then that energy, like gamma radiation from a star, shot out in all directions, slamming into the other dimensions, which began a deadly chain of events that resulted in the deaths of centillions. Arcs of extradimensional lightning exploded from _Xenophobic Prime_ , striking dimension upon dimension, and each arc then branched off to other dimensions, and before long, should one have looked at the Multiverse from above, they would have seen a growing lattice of planets subject to Shin'en's fury.

In the world in which the Shinto gods resided, their palace shook fiercely, the ceiling crumbling, the walls and floors splitting, the gods running around in a panic.

Susano'o quickly found Amaterasu.

"What the hell happened to Shin'en!?" roared the storm god over the cacophony of noise. "He's causing a dimensional quake!"

"I know!" Amaterasu screamed back. "But I haven't seen him since the Fates took him to that dimension!"

"Do you know where is he is!?"

"Yes!"

"Then go there now and do whatever it takes to calm him back down!"

Amaterasu vanished in a burst of fire.

As Shin'en ravaged thousands of dimensions, the Dimensional Hall reflected this, as the doors to the specific dimensions smoldered and boiled, before lightning blew them off their hinges and wreaked havoc about the other doors, causing them explode as well, ending _every single life therein_.

Every Shinto dimension was subject to catastrophe, from _Dragon Ball Z_ to _Berserk_ , from the likes of _Kiss X Sis_ to _Boku no Pico_ , everywhere was affected. And everywhere did countless numbers die. And the tattoo on Shin'en's forearm caught fire as it tallied up the zeros.

He ignored it in favor of delivering his ultimatum.

"People don't want to get along because they can't get over who's gay and who's not, who's religious and who's not, who's illegal and who's not, then fine. Like a parent to errant children, I will discipline them. _Strictly_."

The demigod produced _more_ chakra, and the damage across the globe and the Multiverse increased three-fold. Chunks of the planet were ejected into space from extreme chakra-enhanced magma bursts, and this horrible phenomenon was reflected across countless worlds of countless stories.

It wasn't simply the deaths of Asteria and Annabeth that were being used as fuel to this great fire, but every emotion. Emotions over people dying, over the pointlessness of any decision in the face of infinite possibilities, over people existing, doing what they do—everything that Shin'en had was going into this episode of Awakening, and the intense burning of his arm meant nothing in that wake.

Amaterasu appeared behind him in a flash of fire, and was nearly blown straight into outer space by the energy being emitted by the demigod, but she held herself down with divine power.

"Shin'en! Stop~! You have to calm down before you destroy _everything_!"

He spared her a glance. "That's the _idea_."

Amaterasu grew desperate, but so that she attacked. Instead, she tried a different tactic. "Don't forget our deal! If you destroy all dimensions, you'll never be able to fulfill your end of our deal, and I'll never heal your body!"

Shin'en growled. There was logic to be found there, and relying on Izanagi to provide his main power boost in clutch situations was an inexcusable hindrance. So his hand clamped around the Sun Goddess' throat.

"New deal: heal my body right now, _exactly how I want it_ , and I'll spare whatever is left of the Shinto Multiverse."

Amaterasu croaked out a faint, " _Deal."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later_

Ryuk was beside himself with amusement. Whispering in Shin'en's ear when the kid was the most vulnerable, telling to him to cut loose and destroy everything, had provided him with best entertainment he had had in the longest time. He had even gotten a peak at the kid's arm to see that new tattoo:

 _10_ _303_

That was centillion. That was ten followed by over _three hundred_ zeros. During his little temper tantrum, when his power spilled out into the Multiverse and ravaged countless dimensions, causing countless chain reactions further down the line, Shin'en had killed so many people that the tattoo couldn't accurately measure it out, much less fully fit on his forearm, so it compartmentalized in an exponent.

And besides, that kid was now at 100%. His chakra coils were healed to perfection, his heart and lung problems were nonexistent, and the divine seal that locked away his full hydrokinesis had been removed. He was the closest thing any mortal creature besides the likes of Goku and Saitama would ever come to being a god…without actually becoming a god.

The kid was still in this fucked up _Xenophobic_ dimension, standing on that cliff with the oak tree. He was standing before a quaint wooden cross that he had carved and stabbed into the ground. Before the cross was a stone big enough for an engraving, and on this stone was a bouquet of roses.

Upon the stone it read:

 _In memory of friends_

 _Asteria Jackson_

 _Annabeth Chase_

The area should have been melting—the whole planet should have been melting, if not broken entirely, but the kid had overhauled Izanagi, and warped the reality of the entire planet for this last moment. Ryuk though it was sappy and couldn't wait for it to be over. Still he couldn't help but wonder aloud…

"So, kid. Now that we're back to planet-busting levels without a broken jutsu, what next? We gonna commit genocide ASAP? We gonna play things out and watch what happens? Or we gonna just screw all of it and go fuck over a bunch of dimensions, maybe kill some gods, too, while we're at it."

Shin'en remained silent, his back to the Shinigami.

"Uh, kid? Ki~d? You in there, kid? Answer me, dammit!"

Shin'en shifted, bringing his arms down to his side, his sheathed sword in his grasp. Still not deigning to face the Death God, the demigod spoke.

"Ryuk…when I used my power to break through the fabric of space and time, I saw things. Many things. Things about the future, things about the present, and things about… _the past_." His voice dropped several octaves on those last two words, coming out as a bestial growl that made Ryuk's hair stand on end.

"Ryuk… _what happened to the twins?"_

And that was it. No flashy jutsu, no giant laser beam into the depths of space, no epic battle to destroy a planet, no brutal fight, nothing. Nothing like that. Ryuk's last sight in his unlife, even with a serrated smile, was of a red star burning with unbridled power.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Shinobi World_

He was back, and he had so much to do. But first…

Shin'en gripped his wooden arm, this abominable creation of Orochimaru's and Danzo's and Hashirama's—this pinnacle of shinobi horror—and ripped it from him with barely so much as a wince. With a small application of Kura Okami, he froze the very atoms of the arm, and watched impassively as it shattered and disappeared into the ether.

The profuse bleeding at his shoulder soon came to a stop was trillions of water droplets gathered, gathered and formed into a limb eerily similar to that of a human arm, before solidifying and coloring into a perfect rendition of what Shin'en had lost so many years ago against the Raikage.

He flexed his new arm a few times, and when he was satisfied, he looked down from where he stood.

He was standing on a platform of water 25,000 feet in the air in the middle of the night.

"But to answer your question Ryuk, on what I'm going to do now with my power back to what it was…no, with my power _far beyond_ what it was then…I'm going to wait and play along. At least until she has an answer."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And so ends**_ **Backup Plan.**

 _ **Ryuk is dead, Shin'en is at full power, and he waits for Naruko's verdict on the world. The Multiverse has been scarred, and with this story's end comes a return to other fics, and the beginnings of new ones.**_

 _ **I won't tell you the order of updates, nor of what fics are to come, but I instead want to invite you to reflect on what you've read, from Chapter 1 to Chapter 84, the ups and the downs, the good moments and the bad moments, the lessons and philosophies, to the idiocies and the stupidities.**_

 _ **I also want to point out this story began on September 9, 2015, and it has officially been called to a close on September 9, 2017. Exactly two years apart, ending on its birthday.**_

 _ **Yes, there will be a sequel, called**_ **Backup Plan: Wars** _ **, which will be the Titanomachy and the Blood War.**_

 _ **Goodbye for now, my friends, and I'll see you in the next chapter.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning of their sophomore year, in the early morning, Asteria and Annabeth were watching the sun rise.

"We're going to leave this place," the telepath said, her eyes reflecting the amber of the rising star.

Annabeth looked at her with a raised brow, but said nothing.

"We're going to leave this city, everyone here, everything in it, forever. We're never going to come back here. We'll go far away, somewhere in the mountains, and we'll have news ID's, new bank accounts, new everything…new lives."

Annabeth considered it. "Okay, but I want to finish high school first, and get our diplomas."

"Why?"

"Because I want it all to mean something. All the struggle, all the fights, all the ups and downs and battles with your step-mother, my step-mother, keeping out secrets…I want to get through high school and have it _mean_ something in the end. Have it all culminate in that final moment of our names being called, and throwing our caps in the air, and beginning a new chapter in our lives."

Instead of arguing, Asteria nodded her head. "Okay, we'll leave after we graduate."

They fell into silence for a time, the sun getting higher. Annabeth pulled her knees to her chest, but you didn't have to be a telepath to know she was thinking of something downtroddening.

"What's wrong?" Asteria asked.

"…this dream of ours, leaving…" Annabeth started vacantly, and trailed off. "Gatsby had a dream. George and Lennie had a dream. _We_ have a dream…"

You also didn't have to be a telepath to know what the blonde was hinting at.

"Hey, stop that, alright? Those three guys are fictional characters in books, whose fates were determined by an uncaring god called an author as soon as the pen was put to paper. We're not fictional, okay? We're real, and we decide our own ending, got it? We _will_ leave this place, and we'll find somewhere we're going to be happy living at until we die."

Asteria's eyes held so much determination in them that Annabeth was almost frightened…but her chest was overflowing with warmth. She smiled widely.

"I can't wait."

Asteria beamed, "I can't either…but first we have to get to class. It's almost time for first period, and while I personally don't give a damn, I know how much you hate to be tardy, so we need to move."

Annabeth panicked as she bolted to the car, her boyfriend laughing the entire time.


End file.
